Structural Behaviour of English Serpentine Walls for Architectural Heritage Preservation

The structural characteristics of Crinckle Crankle walls are a topic of fascination. These unique, corrugated structures can be observed in East Anglia (England), where they were predominantly constructed between the 17th and 19th centuries for purposes such as enclosing orchards or as garden walls. Referred to as Crinckle Crankle walls, some of these distinctive structures still stand in Suffolk and Hampshire. This particular construction technique, often credited to Dutch engineers [1], involves creating a sinuous form that imparts increased bending stiffness and enhances the wall’s ability to withstand horizontal forces. As a result, craftsmen were able to construct slender walls using just a single row of bricks, eliminating the need for traditional supports or buttresses. This discussion aims to shed light on the structural capabilities of these walls and their construction methods. The walls will be analyzed using Discrete Element Method (DEM) analysis. Additionally, consideratio...