Roman Architecture :: essays research papers

The roman letterss gained a lot of their engineering skill from the Etruscans and drew on Etruscan and Asian models for the semicircular arch. From them, the Romans in condition(p) the use of the keystone arch, which enabled them to produce extremely strong and durable structures. umpteen of these engineering and architectural projects are soundless standing. Some are still in use after two thousand years similar this bridge in Spain. Early Roman architects were influenced by Greek post-and-lintel construction. solely the Greek design was limited in its capabilities to span large distances and world able to bear heavy loads while not go down of its own pitch. Post and lintel construction comprises a monotonic piece of stone bridging a space between two skillful supports. Post and lintel supports have a flaw. When a heavy weight is placed on the middle of the span too much tenor may be put on the stone and it can pique in the middle. The Romans solved this problem by us ing a typeface of construction called voussoir arch with keystone. The engineering principle of the arch is quite simple. The round is the strongest structural shape. The arch is just half of this perfect form. To create a voussoir arch, tapered stone blocks were cut then arranged like the plot at the right. It was then stood up on its ends. The ends rested on piers make of stone blocks or bricks mortared together with pozzolana cement in the typical Roman arch bridge. The cement was named after a local mountain that the ingredients of the cement came from. The weight of the stone and concrete of the bridge itself compressed the tapered stones together, make the arch an extremely strong structure. During construction, the voussoirs were supported by a pro tempore wooden frame until the keystone was inserted. The Roman invention of the arch allowed architects to build larger structures than ever before. The extension of the arch idea lead to the victimisation of domes, alcoves , and soffits. The arches and its derivatives were also employed in Triumphal Arches, aqueducts, bridges, houses, theaters, exedra, nynpheum, basilicas, thermal baths and temples.