La bóveda extremeñageometría

Abstract

The aim of the present dissertation is to identify the shape of a brickwork groin vault, built without centring —some of them being several centuries old—, which is unique due to the appearance of its warped surfaces: the Extremaduran vault. Thanks to the database made from the surveys of this vault in different locations of the region of Extremadura —area of the peninsular territory next to Lower Alentejo— we’ll analize the shape by identifying the surface generating elements: the generatrix and the directrix. We’ll look for the accordance of those lines with known geometrical curves and the possible proportional relations that might exist between them. If —as it seems– the shape of this vault comes from a primitive design, we’ll verify that it can be made through «euclidean» graphic procedures with only the classical tools available in antiquity: the ruler and the compass. Lastly, we’ll explore the calculation possibilities of the thrust of the masonry arches that make up each of the surfaces of the Extremaduran vault through graphic resolutions with only the «euclidean» tools.