The role of the fracture plane's inclination in the restoration of marble epistyles

The influence of the inclination of the fracture plane (with respect to the axis of the bar used for restoration) on the stress and strain fields developed in the restored structural member is explored numerically by employing the Finite Element Method. Attention is focused to marble epistyles fractured into two pieces joined together with the aid of a single threaded titanium bar and suitable cement paste interposed between marble and titanium according to the technique introduced by the scientists working for the restoration of the Acropolis of Athens monuments. The numerical model is calibrated and validated according to experimental results obtained by submitting an accurate copy of a fractured epistyle of the Parthenon Temple (under an 1:3 scale) to bending. The analysis indicated that the inclination between the fracture plane and the axis of the reinforcing bar drastically influences the intensity of the stress field developed even for relatively small inclination angles.