COMSOL Multiphysics® is one of our basic tools that allows us to simulate changes taking place in historical objects under the influence of climate. We study various scenarios of probable humidity and temperature fluctuations, and the finite element method on which COMSOL is based, allows us to estimate the effects of processes within a reasonable time, the observations of which would often take years. What’s more, it allows us to bypass the obstacle in the form of the inability to sample historical materials from cultural heritage objects. We used COMSOL to create a database of the dimensional response of wood to climate influence to the needs of HERIe.
At this year’s edition of the COMSOL Europe 2020 conference, this time online, we presented the results of our research on the assessment of the risk of crack development under the influence of dynamic climate fluctuations, this time focusing on massive wooden objects, especially sculptures. They are a part of our research performed in “SyMBoL – Sustainable management of historic buildings in a long-term perspective”, project of the Norwegian Research Council.
The conference was an opportunity for us to establish contacts with other researchers, get inspired by the problems they model and participate in mini-courses conducted by the COMSOL staff.
The software is constantly being developed, as are our models, which gives us an ever wider range of possibilities!