Oval concrete domes

The paper presents a review and update of the design and construction of oval concrete domes with a particular emphasis on the rectangular plane, with rounded corners, of the RC dome constructed in Wrocław, Poland, which is one of the few shells of this type realized in the world. The roots of oval domes lie in mediaeval times, when they were made as masonry. The best known dome examples of this period, as well as the development outline of thin oval concrete structures and the data on the geometry of such domes were given. One of the major challenges in the realization of such non-standardized concrete domes is applying novel, cost-effective forming techniques in their construction. A review of innovative low cost aesthetic forming systems of thin concrete shells was made. Nearly a half of the paper makes a description of the design and construction of Wrocław's oval dome (23.7 m × 18.20 m × 4.70 m) of thickness 80 mm, which covers the rectangular nave of the church building. The RC dome is supported by two longitudinal and two transversal beams (200 mm × 2600 mm), which rest in the four corners of the building's masonry walls. The geometry and equations of the section curves as well as the results of a static analysis with the use of FEM as well as reinforcement drawings of the dome and its support beams were given. The particular phases of the dome construction illustrated by means of drawings were presented.

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Opracowanie ze środków MNiSW w ramach umowy 812/P-DUN/2016 na działalność upowszechniającą naukę (zadania 2017)