The ReVault Prototype

The construction programme brought together the design and supply chain. It included finalisation of the cutting plan, cutting the concrete pieces, manufacture of the timber formwork, procurement of adjustable scaffold base jacks and Macalloy rods, manufacture and curing of the precast capitals, mortar and joint samples, preparation of the construction yard, vault assembly, depropping and subsequent physical testing.

Construction itself became part of the research. The prototype was assembled on temporary timber formwork, with the concrete pieces positioned and mortared before the vault was gradually depropped. Instrumentation was used throughout this process to understand how the structure responded as temporary support was removed. The programme recorded joint behaviour, cracking, displacement and tie behaviour, while the completed structure was retained for further load and tension-rod testing.

The monitoring undertaken with Queen’s University Belfast combined contact and non-contact measurement. Eight vibrating-wire gauges, five dial gauges and three GoPro cameras were installed around the prototype, with additional optical monitoring. During depropping, tightening the restraint system caused the arches to lift before the formwork was removed, allowing displacement to be measured during and after the transition to the self-supporting structural condition.