Barrel vault
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In architecture, a barrel vault is an extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. It is the simplest form of vault; effectively a series of arches placed side by side. Barrel vaults are also known as tunnel vaults or wagon vaults.
As with all arch-based construction, there is an outward thrust generated against the walls underneath a barrel vault. The walls will require buttressing or other mechanism to contain the thrust. One mechanism to resist the lateral thrust was to create an intersection of two barrel vaults at right angles to form a groin vault.
Barrel vaults were used extensively in Roman architecture. They were also used to replace the Cloaca Maxima with a system of underground sewers.
References
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