Computer Simulation of Freeze-thaw Cycle in Long'en Hall of Zhaoling Mausoleum in Shenyang City, China

The frost damage of ancient buildings is caused by freeze-thaw cycles in winter. In this study, the data of field investigation and infrared thermal imager testing were used as a reference for CFD computer simulation settings to simulate the influence of the solar radiation during daytime and the water freezing at night in Long'en Hall. We found that the solar radiation during daytime has been the main reason for the temperature rise of materials. The larger the solar elevation angle was, the higher the surface temperature would be, with the maximum value 33.5 °C. At night, the temperature dropped to −9°C until after 3.33 hours (12,000s). The water content in the pores would freeze completely, resulting in cracks and peeling of materials in the future. Through the correlation between the actual measurement and the simulation results, it has been proved that the selection of simulation parameters was reasonable, and CFD computer simulation can provide a reference for the research on damage and weathering of architectural heritage in winter.