In architecture, a barrel vault is an extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. It is the simplest form of vault; effectively a series of arches placed side by side. Barrel vaults are also known as tunnel vaults or wagon vaults. Image File history File links Tunnvalv. ... Image File history File links Tunnvalv. ... However, the widest definition in modern use refers to the organization, articulation, and interfaces of any built (or To Be Builtâ TBB) entity, whether a building or a communications network. ... In architecture, a vault is an arched structure of masonry, forming a ceiling or canopy. ... Isometric view of a typical arch An arch is a curved structure capable of spanning a space while supporting significant weight (e. ...
As with all arch-based construction, there is an outward thrust generated against the walls underneath a barrel vault. The walls will require buttressing or other mechanism to contain the thrust. One mechanism to resist the lateral thrust was to create an intersection of two barrel vaults at right angles to form a groin vault. A buttress (and mostly concealed, a flying buttress) supporting walls at the Palace of Westminster Three different types of buttress: diagonal, on the statues plinth; an ordinary buttress supporting a flying buttress, to the right of the statue; a small ordinary buttress to the right side of the picture... A quadripartite gothic vault, like a simple groin vault, can be thought of as the intersection of two barrel vaults. ...
Barrel vaults were used extensively in Roman architecture. They were also used to replace the Cloaca Maxima with a system of underground sewers. Ancient Rome was a civilization that existed in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East between 753 BC and its downfall in AD 476. ... The Cloaca Maxima was one of the worlds earliest sewage systems. ...
References
Roth, Leland M (1993). Understanding Architecture: Its Elements History and Meaning, Oxford, UK: Westview Press. ISBN 0-06-430158-3. pp. 29
In architecture, a vault is an arched structure of masonry, forming a ceiling or canopy.
In the early Romanesque period, a return to stone barrellvaults was seen for the first great cathedrals; their interiors were fairly dark.
But with the reintroduction of the groin vault, more light could be brought into the buildings: instead of building groin vaults as the intersection of two barrellvaults, the master masons simply built one long line of groin vaults.