The word "buttress" has several meanings and is used in various fields. In architecture and construction this is a bulging structure, in human anatomy - the term “skull buttresses” is used. Moreover, in both cases, this word carries about the same meaning.
Buttress in architecture and construction
Back in the Middle Ages, the buttress of the wall gained popularity; it served as an integral element of the Romanesque style in architecture. These structures were built around the building, in the form of abutments, adjacent to the walls on the front side and located at a certain distance from each other, opposite to the places where the supporting arch arches rest against the wall.
The buttress is a vertical structure that serves as a support on the front side of the building and takes on the efforts of the lateral thrust. The cross section of such a device becomes larger in degree of approximation to the base stepwise or along a triangle. When relatively small loads arise, its cross section may be the same, approaching the pilaster in appearance.
Buttresses are:
- stepped;
- vertical
- lightweight;
- angular.
The Romanesque direction in the construction of buildings gravitated toward the construction of buildings looking upward, because the architects of that time decided that a step design would be appropriate and most reliable here. The vertical buttress occupied less than the street space of cities. It was very convenient to use in settlements where there was not enough space for buildings. The lightweight buttress is a new type of construction, some stability is returned to it, installing a stone turret in the upper part. The last Gothic period was characterized by the construction of corner buttresses, which were placed at an angle of 45 ° to the walls.
Buttresses in Gothic architecture
The system of frames in Gothic architecture includes a set of constructive special construction techniques, which made it possible to redistribute the load of the building and several times make it easier to overlap and walls. Thanks to this architectural innovation of the Middle Ages, it was possible to make the height and area of ​​the buildings several times larger. The main components in Gothic architecture were buttresses. This is a transverse wall of stone, with which arkbutan was erected - the outer half-arch, the ribs - the protruding rib. All of them were built for a specific purpose, performed a specific role in the design.
The buttress is a powerful pillar, a vertical erect structure that takes on part of the wall loads, counteracts the spread of arches. During the Middle Ages, they did not lean against the wall of the room, but carried it out, at a certain distance, attaching it to the building with the help of thrown arkbutans arches. This was enough to effectively redirect the load on the supporting columns from the wall. But the designs of the buttresses themselves were made vertical, continuously inclined and stepped.
The main purpose
The principle of these building elements in Gothic architecture is as follows: the arch does not give all its loads to the walls, and the pressure of the cross arch is directed by ribs and arches to the pillars (columns), buttresses and arkbutans take on a lateral spacer. Thanks to such joint work of the components, it was possible to build buildings with a large number of windows, stained glass art and sculpture became popular.
To everything else, Gothic architecture began to include a unique, upward-looking vault shape, which, in turn, made smaller lateral spacers, making it possible to redirect most of the pressure to the supports. Arches, reminiscent of arrows, became pointed, elongated. And they served as the embodiment of the main idea of ​​Gothic - the desire of temples up. Quite often, in the place where the Arkbutans relied on buttresses, they put pinnacles.
Application of these designs today
It makes sense to use the buttress of the wall for low buildings, in the case when the external elements are tilted (provided that there is a place for installing these elements from the front part, and they do not harm the architecture). The most common problem in the construction of such structures is their construction on finely laid foundations, since buttresses have a risk of acquiring dangerous banks after frost heaving of the ground. There is also another weak side of the device of these elements - it is necessary to strengthen the basement walls.
Where else are buttresses
In anatomy and medicine, this term is also used, and it carries a certain meaning. For example, the buttresses of the skull are functional formations that take on the main burden during chewing, as well as soften the blows obtained when the teeth are closed. In addition, they make the concussion and tremors weaker during the movement of the entire human body (when walking, jumping, running). The buttresses of the jaws are thickenings and play a special role in the structure of the skull.