PSI - Issue 64

Luca Belluomo et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 64 (2024) 2197–2205 Author name / Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2019) 000 – 000

2198

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Nomenclature CH

Cultural Heritage

FEA

Finite Element Analysis

GD/GDM MCAAC

Generative Design/Generative Design Method Museo Civico Archeologico dell’Agro Cimino

RE TO

Reverse Engineering Topology Optimization

1. Introduction The usage of engineering tools, especially CAD and CAE systems, is becoming increasingly fundamental in the CH field (Scopigno et al. 2017, Arbace et al. 2013). Starting from the archival needs, where researches are looking to be extremely interactive and enriched (Cicconi et al. 2022), passing through FEA and FEM for assessing the status and postures of ancient bronze statues (Bici et al. 2022, Bici et al. 2018, Bici et al. 2019), or for assisting the design of an inner supporting structure (Ahmad et al. 2021) with TO, arriving to the design automation of the packaging for artefacts (Sánchez-Belenguer et al. 2015), the CAD-CAE specialists are nowadays called to support CH experts continuously. On the other hand, it is known that the wider sets of museal goods are retrievals of small and medium scales and generally their exhibition represents a challenge in terms of aesthetics and reliability. In addition, more than sometimes, retrieval are found in fragments they could deserve to be exhibited in a recomposed way, through alignment that currently represent a research field also for engineers (Elsami et al. 2020, Gherardini et al. 2018, Gherardini and Sirocchi 2022). Anyway, designing a supporting structure that could be reliable, resistant, lightweight and possibly aesthetically pleasant is still a challenge. In fact, the majority of the current supporting structures are made by artisans or by using commercial supports for dishes or other objects, without a dedicated analysis and an engineering approach. With these aims, a Generative Design Method can help to accomplish the design of these highly customized structures for small retrievals. In this paper, we report the application on two different case studies of a method developed by Belluomo et al. 2023. The proposed procedure aims to develop the conceptual design of supporting structures looking at structural, conservation, aesthetics and exhibition requirements. Using photogrammetry as RE technique (Bici et al. 2020), it is possible to obtain 3D virtual models of the retrievals and these models can be used for furnishing to exhibitional and heritage experts a view of their possible orientation and positioning inside a virtual exhibitional case. By this phase, positions and orientations of the retrievals are established, representing an input for the following GD procedure. The GDM is based on simulations and oriented to manufacturing, providing an effective tool that could result as fundamental in concept design of the supporting structures and of the entire set-up of the exhibition. Moreover, the usage of FEA is useful to assess the structural performances, and, in addition, GD is helpful not only for the TO process to be performed but also to take into account the manufacturing methods and constraints and also the constraints and limitations related to orientation and visibility. It has to be noted that a GD represents a methodology based on iterative algorithms able to provide automation during the design process (Hatchuel et al. 2021, Mountstephens and Teo 2020), and to focus on process requirements and parameters. In fact, the complete structure of the support is carried out by algorithms, while only standardized components are required to be designed and positioned. The extensive use of FEA during conceptual design provides feasible designs, and the coupling with genetic algorithms provides optimization of the functional parameters of the interfaces between the support and the fragment. 2. Workflow of the method and procedures applied The developed procedure starts with the study of the retrievals and their collection of information, considering material, age, history, analyses already made on the object, possible cracks and/or fragilities found on the object itself. Then, a RE process, through photogrammetry or other optical techniques can be performed in order to obtain the 3D