See Also: Arch(medicine)
arch(4)(dictionary)
arch(2)(dictionary)
W-arch(medicine)
arch-(6)(dictionary)
Arch(health)
arch(encyclopedia)
arch(3)(dictionary)
arch bar(medicine)
ARCH(money)

arch (sh)




Curved structure that spans the opening between two piers or columns and supports loads from above.

The masonry arch provides the stepping stone from the post-and-beam system to the evolution of the vault, and was first widely used by the Romans. Its construction depends on a series of wedge-shaped blocks (voussoirs) set side by side in a semicircular curve or along two intersecting arcs (as in a pointed arch). The central voussoir is called the keystone, and the two points where the arch rests on its supports are known as the spring points. An arch can carry a much greater load than a horizontal beam of the same size and material, because downward pressure forces the voussoirs together instead of apart. The resulting outward thrust must be resisted by the arch's supports. Present-day lightweight monolithic (one-piece) arches of steel, concrete, or laminated wood are highly rigid, and thereby minimize horizontal thrust.