Proceedings of the First International Congress on Construction History, Madrid, 20th-24th January 2003,

ed. S. Huerta, Madrid: I. Juan de Herrera, SEdHC, ETSAM, A. E. Benvenuto, COAM, F. Dragados, 2003.

Between geornetry and rnechanics:

A re-exarnination of the principies of stereotorny
frorn a statical point of view

Danila Aita

The main objective of this paper is to give a
mechanical interpretation of the geometrical
principies guiding the art of stereotomy for designing
masonry arches. The treatises on the coupe des
pierres -even those published after the birth of
modern structural mechanics- deal with the design
of vaulted structures from an essentially geometrical
point of view. For instance, the main issue of cutting
voussoirs, as con cerned the inclination of the joints,
was dealt with in geometrical terms without taking
any statical consequences into account. With
reference to this problem, the coupe des pierres
develops two geometrical criteria: the first requires
that the joints converge at a single point (e.g. Villard
de Honnecourt); the second requires that the joints be
perpendicular to the intrados of the arch (e.g. Frézier).
In order to determine the degree of stability
corresponding to these geometrical criteria, the
present paper analyses the problem of stonecutting in
statical terms by considering the equilibrium of
voussoirs in the absence of friction and cohesion. The
works of Coulomb, de Nieuport and Venturoli are
examined and the statical formulation of the problem
is extended to some stereotomic constructions.
THE ORIGINS OF STEREOTOMY
From the Middle Ages to the 18th century, stereotomy
was considered the most important construction
technique. By means of geometrical principIes, in
fact, it allows one to visualize a tridimensional object
by means of a bidimensional reproduction and to give
an appropriate form to each of the voussoirs making
up a vault. Tn this way, it is possible to construct
vaults, domes and squinches and to perform an
infinite variety of bold technical operations.
In this context, it is interesting to observe that the
design of complex vaulted structures seems to hark
back simply to the solution of geometrical problems.
In antiquity, the arch was considered as a pre-eminent
example of geometrical perfection, containing in
itself a principie of statical perfection: the common
conviction was that geometry, not statics, could
provide the safest proportions for designing arches.
The ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans cut
stones into large blocks, so that they formed sound
constructions and their weight took the place of
mortar.
With the passing of time, efforts were made to
reduce the dimensions of the stones constructing the
structure, so as not to place excessive organisational
demands on the building site. Hence the first objective
in perfecting techniques for cutting stone is finding
stability comparable to that which would be obtained
using much bigger stones, while using smaller ones.
A second problem relating to stonecutting is linked
to the fact that stone is characterised by a high
resistance to compression and a low resistance to
traction and to bending. For this reason in ancient
temples the maximum distance between the axes of
the columns did not exceed 4-5 metres. Hence the
162 D.Aita
second objective in improvement of hewn stone
construction techniques is to solve the problem of
getting over bigger inter-axis spaces and coverings.
The so-caJled encorbellement method (Fig. la) was
the first solution, used starting from antiquity. The
construction principie is very simple: it consists in
using overhanging (i.e., corbeJled) stones, with the
beds always horizontal.
Though this technique may appear unrefined and
primitive, it made it possible to realise some works of
inestimable value. One of the most ancient and
celebrated was the so-called room of «The Treasury
of Atreus», a masterpiece of Mycenean architecture
done in the 13th century Be. From the 7th to the 2"d
century BC the Etruscans frequently used corbelling
to cover some funerary chambers (one thinks, for
example, of the tombs at Casale Marittimo and
Montagnola) or to make arches (Sakarovitch, 1998).
While encorbellement is a technique that carne into
being for constructing hewn stone structures, the arch
and the tunnel vault carne into being as brick
constructions. They appeared starting from the
beginning of the 3td millennium in regions where
there was a shortage of wood, like Mesopotamia and
the vaJley of the Nile, but carne to be part of the
stonecutting technique only with the introduction of
the voussoir, a wedge-shaped stone with two oblique
faces by means of which it rests on the adjacent
voussoirs, laterally transferring the vertical forces due
to its own weight and any other loads.
The first examples of arch structures in the Greek-
Roman world, whose dating is certain, do not go back
to earlier than the end of the 4th century or the
beginning of the 3'". We are referring to the arches
that cover the gates of fortifications at Eraclea of
Latmos and at Velia, which were ancient Phocian
colonies in Central Italy, or the ones under the vaulted
room s of some Macedonian tombs (Langhada,
Leucadia) or again the underground chambers of the
theatre at Alinda in Caria. In these different examples,
as in the Egyptian vaults, the problem posed by the
lateral dissipation of the thrusts exerted by the vault
or by the arch is sol ved, in that the vault belongs to a
structure that is interred or the arch covers an aperture
belonging to a wall. Down to the 2nd century BC all
structures with arches or vaults are of this type. This
is stiJl the case in the very beautiful vaults of the
staircase at the Pergamos Gymnasium. It was the
Roman builders that, starting from the end of the 2""
century BC, first made the vault a free volume: with
them, the vault showed itself openly, carne out of the
ground, and became a noble construction, no longer
confined to subterranean constructions and funerary
architecture (Sakarovitch, 1998).
At all events, the cradle of stereotomy was palaeo-
Christian Syria. In the middle of the 3t" century AD
the Philippopolis theatre was built on the Jebel ed-
Druz: it contains some rampant arches and a cross
vault. Theodoricus' mausoleum is the only ltalian
monument comparable, for stereotomic virtuosity, to
the constructions of palaeo-Christian Syria mentioned
-indeed, it is even supposed that the architect
originally carne from Syria (Adam, 1984, 207).
Hence skilful architecture clavée carne into being
at the confines of the Roman and later Byzantine
Empire, an area where, for defence against Persian
invasions, the most elaborate fortification systems
were built. The encounter in the same regíon between
a long tradition of stone construction, the knowledge
of the best Roman architects and engineers and
specific demands of military architecture can perhaps
explain the perfecting of local craftsmen in the
realisation of arch or vault structures (Mango, 1993).
According to a hypothesis based on nineteenth-
century studies by Viollet-le-Duc (1854-1868) and
Choisy (1873; 1883), stonecutting methods appear to
have been brought from the East to the West by
crusaders. The development of stereotomy in the
South of France in the 12th and 13th centuries is one
argument in favour of this thesis (Sakarovitch, 1998).
The first problem that faced medieval builders in
the realisation of vaults was how to cut the voussoirs
constituting a structure. They seem to have answered
this question from an essentiaJly geometrical point of
view, without taking statical or structural
considerations jnto account. Indeed, stereotomy
treatises illustrate the rules according to which
voussoirs are to be cut in order to solve the different
geometrical problems that may arise.
The various methods with which stones can be cut
can be grouped into two big families: on one hand,
archaic methods, and on the other hand cutting par
équarrissement and par panneaux. Archaic methods
are those which require no preparatory trace. There
are essentially three: cutting par ravalement, a la
demande and a la perche (Sakarovitch, 1998).
Cutting par ravalement (Fig. lb) consists in cutting
the stones when they are in place in the vault.
 Between geometry and mechanics 163

