Russia Develops Digital Tool to Reinforce Historic Buildings
The method allows engineers to design reinforcement for large numbers of damaged elements quickly and efficiently.
Scientists at Perm Polytechnic University have developed a digital tool to support the restoration of wooden historic buildings using modern composite materials. In extreme cases, damaged heritage elements are fully replaced, but more careful restoration relies on carbon-fiber-based composites. Until now, the process lacked precise design tools.
The new method determines exactly how many layers of carbon fiber — and of what type — are required for each specific structure. The tool generates precise recommendations while accounting for Russian construction standards.
Tested in Practice
The team validated the method on a heritage site with a damaged roof beam. Researchers first analyzed the compromised structure, then ran simulations using the new approach. The entire reinforcement system was replaced with a single equivalent virtual rod that replicated the geometry of the defect zone.
Specialists then compared multiple reinforcement options for the damaged beam to determine the exact number of composite layers needed to restore its strength. The methodology enabled precise calculations across a wide range of damage scenarios.
According to Olga Tretyakova, PhD in engineering sciences and associate professor in the Department of Construction Engineering and Materials Science at Perm Polytechnic, the results comply with Russian building regulations and are based on the classical finite element method — a globally recognized standard in engineering analysis.
The new approach opens the door to creating digital twins of historic structures, enabling safe testing of different reinforcement scenarios before work begins on real buildings.
