Brick arch - with a difference

[^woody^]

Has anyone ever built one of these ... or even thought about it?

Where would you start?

Untitled

• ^woody^
• 30 Apr 2012
• 1

 

[joe-90]

They are dead easy to build. You use silicone sealant to cement the bricks together. You build two columns, twist them, bend them over to meet each other and join them in the middle, then point up and the jobs a gud 'un.



Actually you make a twisted centring that sets the bricks at the proper angle.
I've seen Fred Dibner messing around with similar.

Clever though.

 

[noseall]

Take a look at Gaudis' 'Crypt' what he did witth masonry is bewildering.

 

[^woody^]

Actually you make a twisted centring that sets the bricks at the proper angle.

But designing making a centre alone, would be just as challenging as building this arch

I've built several vertical twisted piers over the years, and they were bad enough to get right.

I wonder if there is some central reinforcing pole which the brickwork has been built around, as I am not sure if this would be stable if just brickwork

 

[joe-90]

it does seem to have a keystone though, but yes it looks a bit unstable.

 

[catlad]

There is brick that has dropped out have a look inside, I bet your right and there is a 6" steel tube inside.

 

[lucius]

The arch may have been built with a fast settimg epoxy cement morter and no former, Gaudis work was built with plaster of paris for morter same as the old Spanish vaulted ceilings with no former.

 

[^woody^]

I can't see this arch being built without some initial support beneath

In addition, the rotation and gauge of each course needs to be worked out precisely so that it twists properly and evenly. Very difficult to work from each end towards the middle as in a standard arch

 

[noseall]

I had a bit of a head scratcher when i first started on my own.

The customer wanted a wall opening (door size) framed with dog tooth bricks with an arch top so that when plastered the bricks were showing with the finished plaster going in an out of the dog toothing.

Full brick - half brick - full brick - half brick etc all the way around the arch also. The head scratcher was making sure that when both sides met in the arch centre that it still worked full brick - half brick.

They also had a fireplace built with herringbone hearth and breast panel, with the herringbone breast panel being framed in a raised brick frieze.

Great fun.

 

[joe-90]

We haven't worked out how they built stonehenge or the pyramids yet - giz a chance.

 

[^woody^]

We haven't worked out how they built stonehenge or the pyramids yet - giz a chance.

I thought the regulars had solved that conundrum in GD discussion long ago?

 

[^woody^]

The head scratcher was making sure that when both sides met in the arch centre that it still worked full brick - half brick.

I recall when steel dividers were part of the toolkit .... for arches, bullseyes and brick-on-edge

 

[noseall]

I recall when steel dividers were part of the toolkit ..

.....the same toolkit Noah had....

 

[lucius]

I can't see this arch being built without some initial support beneath

In addition, the rotation and gauge of each course needs to be worked out precisely so that it twists properly and evenly. Very difficult to work from each end towards the middle as in a standard arch

Its been done and i guess you just start from one end same as Spanish vaults, a whole small house was built in Holland in the 80s with arches, upside down as an advertising gimmick for some epoxy morter.I still have dividers in my tool kit does that mean ime old Lol

 

[lucius]

Google this sorry i cant do links.
www,languagessite.co.uk/catalana
Click on the first vid "Boveda Catalana" amazing stuff also if you just google Boveda Catalana there is loads on it.