What was the advantage of a groin vault versus the barrel vault?

What was the advantage of a groin vault versus the barrel vault?

In comparison with a barrel vault, a groin vault provides good economies of material and labor. The thrust is concentrated along the groins or arrises (the four diagonal edges formed along the points where the barrel vaults intersect), so the vault need only be abutted at its four corners.

How does the groin vault differ from the barrel vault?

Barrel Vault vs Groin Vault: An Overview A barrel vault is the simplest type of ceiling vault, and a groin vault is the result of two intersecting barrels. A groin vault is distinctly curved, but it also has some angles. They both have historical significance, and they have been used in architecture for many years.

What were barrel vaults used for?

Barrel vaults are known from Ancient Egypt, and were used extensively in Roman architecture. They were also used to replace the Cloaca Maxima with a system of underground sewers. Other early barrel vault designs occur in northern Europe, Turkey, Morocco, and other regions.

How does a groin vault work?

A groin vault is made by taking two barrel vaults and crossing them in the middle at a right angle. Where the edges of the vaults meet they form an arris or sharp line. This vault is also sometimes called a cross vault because the intersected section resembles a stubby cross.

What are groin vaults supported by?

A groin (or cross) vault is formed by the perpendicular intersection of two barrel vaults. A rib (or ribbed) vault is supported by a series of arched diagonal ribs that divide the vault’s surface into panels.

What was the benefit of the groin vault?

The main advantage of the groin vault is that it takes all the weight of the roof and concentrates it on just four points at the corners of each bay (each X).

Why was the groin vault developed?

Why was the groin vault developed? The groin vault was developed to provide support to ceilings. Barrel vaults intersect forming a cross vault with foundations at the four corners of the room. These corners bear the weight of the ceiling.

What is a fenestrated groin vault?

fenestrated sequence of groin vaults. series of groin vaults covering interior hall, open lateral arches form equivalent of clerestory. hemispherical dome. round arch rotated around the full circumference of a circle, rested on concrete cylinder.

Who used the groin vault?

Groin vaults are made from stone or brick. These vaults were first used in Europe and were later adopted by the Romans, the Byzantine, and Islamic people. They are also known as cross vaults because they form an X at their intersection. An arris is created where the edges of the two intersecting barrel vaults meet.

How did the groin vault help architects dramatically redesign church walls?

Two barrel vaults intersecting at right angles, the “groins” marking the lines of intersection, formed a groined vault. By focusing supporting forces at the corners of the vault compartment or bay, the groined vault relieved the wall of its structural purpose and made large openings and windows possible.

Why is it called a groin vault?

It’s called a groin vault because the parts meet together in a V, like the V where your legs come together. You make a groin vault by building two barrel vaults that cross each other, so that they make an X. A groin vault can be rounded, as in Romanesque churches, or pointed, as in Gothic churches.

Why was groin vault created?

It provided the opportunity to build without massive supports and allow better illumination than the barrel vaults, thanks to the use of larger windows. During the gothic period, the groin vault was replaced by the more advanced rib vault.

What is the difference between a groin and barrel vault?

The groin vault was developed during the Romanesque period as a more load- and labour-efficient method than the barrel vault. It is essentially formed by crossing two perpendicular barrel vaults. The ridges along which the vaults intersect are known as groins, and these form the major load paths for the vault.

What are the groins of a church vault?

The ridges along which the vaults intersect are known as groins, and these form the major load paths for the vault. By channelling the weight of the vault along the groins, masons were able to concentrate the loads into the four corners of the vault, ending the need for continuous lateral walls along the sides of the church.

Why did the masons use ribs in groin vaults?

Masons soon realised that a good way to solve the problems in constructing groin vaults was the introduction of ribs. At first these diagonal, round-arched, stone shafts were added after the vault had been built, to conceal the rough lines of intersection at the groins.

What happened to the barrel vault in Gothic architecture?

In 13th and 14th Century, with the advance of the new Gothic style, barrel vaulting became almost extinct in constructions of great Gothic cathedrals; groin vaults reinforced by stone ribs were mostly used in the beginning, and later on various types of spectacular, ornate and complex medieval vaults were developed.