Analysis Of Timber Structure Design Of The Main Hall Of Hualin Temple

This article mainly focuses on "The timber structure design method " , which is about the relation and dimension design of the timber pieces of ancient buildings. Based on data of high quantity and high accuracy, the article takes the main hall of Hualin Temple in Fuzhou as research object and analyses the measurements, aiming to discuss the original design approach of the main hall.There are two sets of measurements of the main hall of Hualin Temple, which has been relocated. Together with supplementary survey by the 3D laser scanning method, the article also has further research on the previous conclusion. Through comprehensive analysis of the three sets of original measurements, the article puts forward a method to revise the data. Based on various possibility of original proportioning, the article raises and tests some hypothesis. It comes to the initial conclusion of module and sub-unit of dougong which differs from"Yingzaofashi"that the basic measurement is based on 0.6 cun for each unit, which equals to 17.3mm. The height of each layer of bracket has a 26 sub-unit-standard. The first layer of dougong is not the same size of the standard pieces. The bracket cantilever on the outside of the dougong is 120 sub-units in total while it's 110 sub-units totally inside. The pitch of Ang is decided by a right-angled triangle with a horizontal side of 20 sub-units and a vertical side of 9 sub-units. The relationship of ang and dou is clear and the pitch of ang decides the pitch of roof near the eave. The construction ruler is 289mm long. The dimension of plan on eave-pillar level from west to east is by the accuracy of half chi. The depths between purlins on the plan at column-top level starting from the square-eave-purlin are respectively 7.2chi, 6.6chi, 6.6chi, 6chi, 6chi, each subtracting a 6 cun on the previous one. The design method of the roof pitch reflects that most of the methods are based on ideal integers with cun or module and sub-unit. The altitude between each purlin is clearly increasing by standard module. That is four and a half ju (tangent description), five ju, five and a half ju, each adding zero and five ju on the previous one. The height from round-eave-purlin to the ridge-purlin is equal to the high of eave-pillar, and the height of dougong is half of that size.Existing conclusions show that the dimension of the timber structures of main hall of Hualin Temple differs from"Yingzaofashi"on many aspects , which probably results from the difference of location and time. Individual investigations can not fully explain the timber structure design by archaic craftsman. The article looks into the appliance of instrument measuring technique in the field of ancient architecture and tries to explain various ways of studying timber structure design.