Engineering Mystery of Master Architect Sinan's 'Kuefeki' Shell Limestone

摘要

There have been innumerable papers and studies on Sinan, the master architect, and his works. Nevertheless, Sinan has been deemed only as the master architect of colossal mosques. But when the works of Sinan are closely studied in terms of the disciplines of engineering and architecture, his superiority in building statics, soil engineering, rock engineering, and hydraulics and building physics in his age is better revealed. Sinan, the architect should be rediscovered not simply out of respect towards a person who built globally wonderful works, but under the light of scientific truths and with objective measurement. In the first part of this bipartite study, the distinguished characteristics of the age when Sinan lived were defined in order-to better comprehend the approaches of Sinan in material selection, which is a multidimensional decision. Accordingly, the places of use of "Kuefeki" limestone were inspected along with their possible reasons. The second part summarizes the results of the experimental studies on "Kuefeki" limestone, which was largely used by Sinan especially in his works in Istanbul. The most striking result of these studies is that all mechanical properties of the mentioned stone increase, as in the case of concrete, after "carbonation event" following removal from the quarry and upon reaction with the CO_2 in the air. In other words, while the mechanical properties of "Kuefeki limestone" (uniaxial compressive strength, tensile strength, shear strength) eventually increase, the pores in its structure diminish and its resistance to outside effects (water, gas emissions, SO_2, NO_x, etc) increases. The triaxial strength of Kuefeki limestone was determined by means of its tensile and uniaxial compressive strengths. Furthermore, a numerical example was provided to illustrate the subject.