The flat ribbed vault by Juan De Álava_05 Print E-mail

[...] Particularly complex is the task concerning the subsidiary ribs, although the practice and the constructive inventiveness simplify the task in a great way. On the one hand, the accurate measurement proves that each section of a subsidiary rib is a flat curve, but, since these ribs are generally not horizontal, their length does not coincide with their horizontal projection. However, in these flat vaults, those differences in length being minimal, each portion of the subsidiary rib has been carved, in shape and in length, equal to its horizontal projection (photo 21,22,23).

Removing the centerings is the most important highlight in the construction process of the vault. It is the moment when the stability and the right execution are tested. Flat vaults are characterized by generating much more important horizontal thrusts than normal vaults do. One of the most critical aspects in this kind of vaults is the counteracting of the thrusts; nevertheless, in real construction, this problem does not arise because, since these vaults are placed in the lower level of the building, the huge weight going down the pilasters balances the vault’s thrusts (photo 24,25).

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