Masonry arches - cracking due to lateral thrust

Structure · Arches and Lintels · printed page 72 (PDF page 73)

Book index entries

Arches – Masonry – Cracking due to Lateral Thrust Cracking – in Masonry Arches due to Lateral Thrust Lateral Thrust Causing Cracking around Masonry Arches Masonry Arches – Cracking due to Lateral Thrust Arches, Headers and Lintels Lintel – and Arch

Text in the illustration

when the "columns" of brick next to windows are narrow, the lateral forces imposed by the arches can cause sideways displacement of the brick resulting in cracking or wall bulging
cracking and sideways movement
bulging

Generated explanation

The illustration shows a masonry wall with four adjacent windows topped by segmental brick arches. Large downward arrows indicate vertical loading, while diagonal arrows at the arch ends indicate outward lateral thrust into the narrow masonry piers beside the windows. The left edge of the wall shows cracking and sideways movement near the end of an arch. The right edge shows outward bulging and stepped cracks, illustrating distress caused by lateral thrust where the supporting masonry is narrow.