ARCHES AND LINTELS

ARCHES:
•  A structure, especially one of masonry, forming the curved,
pointed, or flat upper edge of an open space and supporting
the weight above it, as in a bridge or doorway

•The arch supports a vertical load primarily

by axial compression of its wedge-shaped
voussoirs.

•A curved structural member spanning an opening. The

wedge shaped elements that make up an arch keep one
another in place and transform the vertical pressure of the
structure above into lateral pressure.
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KEY STONE:

A keystone is the wedge-shaped stone

piece at the apex of a
masonry vault or arch, which is the final
piece placed during construction and locks
all the stones into position, allowing the
arch to bear weight.
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voussoirs:
•A wedge-shaped stone or brick that is used
with others to construct an arch or vault.
•Arch construction depends essentially on
the wedge. If a series of wedge-shaped
blocks i.e., ones in which the upper edge
is wider than the lower edge—are set
flank to flank in the manner   , the result is
an arch. These blocks are called voussoirs.
Each voussoir must be precisely cut so
that it presses firmly against the surface
of neighboring blocks and conducts loads
uniformly. The central voussoir is called
the keystone.
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SPRINGER:
•The lowest stone in an arch.

•The bottom stone of an arch

resting on the impost.

•The point or place where the

SPRINGER
curve of an arch or vault begins.

•The Springer's usually have one or

both joints horizontal. The upper
surface of the Springer, against
which the first voussoir of the real
arch starts, is said to be skew
backed.
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IMPOST:
•An impost is the topmost part of an
architectural column. Also called an
abacus, it is usually a flat piece of stone.
It can be carved or decorated.

IMPOST
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PIER:
A pier is a solid block of masonry
supporting an arch. They are
often made of stone, but those
serving as primary support for
large arches are usually made
of concrete.

PIER
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FOUNDATION:
The foundation is a large stone that is set into the ground. The piers
are
then built on top of it. It transfers the weight of the arch to the soil in
the
ground.
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INTRADOS OR SOFFIT:
It is the under surface of an
arch
Crown .

The top section of a curved arch

Springing Line
A horizontal construction line
denoting the starting of the
curve in curved arches, or the
bottom of a flat arch.
Haunch
The first few voussoirs up from the springing line. Ie it is the
portion of the arch situated centrally between the key and
the skewbacks.
Extrados
A construction line denoting outer limit of the arch. It
is used in the setting out
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 LINTELS:
A lintel is a horizontal structural
member, which is fixed over the
openings like doors, windows recesses
etc. to support the structure over the
opening.

Lintels are usually rectangular in shape

and they afford facilities for fixing the
door and window frames, wherever they
are used.

Lintels may be made of several materials

such as wood, stone , brick, reinforced
concrete, rolled steel sections
embedded in the cement concrete
TYPES OF LINTELS :
1. TIMBER LINTEL

2. STONE LINTELS

3. BRICK LINTELS

4. STEEL LINTELS

5. REINFORCED CONCRETE LINTELS

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 9.7 TYPES OF BRICK MASONRY WALLS AND STRUCTURES

• 9.7.1 Spanning Openings in Brick Walls

• Brick walls must be supported above openings for windows or doors, using
reinforced concrete lintels, reinforced brick,or steel angles
• A corbel is an ancient structural device of limited spanning capability, that may be
used for small openings in brick walls, for beam brackets, and for ornamental
provisions.
• Arches can be used instead of lintels to span large openings in walls- Different
forms of arches can be built: Segmental Arch, Jack Arch, Tudor Arch,
Elliptical Arch, Roman Arch (cylindrical shape), Goethic Arch, Parabolic -
Arch Terminologies: Intados, Extrados, Soffit, Spring line, Skewback, Crown,
Span, Rise
Steel Lintel

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 Simulated Precast Concrete Lintel
(actually a steel lintel supports the assembly)

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Arch

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