Arch
concept · 2000 BC · Ancient world
A curved structure that carries loads in compression.
Principles and materials it uses
- Brick — is made of. Arches were built of brick or stone.
Where it is used
- Aqueduct — is part of. Roman aqueducts rested on arcades.
- Bridge — is part of. Stone bridges were built as arches.
- Amphitheatre — is part of. Arcades.
- Arch bridge — is part of. An arch.
- Vault — is used in. A vault is an extended arch.
- Flying buttress — is used in. A flying buttress is a half-arch that carries away the thrust of the vault.
History: what it evolved from and what it influenced
- Dome — evolved into. A dome is an arch rotated around an axis.
- Vault — evolved into. An extended arch.
What it is a kind of
- Flying buttress — includes. An arch.
Things built in a similar way
- Barrel — works like. Staves squeezed by hoops hold their shape by the same compression as the stones of an arch.