cutting method par ravalement. Closer to sculpture

.=- ~. than to stereotomy, this technique presents two
~. ~
---=:=J t disadvantages. On the one hand, it makes it necessary
to put in bigger stones than are necessary and to cut

~
them afterwards in difficult working conditions. On
//
, ~ the other hand, the ravalement removes the mortar

~
\ :== h
and hence it can only be used in constructions ájoints
vij:~(Sakarovitch, 1998; Choisy, 1899).
In cutting á la demande, each stone is hewn for
-=:J c=
=::J c= subsequent retouching, in relation to the claveaux
already put in place on which it is to rest. This type of
technique, used for example in Romanesque
architecture, is very slow. The advantage is a great
~"""""""""""""""~"" versatility of use, with relatively little material and
Figure 1
work, since it is possible to choose for each case the
The encorbellement method (a) and the method of cutting
rough stone that best approximates to the claveau to
par ravalement (b)
be made (Sakarovitch, 1998; Chappuis, 1962).
Probably in order lo accelerate the speed of
Before they are put in their definitive position, they construction on sites, cutting techniques were
are roughly hewn, and only when they are in their perfected and better exploited the potentialities of
definitive position are they given their exact shape. geometry.
For example, in the room of «The Treasury of Cutting par équarrissement, also known as
Atreus», where the encorbellement technique was de robement, consists in cutting the stone without the
used, the intrados of the vault was cut after the stones help of panneaux, using the heights and depths
were put in place, the excess stone which formed a delimiting the voussoir to be made.
sor! of upside-down staircase being removed, with a With the method par panneaux, instead, the

-- ...-
.'

