Consolidación de elementos estructurales históricos en madera con particular atención al comportamiento antisísmico, utilizando bio-resinas y tejidos naturales.

Abstract— The present investigation started in the year 2011; since that time the authors collaborate in a no-profit project with the Archbishopric of Santiago de Cuba in the consolidation of the wooden dome of Santiago de Cuba’s cathedral (2011-2016). The aim is the preservation of the historical frame of the media naranja (the dome). The idea was to avoid the demolition and replacement of the wooden arches, made of shorter timbers elongated by the Jupiter Joint carpentry connection, and propose a consolidation technique using natural textiles and resins. The challenge is the preservation of the old frame achieving a good compromise between conservation of the built heritage and a good seismic performance. The research, still in progress, is developed in the structural testing laboratory for wooden constructional elements in the Faculty of Engineering Structures of the Hochschule für Angewandte Kunst und Wissenschaft. Hildesheim (Germany). The paper presents the first results of these studies. The behaviour of the wooden connection is first characterized in static conditions, before come along with the study of the same reinforced joint. As a result, the static behaviour of a carpentry connection depends not only on the kind of connection, but also on the geometry, number and inclination of the surfaces. These observations are much more important in case of curved wooden beams, like the Santiago’s Cathedral ones, because there, the inclination of the axis decisively influences the transmission of forces from one to the other side of the jointed beam.