Chap. I.

PIERS AND VAULTS.

3G3
2. Tliat the vertica' voiissolr CD, which represents the keystone, havinj^ also its joints
sensibly parallel, will act with its whole weij^ht horizontally to overturn tlie semi-arches and
piers wliich carry them.
3. Tliat all the other voussoirs between these two extremes will act with the compound
forces Gn, nm, ml, K/, K/(, In/, r/f, J'T,
wliich may eacli be resolved into two other?, whereof
one is vertical and the other horiyontal : thus the compound force K/( is but the result
of the vertical force 4fi, and the horizontal force 4K.
4. That the vertical force of each voussoir diminishes from T to G, where, for the kej'-
stone CD, it becomes nothin<j, whilst the horizontal forces continually increase in an in-
verse ratio ; so that the voussoir II X, which is in the middle, lias its vertical and horizontal
forces ecpial.
5. That in semi-circular arches whose extradosses are of equal height from their in-
tradosses, the circumference ])assing through the centre of gravity of the voussoirs may
rejiresent the suin of all the compound forces with which the voussoirs act upon one
another in sustaining themselves, acting only by their gravity.
6. That if from the points T and G the vertical TF and horizontal GF be drawn meet-
ing in the point F, the line 'I'F will represent the sum of the vertical force.", which assist the
stability of the pier, and FG the sum of the horizontal forces wliich tend to overthrow it.
7. That if through tiie ])oint K the horizontal line IKL be drawn between the parallels
FT and CO, the part IK will re])resent the sum of the horizontal forces of the lower ])art
.A UN 15 of the vault, and KL those of the u])i)er jjart IICDN.
8. The lower voussoirs between T and K being counterijoised by their vertical forces,
the part of the arch AHNB will have a tendency to fall inwards, turning on the point B,
vliilst the voussoirs between K and G being counterjioised by their horizontal forces, the part
IICDN of the arch will re-act u])on the lower part by its tendency to turn ui)on the ]ioint A.
9. The horizontal forces of the upper part of the arch sliown by KL acting from L
towards K, and tliose of the lower part shown by I K opposite in direction to the former,
tliat is, from I to K, being directly opposed, would counterpoise each other if they were
e(jual, and the arch would have no thrust; but as they are always unequal, it is the dif-
ference of the forces which occasions the thrust, and which acts in the direction of the
strongest power.
10. If we imagine the width BO of a semi-arch constantly to diminish, its height
remaining the same, the sum of the horizontal forces will diminish in the same ratio, so that
when tlie points B and O are common, the horizontal force being annihilated, nothing
remains but the vertical force, which would act only on the pier, and tend to its stability,
thrust vanishing, because, instead of an arch, it would, in fact, be nothing more than a con-
tinued ])ier.
11. If, on the contrary, the height OD diminishes, the width BO remaining the same,
the curve B and D would, at last, vanish into the right line B(.), and the arch would
become a straight one. In this case, the vertical forces which give stability to the ])ier
being destroyed, all that remains for sustaining the arch are the horizontal forces which will
act with the whole weight of the arch ; whence this s])ecies of arches must be such as
exert most thrust, and circular arches hold a middle place between those which have no
thrust, and flat arches, whose thrust is infinite, if the stones whereof they are formed could
slide freely on one another, and their joints were perpendicular to their lower surfaces, as in
other arches.
1 2. The inconveniences which result from making the joints of flat arches concentric
have been before noticed. If the stones could slide freely on one another, as they only act
in a false direction, their forces could never either balance or destroy one another.
13. A vast number of experiments made by Ilondelet, upon fifty-four models of arches of
different forms and extradosses, divided into an equal and une(|ual number of voussoirs,
showed that the voussoirs acted rather as levers than as wedges, or as bodies tending to
slide upon one another.
14. As long as the piers are too weak to resist the thrust of the voussoirs, many of them
unite as one mas.s, tending to overturn them on a point opposite to the parts where the joints
open.
15. Arches whose vou.ssoir'; are of even number exert more thrust than those which are
of unequal number, that is, which have a keystone.
16. In those divided into uneven numbers and of unequal size, the larger the keystone
the less is their thrust, so that the case of tiie greatest thrust is when a joint is made at the
vertex, as in the case of areiies whose voussoirs are divided into e(|ual numbers.
17. A semicircular arch divided into four equal parts has more thrust than one divided
into nine equal voussoirs.
1 8. Arches including more tlian a semicircle have less thrust than those of a similar
s))an, the intrados.ses and extradosses being of similar forms.
1 9. Thrust does not increase as the thickness of an arch increases
; so that, catciis pai iius,
au arch of double the thickness has not double the thrust.