"

"

Figure 2
Cutting par équarrissement (a) and par panneaux (b)
164 D. Aita

volume of each voussoir is determined starting from

the surface of each of its faces. Efforts are made to
inscribe a voussoir in the smallest possible
paraJlelepiped rectangle. In order to do this, the
parallelepiped can be rotated at a certain angle with
respect to the vertical. All references to it having been
lost, it is necessary to use panneaux, i.e. models
reproducing the shape of the faces of the voussoir
with the true dimensions.

CUTTING VOUSSOIRS: A GEOMETRICAL PROBLEM

OR A STATIC ONE?

In order to highlight the peculiarities of stereotomy,

which lies somewhere between geometry and
structural mechanics, it seemed particularly useful to
analyse some of the main treatises on coupe des
pierres, dwelling in particular on one problem: the
determination of the inclination of the joints when the
arch intrados and extrados ha ve been assigned.
Regarding the tuilleurs de pierre, 1 have identified Figure 3
two main «schools of thought». Villard de Honnecourt's Carnet (13th century): tracing oUt
A first theory maintains that the straight lines the voussoirs of a pair of arches with a suspended
intermediate capital
representing the direction of the joints must converge
at a point, whatever the arch intrados and extrados
curves are like. This theory is found, for example, in
Villard de Honnecourt (l3th century) and in Milliet
Dechales (1674). It is based on the executi ve
simplicity of the use of a rope to mark out the traces
of the joints, but takes into account neither
constructive nor statical factors (only in the case of
the platband, as we shall see, does the theory
correspond to a correct statical solution to the
problem). Perhaps it was precisely because of the lack
of consideration for construction problems that this
theory did not enjoy great favour. The fact is that it
contemplates the possibility of realising both acute
and obtuse angles in cutting the stone, and this ..
certainly constitutes an element of executive
difficulty and construction weakness. Figure 4
In a sketch by ViJlard (Fig. 3), we find an Milliet Dechales (1674): De areu in alias figuras
explanation of how to trace out the wedges of a pair degenerante
of arches with a suspended intermediate capital, using
a rape to mark out the traces. In this case -examined
al so by MiJliet Dechales (Fig. 4)- arch-capital-arch This theory is present, for example, in Frézier
is assimilated to a single vaulted structure. (1737-1739). It is exceJlent from the construction
A second theory, instead, maintains the viewpoint, since the right angle is the easiest to
perpendicularity of the joints to the intrados line (l). execute and the most uniformly resistant.
 Between geometry and mechanics 165

