Intangible cultural heritage based on finite element analysis: force analysis of Chinese traditional garden rockery construction

In traditional Chinese rockery stacking, the peculiarity of the materials and reliance on the personal experience of artisans during the construction process make it challenging to scientifically quantify the structural stress and use scientific methods to ensure the stability of rockery structures and the safety of the construction process. Therefore, the intangible cultural heritage of rockery stacking technology faces the problem of scientific structural inspection and risk estimation during the construction process. This study uses a finite element analysis to evaluate the structural stress of the rockery-stacking site to contribute to the sustainable development and protection of this intangible cultural heritage. After establishing a three-dimensional digital model, mechanical calculations are carried out for the overall structure of the rockery and its different parts. The analysis identifies three types of structural factors in artificial rockeries: contact, structure, and load. It also effectively and intuitively identifies the weak points in the rockery structures and provides an assessment of risks, offering valuable insights for risk prevention and for the construction and maintenance of the structures. These results contribute to the structural safety inspection of traditional Chinese rockery stacking and the structural evaluation of existing rockery heritage.