The Gongsanseong Fortress in Gongju, Republic of Korea, is one of the most essential remains for historical research of Baekje Kingdom, and reinforces on the fortress wall has continuously been implemented since the sixth century to present. Through visual inspections of the fortress ramparts, sections in which structural deformations have occurred, and then they were classified by morphological characteristics based on lithofacies that compose the ramparts, shape of each rock, and construction method. Also, automatic sensors that can measure behavior changes of the ramparts, and the surrounding environment were installed to monitor microscale movements of the ramparts and changes in the surrounding microclimate. As a result, damages were shown intensively on the ramparts that retain specific morphological characteristics, and it has been discovered that, even for the ramparts located in an identical environment, morphological characteristics affect damages and structural deformations of the ramparts because of behavior changes for minutes. Such changes in behavior can be classified based on reversibility and predictability, and different management schemes must be applied based on behavior change patterns. If we continuously operate and develop this monitoring system, it is expected to be meaningfully utilized in efficient maintenance of the cultural heritage of the ramparts.
To properly restore masonry cultural heritage sites, the materials used for retrofitting can have a critical effect, and this requires standards for traditional Korean brick and lime mortar to be examined. This study experimentally investigated the material characteristics of Korean traditional bricks and two types of lime mortar (quicklime lumps and powdered hydrated lime) and the strength of masonry specimens made from those materials. Four different mixing ratios of lime, sand and white cement were considered as material parameters in this study. The experiment included uniaxial compressive testing and flexural testing to examine the mortars’ mechanical properties, and compression tests, triplet shear tests and diagonal compression tests for the masonry specimens. The results found that the strength of the masonry specimens was not necessarily associated with the mortar’s strength, but rather the cohesion between brick and mortar. In the material test, adding white cement had no noticeable effect on mortar strength. Meanwhile, in the masonry specimen, the effect of the added white cement was significant in terms of compressive and shear strength. This suggests that the bonding ratio between mortar and brick, which is an important factor influencing the behavior of bricks, was stronger with the addition of white cement. Furthermore, it was found that quicklime lumps had a lower strength than powdered hydrated lime. The test specimen with white cement added to powdered hydrated lime exhibited the greatest strength.
Gongsanseong Fortress was registered of a World Heritage Site in 2015 as a representative cultural heritage from the Woongjin Baekje period, and it has been used throughout the entire period from Baekje Kingdom to the Joseon Dynasty. Within Gongsanseong Fortress, the area around Ssangsujeong is presumed the site of royal palace of the Woongjin Baekje. Also, the excavated culture layers of the Baekje Kingdom, the Unified Silla period, and the Joseon Dynasty were confirmed. In this study, paleotopography was modeled by digitally converting the elevation data obtained through surveying the excavation process, and the use of the topography in the Ssangsujeong area was considered by examining the variations in the topography according to the periods. As a result, the topography of the slope around the peak changed by periods, and the topography did not change on the flat land. The topography between the Baekje Kingdom and the Unified Silla period appeared to be almost identical, and it seems that the space of the Baekje period was maintained as it is. Also, during the Joseon Dynasty, it is confirmed that flat surfaces in the previous period were used. However, sediments on the slopes flowed down, reducing the area of the flatland, and architectural techniques that could utilize the natural topography of the changed slope were applied to interpret it as having a different topography from the previous period. In order to model and interpret the paleotopography, excavation data, geological and topographic analysis, and digital data must be secured. It is expected that location conditions and ancient human life can be identified if the analysis technique in the study is applied to other archaeological sites in the future.
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