Numerical Analysis of the Creep and Shrinkage Experienced in the Sydney Opera House and the Rise of Digital Twin as Future Monitoring Technology

Abstract

This paper presents a preliminary finite element model in Strand7 software to analyse creep and shrinkage effects on the prestressed concrete ribs of the Sydney Opera House as remarkable heritage. A linear static analysis was performed to investigate the instantaneous impacts of dead and wind loads on the complex concrete structure which was completed in 1973. A quasistatic analysis was performed to predict the effects of creep and shrinkage due to dead load on the structure in 2050 to discern its longevity. In 2050, the Sydney Opera House is expected to experience 0.090% element strain due to creep and shrinkage and therefore suffer prestress losses of 32.59 kN per strand. However, given that the current time after prestress loading is approximately 50 years, the majority of creep and shrinkage effects have already taken place with 0.088% strain and 32.12 kN of prestress losses. The analysis concludes that very minor structural impacts are expected over the next 30 years due to creep and shrinkage, suggesting a change in conservation focus from large structural concerns to inspection and maintenance of minor issues of surface cracking and water ingress. The analysis is the first step in the application of more complex finite element modelling of the structure with the integration of complex building information models. The main motivation to undertake the current numerical simulation is to determine a cost-effective solution when it comes to the long-term time-dependent analysis. The paper also will suggest future directions for monitoring unique historical buildings, including ‘digital twin’.