Roman Thrust Roof

O n this page we take a look at some of the innovative building techniques used by the romans techniques so advanced that many are still used to this day and in many cases structures built with using these techniques are still standing.

Roman thrust roof.

In architecture a vault french voûte from italian volta is a self supporting arched form usually of stone or brick serving to cover a space with a ceiling or roof. The semi circular roof is known as a tunnel vault. A barrel vault also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve or pair of curves in the case of a pointed barrel vault along a given distance the curves are typically circular in shape lending a semi cylindrical appearance to the total design. The barrel vault is the simplest form of a vault.

Effectively a series of. The basic barrel form which appeared first in ancient egypt and the middle east is in effect a continuous series of arches deep enough to cover a three dimensional space it exerts the same kind of thrust as the circular arch and must be buttressed along its entire length by heavy walls with limited openings. A triangle cannot be distorted by stress a truss gives a stable form capable of supporting considerable external load over a large span. Roman architects discovered that two barrel vaults that intersected at right angles.

The mastery by roman architects and engineers of the arch vault and dome further enhanced by their development of concrete. The weight distribution inherent to the arch means that the thrust is always outwards. The barrel vault is a continuous arch the length being greater than its diameter.