In Frézier' s treatise, stereotomy is viewed as a set plus étroit a la doele qu' a l' extrados; ainsi étant
of prevaIently geometrical rules. For Frézier the pressée par sa pesanteur contre les voussoirs
expression eoupe des pierres does not so much mean collateraux, qui se servent mutuellement d' appui les
. . . l' ouvrage de l' artisan qui taille la pierre», as <<la uns aux autres, elle est soutenue en l' air par la
"science du mathematicien, qui le conduit dans le résistance des derniers appuis, qui sont les piedroits,
dessein qu'il a de former une voúte, ou un corps lesquels doivent avoir assez de force pour
d'une eertaine figure par l'assemblage de plusieurs contrebalancer l' effort que ce voussoirs ou especes de
petites parties». In problem 26 of Ch. IV of Book Il, coin font pour les écarter».
the subject of the tracing of the Joints de tete is dealt The second reason is related to symmetry and the
with. In the case of round arches, it coincides with need not to create dishomogeneity in the distribution
that of the construction of a perpendicular to an arc of of torces, «afin de conserver toújours une inclinaison
a circle, passing through an assigned point. uniforme des joins de téte sur la courbe du ceintre; car
Stonemasons call this operation le trait quarrée sur la quand méme les parties de l'are exterieur et de
ligne eourbe, et au but de la ligne courbe. l' interieur ne seroient pas proportionnelles, la voúte
Frézier notes that stonemasons also apply this n'en subsisteroit pas moins, pourvú que celles de
method for arches formed by portions of ellipses or of l' interieur soient toujours plus petites que celles de
other curves. l' exterieur, il n' en résulteroit d'inconvenient que de la
In problem 27 of Ch. IV of Book Il, defined by difformité, et une inégale impulsion des voussoirs
Frézier as maniere de traeer les Joints de tete des contre leurs collateraux».
eeintres ¡ait d'ares de seetions coniques, there is The third reason has to do with motivations of a
studied the way to trace a perpendicular to an arc of a constructive character and observations relating to
conical section passing through a point Iying on the material resistance: «parce que les plans que passent
same section. par les joints de téte, qu' on appelle les lits, étant
perpendiculaires a la tangente de l' arc au point de sa
division, font avec la doele de part et d'autre le plus
grand angle qu 'ils puissent faire, qui est le droit, ou
X- ",.;'\!: 1t7f-¡ .,r
infinitement peu different du droit; car si on le faisoit
obtus d'un coté, il rendroit l'autre aigu. Or il importe
que les résistances des arétes, c'est a dire, des angles
des Pierres, soient égales pour porter également la
L..
charge, car il est clair que la plus forte feroit casser la
plus foible, comme l' expérience le fait voir aux
platebandes, ou Ion est forcé d'en agir autrement».
Hence, for Frézier, perpendicularity of joints to the
intrados is not a prejudice accepted a priori bUt a
guarantee of constructive resistance. so much so that,
paradoxically, the fact that in a platband the straight
..&
lines of the joints have to converge at a point forming
Figure 5 aeute angles is seen as involving a risk of greater
Frézier (1737-1739): the hypothesis of orthogonality of the weakness of the angles des pierres, and not as the
joints to the intrados line statically correct solution later demonstrated by
Coulomb (1776) in the case of the absence offriction
or cohesion between voussoirs. Frézier says in Ch. IV
of Book IV of Tome III: "On peut tracer I'épure de
But what are the reasons for a similar choice? cette espece de voúte de pJusieurs manieres, qui
The first reason is related to stability and statical reviennent toutes a la méme fin, dans lequelles il y a
equilibrium: the tetes of the voussoirs become "de plus de disposition de goút que de Géometrie, & I'on
sorte que la pierre ne peur passer par l' ouverture peut dire que la solution de ce probléme est assez
inférieure de l' intervale de deux voussoirs, qui est arbitraire pour la détermination de l'inclinaison des
166
joints de lits». Aetually the solutions presented by
Frézier eorrespond to the statieaIly correet one
proposed by Coulomb (Fig. 6).
..,
Figure 6
Tracing of the inclination of the joints in a platband for
Frézier (1737-1739)
The geometrical character of stereotomy, at least as
it was conceived down to the start of the eighteenth
century, culminated in the treatise by Desargues
(1640), who applied his «universal methods» to the
technique of stonecutting, endeavouring to solve the
particular problems of stereotomy with a single rule.
Unlike what happened in all other treatises on
stereotomy, which until the 19th century were
presented as more or less complete collections of
cases, Desargues studies a single architectonic object,
the descente biaise dans un mur en talus (Fig. 7). The
term descente indicates a type of cylindrical vault
whose axis is not horizontal; the term hiuise implies
that the angle between the axis of the vault and the
wall en tulus (not vertical) is generic.
After defining the technieal terms, Desargues
defines the planes and straight lines that will be
required for reference: the plan de face, which is the
plane of the wall; the essieu, whieh is the axis of the
tunnel vault and gi ves the direction to the
generatrices; the plan droit a l'essieu, which is the
plane perpendicular to (he essieu, which bears the
section droite of the vault.
D.Aita
After setting up these preliminary hypotheses,
Desargues seeks to solve the geometrical problem of
obtaining the true dimensions of the faces (or of the
angles) required for cutting the stone.
Figure 7
The descente biaise dans un mur en ta/us studied by
Desargues (1690)
As is well known, it was only in the eighteenth
century that the arch was at last studied in a statical
key.
Philippe De La Hire, a versatile and illustrious
French scholar known for his Traité de Mecanique, is
commonly remembered as tbe first author to have dealt
with the theme of arches and vaults from a statical point
of view. Indeed, later scientists in the 18th and 19th
centuries referred to him, considering his theories as
first more or less successful attempts to use mechanics
to account for construction rules, which until that time
had been entrusted to practice and intuition.
Philippe De La Hire was a disciple of Desargues,
and dealt with mechanics, astronomy, mathematics
 Between geometry and mechanics 167

