Evolution of Temperature and Moisture Fields in Charles Bridge in Prague: Computational Prediction and Measurements

Charles Bridge in Prague, founded in 1357, is one of the most prominent historical structures in Europe. It interconnects two Prague districts, the Lesser Town and the Old Town districts, separated by the Vltava River. In the past, the bridge underwent a variety of repairs and retrofits. Within the framework of the moderate repair carried into effect in 2007 to 2010, a measuring system was installed in the bridge, and the temperature and moisture content at selected gauge points have been continuously monitored for a period of 2 years. This article presents non-linear, fully coupled modeling of both fields utilizing a parallel version of the simple finite elements (SIFEL) computer code. Its cogency is validated against experimentally obtained data that serve as inputs for the second stage of a thermo-mechanical analysis—the detailed and mechanics-oriented simulations of the bridge as a whole.