Buttress. What is that?

The word "buttress" has several meanings and is used in various areas. In architecture and construction it is a bulging structure, in the human anatomy - the term "buttresses of the skull" is encountered. In both cases, this word carries about the same meaning.

Buttress in architecture and construction

Even in the Middle Ages, the buttress of the wall became popular, it served as an integral element of the Romanesque style in architecture. These structures were built around the building, in the form of foundations, adjoining the walls from the front side and being located at a certain distance from each other, in contrast to the places where the arched arch vaults rest against the wall.

The buttress is a vertical structure serving as a support from the front side of the building and assuming the forces of the lateral extension. The cross-section of such a device becomes larger by the degree of approach to the base stepwise or along a triangle. When relatively small loads arise, its cross-section can be the same, in appearance approaching the pilaster.

Buttresses are:

• Stepped;
• Vertical;
• Light;
• Angular.

The Romanesque trend in the construction of buildings tended to erect upward-directed buildings, because the architects of that time decided that the stepped construction would be appropriate and most reliable here. Vertical buttress occupied less street space of cities. It was very convenient to use in settlements where there was not enough space for buildings. A lightweight buttress is a new type of construction, it is returned to some stability, at the top, by installing a stone turret. The last period of Gothic was characterized by the construction of angled buttresses, which were placed at an angle of 45 ° to the walls.

Buttresses in Gothic architecture

The system of skeletons in Gothic architecture includes a set of constructive special construction techniques that made it possible to redistribute the building's load and several times to make it easier to overlap and walls. Thanks to this architectural innovation of the Middle Ages it was possible to make several times more height and area of structures. The main components in the Gothic architecture were the buttress. This is a transverse wall made of stone, together with which arkbutan was built - the outer half-carp, the rib - the rib. All of them were built with a purpose, they played a certain role in the design.

The buttress is a powerful pillar, a vertical erecting structure that takes on some of the wall loads, counteracts the spacing of the vaults. During the Middle Ages, he was not leaning against the wall of the room, but was brought out, for some distance, by attaching to the building with the help of overturned arches-arkbutans. This was enough to effectively redirect the load on the supporting columns from the wall. The very designs of the buttresses were made vertical, inclined and stepped continuously.

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 vault directs the ribs and the arches on pillars (pillars), buttresses and arkbutans take on a lateral expanse. Thanks to such joint work of the constituents, it was possible to build buildings with a large number of windows, stained glass art and sculpture became popular.

In addition, the Gothic architecture began to include a unique, aspiring form of arches, which in turn made a smaller lateral rasp, allowing most of the pressure to be redirected to the supports. Arches, resembling arrows, have become pointed, elongated. And they served as objects for the embodiment of the basic idea of Gothic - the aspirations of the temples to the sky. Quite often, in the place where the arkbutans leaned on the buttress, pinnacles were placed.

Application of these structures today

The buttress of the wall makes sense to use for low-rise buildings, in the case when the outer elements are tilted (provided that there is a place for installing these elements from the front part and they do not damage the architecture). The most common problem with the erection of such structures is the construction of them on shallow foundations, since after frost heaving the ground at the buttresses has the risk of acquiring dangerous heels. Also there is one more weakness of the device of these elements - it is necessary to strengthen the basement walls.

Where else meet buttresses

In the 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, and also soften the impacts resulting from the closing of the teeth. In addition, they make weaker shocks and shocks during the movement of the entire human body (with walking, jumping, running). Buttresses of the jaws are thickenings and play a special role in the structure of the skull.