and engineering. He was an outstanding member of that deal with vaulted joints, from that time down to
the Académie Royale des Sciences; taught Coulomb, such as Charles Bossut, Claude Antoine
mathematics at the College de France and also gave Couplet, Giordano Riccati, Mariano Fontana and
lectures at the Académie d' Architecture. There are no Anton Maria Lorgna.
printed versions of these lectures, but two In the panorama of historical treatises on arches
manuscripts: Architecture Civi/e e Traité de la coupe and vaulted structures, it is interesting to observe that
des pierres; the latter was a subject he taught for over the problem of the inclination of the joints in an arch
twenty years. is only studied from a statical point of view by a few
The Traité de la coupe des pierres (late 17th authors, such as Coulomb, De Nieuport e Venturoli.
century) has not been published; however, Frézier, in In his Essai (1776), Coulomb sets out to solve the
his Traité de Stéréotomie, takes up some topics from problem of determining the direction of the joints in a
it. In De La Hire's manuscript we find the most vaulted structure whose imrados and extrados curves
common arguments reJating to stonecutting, but the have be en assigned, so that the structure will be in
geometrical constructions are very complex. Of major equilibrium in the absence of friction and cohesion
interest is the start of the treatise, where De La Hire between the joints.
affirms that «Les ouvriers appellent la science du trait Let P e Q(.J) be the components, horizontal and
dans la coupe des pierres, celle qui enseigne a tailler vertical respectively, of the resultant of the forces
et a former séparémem plusieurs pierres, en telle sorte acting on the part aGMq of the vault (Fig. 8).
qu' étant jointes toutes ensemble dans l' ordre qui leur
est convenable, elles ne composent qu'un massif
qu'on peut considérer comme une seu le pierre». In
:
~ l-:!w';
this passage (for the first time in a treatise on ~>"
A ",
stereotomy) it is stated that a necessary condition for
l": ¡ /1>
the stability of a vaulted structure is the absence of
~
¡... './
--
!
kinematic motions between the parts, i.e. equilibrium .B
between the parts. ~r
i/
'-"
D
/~//~ ;
As regards the inclination of the joints de tete, from
some drawings present in the Traité de la coupe des e
V :
~:..., l ,~,~.I

e
pierres it can be observed that it must be perpendicular
to the tangent to the intrados curve in the point of Figure 8
division of the joint. The hypothesis of orthogonality The problem 01' the inclination 01' the joints according to
of the joints to the intrados was also to persist in the Coulomb (1776)
two works on mechanics by De La Hire, i.e. his Traité
de Mecanique (1695) and his subsequent memoir of
1712 entitled Sur la construction des voates dans les There are two conditions to respect for the vault to
edijices (1731). In these works reference is made to be in equilibrium in the case of the absence of friction
two fundamental problems: one relating to the figure and cohesion between the joints:
of the arch and the other concerning the sizing of the
piers. In the Traité there is an intuition, though a
confused one, of the pathway that was soon to lead to
- the resultant must be perpendicular
Mq, whose direction forms an angle .
to the joint
with the
the solution of the first problem; the 1712 memoir vertical; i.e. it must be:
offers the first imperfect but promising solution which
through successive passages was to lead in future to Q( ¡f¡) (1)
=P tan ¡f¡
collapse calculation.
Perhaps precisely because statical approaches to - the resultant must always pass between the
the arch were inaugurated by a scholar coming from points M and q.
the world of stereotomy, the orthogonality of the
joints to the intrados appears like an implicit As anticipated, Coulomb shows that in a platband the
hypothesis in the considerations of almost all authors straight lines of the joints have to converge at a point.
168 D. Aita

In his Elementi di Meccanica (1806), Venturoli Pd¡f¡

goes back to Coulomb' s treatment of the equilibrium
of arches in the absence of friction and cohesion
between the joints, with the intention of proposing a
rereading of the problem in differential terms.
Venturoli considers an arch E'aE, symmetrical
with respect to the vertical axis AR, made up of
infinite voussoirs weighing MmnN «contiguous, but
not connected to one anothef» and resting on the
motionless «pulvinars» without friction and cohesion
Ee, E'e' (Fig. 9).
Figure 9
The problem of the inclination of the joints according to
Venturoli (1806)
Let one project orthogonally the intrados curve
AME on the vertical axis AR. The generic point M
will be identified by the coordinates
let one denote with h( o) the length of the generic bed
Mm, to which there corresponds the angle
coordinates (z,x).
Calculating by means of analytical trigonometry
the area of the infinitesimal quadrilateral MmnN,
comprised between the joint Mm, identified by o, and
the joint Nn, identified by o +do, we obtain:
~ h(¡f¡)2d¡f¡+ h(¡f¡)[dx sin ¡f¡+ dz cos ¡f¡]
=
2 cos2 ¡f¡
(4)
by means of which, knowing the intrados curve and
the law of the inclination of the joints, it is possible to
calculate the Jength h(o) of each joint Mm and hence
the thickness of the arch; or, vice versa, if h(o) is
assigned, it is possible to find the direction of the
joints, in order to satisfy the first equilibrium
condition.
Another scholar that considered the influence of
voussoir cutting on the equilibrium of a masonry arch
was de Nieuport (1781). Starting from De La Hire's
theorem, he considered the fact that, in general, in an
arch there are three fundamental curves: the intrados,
the extrados and the curve formed by the intersection
points of the straight lines of the joints. De Nieuport
studied not only cases in which the joints are
orthogonal to the intrados or converge at a point, but
also more general cases. lt is necessary, then, to make
reference lO the curvature radius and consider the
voussoirs as infinitely small but having thickness.
The three fundamental curves are connected to one
another by the equilibrium relations. Knowing two of
them through the equilibrium conditions, one
determines the third curve (Radelet de Grave, 1995).
AP =x e PM = z; The memoir continues with the elaboration of
complex anaJytic developments, backed up by
o and the graphic results (Fig. 10).
lt is thus possible to determine the law governing
the inclination of the joints in vaulted structures
having the intrados and extrados assigned, so as to
_A~.." Y e
JS":.'<i :,~.<"/ 7/
,..".".

