Diagnostic Method for Revealing Major Risk Factors of Wrought Iron Building Structure Elements

Wrought iron building structure elements like tie bars, balk irons, stone cramps, or door hinges were applied as parts of the different structures of historic buildings. These elements often have important role in the work of the structural system. Because of the characteristics of the wrought iron, the reliability of the material is often questionable, that occasionally means a considerable stability risk of the heritage structure. In case of larger scale wrought iron structures, like bridge elements, the usual way of estimating the quality of wrought iron is taking small sample pieces of the material for strength test and micrographic analyses. In case of smaller building structure elements however, especially if the building is listed, because of the small cross sections and the heritage value of the original fabric, it is not feasible. This paper aims to demonstrate a potential, non-destructive method for the risk examination in case of wrought iron structural elements with X-ray tests. The main risk factors can be detected on the bases of these examinations without disturbing the historic fabric.