Browsing by Author "Bruttini, Jacopo"

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    Application of LiDAR Sensors for the Reconstruction of the Production Techniques of Artificial Conglomerate Blocks: the Case of the Maconi Tower - Siena (Italy)
    (The Eurographics Association, 2025) Rossi, Gioele; Bruttini, Jacopo; Camporeale, Stefano; Gabbrielli, Fabio; Giamello, Marco; Tavarnelli, Enrico; Campana, Stefano; Ferdani, Daniele; Graf, Holger; Guidi, Gabriele; Hegarty, Zackary; Pescarin, Sofia; Remondino, Fabio
    The Maconi tower, dating back to around the 12th century and belonging to one of the leading families of medieval Siena, is characterised, in its internal and external façades, by a wall made of limestone blocks, reused bricks and large blocks of artificial conglomerate. The latter, the subject of this research and also visible in other buildings in the city, are parallelepiped in shape and are made of mortar and angular stone elements, with a texture that varies depending on the size and shape of the aggregates, as well as the processing of the blocks themselves. The aim of the research was to verify the effectiveness of new three-dimensional survey methodologies for the documentation and morphological analysis of artificial conglomerate blocks, in order to understand the production system of the latter. To this end, the LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology integrated into Apple IPhone PRO devices was used, with which it was possible to obtain detailed 3D scans with the help of a free application and an electronic stabilizer, all accompanied by measurements with traditional systems (comb profiler), used to verify the method. The study concerned, in particular, the evaluation of the roughness of the external surface of the blocks, or the three-dimensional shape of the external faces, as a possible indicator for understanding the methods of construction and processing. The analysis of the surface texture, obtained through three-dimensional scanning, highlighted two types of surfaces in relation to the variation values between the level of the mortar and the top of the stone elements: the first type shows a significant variation, while the second has a more contained difference, indicating a different degree of irregularity. The investigations conducted allowed us to quantify the roughness of the artificial conglomerate blocks, highlighting variations compatible with different exposure to atmospheric agents and/or different construction methods.