pv
Area MmnN h( ¡f¡)2d¡f¡ + h( ¡f¡)[dx sin ¡f¡ + dz cos ¡f¡]
=
+ :
".~,,,.!
",.r""
."
""
p,-/';.-
,
'
/.,

(2) . .f.."

The are a of MmnN, calculated

voussoir. For (1), we will have:

in (2), is
proportional to the weight dQ of the infinitesimal
. .
$: ,""',/"",,;;,,~

2.
'.

Pd¡f¡
dQ = (3)
cos' ¡f¡
Figure] O
De Nieuport (1781): relation between the intrados curve, the
Hence we obtain the equation:
extrados curve and the curve formed by Ihe intersection
points of the straight lines of the joints
 Between geometry and mechanics 169

ensure the equilibrium in sliding, even in the absence

of friction and cohesion between the voussoirs.
Hereafter, without illustrating the mathematics of
the problem, I give here some graphic results for
some structural typologies present in stereotomy
treatises. The geometrical constructions proposed by
the tailleurs de pierre presuppose that the straight
lines representing the inclination of the joints will
converge at a single point, or will be orthogonal to the
intrados. However, the equilibrium solution in thc
absence of friction and cohesion between the joints
does not coincide with the stereotomic solution (Aita,
Figure 12
2001). By way of example, in the case of a circular
Inclination of the joints in a platband with extrados and
arch without friction or cohesion between the joints,
intrados en chape: equilibrium solution in absence of
equilibrium in sliding is ensured if they are inclined friction and cohesion
as in Fig. 14: hence they will not prove perpendicular
to the intrados (a hypothesis always implicitly
considered both in the stereotomy treatises and in the
statical ones before Coulomb, Figure 13).

CONCLUSIONS

In order better to understand the delicate relationship

between stereotomy and mechanics, it is perhaps
useful, at the end, to observe that the arch model
adopted by Coulomb, de Nieuport and Venturoli for
the inclination of the joints from a statical point of
Figure 13
view is that of a system of rigid heavy blocks,
Inclination of the joints in a circular arch: the hypothesis
perfectly smoothed and devoid of friction, analogous
always implicitly considered both in the stereotomy treatiscs
to the one first proposed by De La Hire. In effect, the and in the statical ones before Coulomb
presence of friction and cohesion ensures the stability

of vaults made in accordance with the principies of

stereotomy. At al] events, it is interesting to observe
that statical modelling -a la De La Hire- did not
influence la théorie et la pratique de la coupe des
pierres, which instead developed on the basis of
geometrical principies and empirical rules that
sedimented in the course of time, permitting the
construction of architectures of inestimable value
and, paradoxically, of great structural interest.

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Figure 11
Inclination of the joints in a platband with a horizontal A special thank to Geom. Gabriele Mazzei for his
extrados and an ¡ntrados en chape: equilibrium solution in he]p in preparing the graphic material of this paper
absence oí" t"riction and cohesion and 1'or his practical suggestions.
170 D. Aita

par divers Savans, el Ias dans les Assemblées, année

Figure 14
Inclination of the joints in a circular arch: equilibrium
solution in absence of friction and cohesion
NOTES
The term intrados line refers to the curve determined
by the intersection of the intrados surface of the vault
and aplane used to draw up the épure. It is usually
orthogonal to the axis of the vault, but can also be a
vertical plane if this is suited to making the trail easy,
or another suitable plane.
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