Posted on 04/28/2012 7:12:45 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Or, to sharpen the post...... what is a vaulting tube?
/johnny
I got your vaulting tube right here.
Thanks for your 10.75 megabyte link that came complete with pics demonstrating the process. I gather the following:
Builders use wooden forms to form a temporary vaulted ceiling. Then, after they lay a layer of cement on the forms, they laid on the ‘vaulting tubes” which were flexible and provided some strength. Another layer of cement goes on top of the tubes. Remove the wooden forms on which the various layers rested and and you have a smooth vaulted surface of cement on top and bottom of the tubes.
God, I love the internet.
Link to picture of how they were used for vaulting. Scroll down to drawing.
http://artvent-artventures.blogspot.com/2011/02/archeology-in-sicily-part-iii-earliest.html
I agree fascinating world we live in.
The vaulting tube technique is particularly common in Roman North Africa. Here the tubes were used instead of timber, as there was a shortage of wood for temporary supports to place a roof on a building.
Interesting. They are actually a type of concrete form that becomes incorporated into the structure. It sounds like their only structural value is during the construction process.
Thanks TigersEye.
LOL!
Hey, nice! That looks like a good standalone topic.
The earliest domes in the Med though are the corbelled domes (such as the so-called “Treasury of Atreus”) built by the Mycenaean Greeks.
Nice corbelled arch at Uxmal. But no dome.
http://worldheritagesites.tumblr.com/post/3204639088/mayan-corbelled-arch-uxmal-mexico
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