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Post and lintel

 
Post and Lintel

 
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Post and lintel
 
 
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: For lintel as a decorative element see Lintel (architecture)
Lintel (architecture)

A lintel is defined as a horizontal block that spans the space between two supports in classical architecture. In classical western construction methods, defining lintel by its Merriam-Webster definition, a lintel is a load-bearing member and is placed over an entranceway....
For beam as load-bearing member see beam
Beam (structure)

A beam is a List of structural elements that is capable of withstanding Structural load primarily by resisting bending. The bending force induced into the material of the beam as a result of the external loads, own weight and external reactions to these loads is called a bending moment....


Post and lintel (synonymous with Post and beam and also called an Architrave
Architrave

The architrave is a moulded or ornamental band framing a rectangular opening. It is the lintel or beam that rests on the capital s of the columns....
 ) is a simple construction technique, also called "post
Post

Post may refer to:* Mail, the postal system, especially in Commonwealth of Nations countries* Post , disambiguation page* Post Cereals, brand name...
 and beam
Beam (structure)

A beam is a List of structural elements that is capable of withstanding Structural load primarily by resisting bending. The bending force induced into the material of the beam as a result of the external loads, own weight and external reactions to these loads is called a bending moment....
", where a horizontal member (the lintel—or header) is supported by two vertical posts at either end.






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Stonehenge Inside Facing Ne April 2005
: For lintel as a decorative element see Lintel (architecture)
Lintel (architecture)

A lintel is defined as a horizontal block that spans the space between two supports in classical architecture. In classical western construction methods, defining lintel by its Merriam-Webster definition, a lintel is a load-bearing member and is placed over an entranceway....
For beam as load-bearing member see beam
Beam (structure)

A beam is a List of structural elements that is capable of withstanding Structural load primarily by resisting bending. The bending force induced into the material of the beam as a result of the external loads, own weight and external reactions to these loads is called a bending moment....


Post and lintel (synonymous with Post and beam and also called an Architrave
Architrave

The architrave is a moulded or ornamental band framing a rectangular opening. It is the lintel or beam that rests on the capital s of the columns....
 ) is a simple construction technique, also called "post
Post

Post may refer to:* Mail, the postal system, especially in Commonwealth of Nations countries* Post , disambiguation page* Post Cereals, brand name...
 and beam
Beam (structure)

A beam is a List of structural elements that is capable of withstanding Structural load primarily by resisting bending. The bending force induced into the material of the beam as a result of the external loads, own weight and external reactions to these loads is called a bending moment....
", where a horizontal member (the lintel—or header) is supported by two vertical posts at either end. This very simple form is commonly used to support the weight of the structure located above the openings in a bearing wall created by windows and doors.

The biggest disadvantages to this type of construction is the limited weight that can be held up, and the small distances required between the posts. Roman
Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC....
 developments of the arch
Arch

An arch is a structure that Span a space while supporting weight . Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture, but their systematic use started with the Ancient Rome who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures....
 allowed for much larger structures to be constructed.

There are two main forces vectors acting upon the post and lintel system: weight carrying compression
Physical compression

Physical compression is the result of the subjection of a material to compressive stress, resulting in reduction of volume. The opposite of compression is tension ....
 at the joint between lintel and post, and tension
Tension (mechanics)

In physics, tension is the magnitude of the pulling force exerted by a string, cable, chain, or similar object on another object. Tension is measured newtons or pounds-force and is always parallel to the string on which it applies....
 induced by deformation of self-weight and the load above between the posts. The two posts are under compression from the weight of the lintel (or beam) above. The underside of the lintel is under tension, and will deform concave up while the topside is under compression.

Lintel

Lintel
A lintel or header is a horizontal beam
Beam (structure)

A beam is a List of structural elements that is capable of withstanding Structural load primarily by resisting bending. The bending force induced into the material of the beam as a result of the external loads, own weight and external reactions to these loads is called a bending moment....
 used in the construction of building
Building

In architecture, construction, engineering and Real estate developer the word building may refer to one of the following:# Any man-made structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or continuous occupancy, or...
s, and is a major architectural contribution of ancient Greece. It usually supports the masonry
Masonry

Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar , and the term "masonry" can also refer to the units themselves....
 above a window
Window

File:OldShipWindows.jpgA window is an opening in a wall that allows the passage of light and, if not closed or sealed, air and sound. Windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparency or translucent material....
 or door
Door

A door is a moveable barrier used to cover an opening. Doors are used widely and are found in walls or partitions of a building or space, furniture such as cupboards, cage s, vehicles, and containers....
 opening. (Also sometimes spelled 'lintol', 'lintil',' lyntil'.)

Lintels
Lintel (architecture)

A lintel is defined as a horizontal block that spans the space between two supports in classical architecture. In classical western construction methods, defining lintel by its Merriam-Webster definition, a lintel is a load-bearing member and is placed over an entranceway....
 may be made of wood
Wood

Wood is an organic material; in the strict sense wood is produced as secondary xylem in the stems of woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs, etc....
, stone
Rock (geology)

In geology, rock is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock....
, steel
Steel

Steel is an alloy consisting mostly of iron, with a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.14% by weight , depending on grade. Carbon is the most cost-effective alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten....
 or reinforced
Reinforced concrete

Reinforced concrete is concrete in which steel reinforcement bars or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen a material that would otherwise be brittle....
 or pre tensioned concrete. For example, at Stonehenge
Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the England county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of Earthworks surrounding a circular setting of large standing stones and sits at the centre of the densest complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age mon...
, stone lintels top off some of the megalith
Megalith

A megalith is a large Rock which has been used to construct a structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. Megalithic means structures made of such large stones, utilizing an interlocking system without the use of mortar or cement....
s. In typical homes today, lintels are commonly used in fireplace
Fireplace

A fireplace is an architecture structure to contain a fire for heating and, especially historically, for cooking. A fire is contained in a Firebox or firepit; a chimney or other flue directs gas and particulate exhaust to escape....
s where one will span the opening of the firebox. In this use they are most often steel, either straight for a square opening or arched for a more decorative effect.

Trabeated


In architecture, a trabeated system or order (from Latin trabs, beam
Beam (structure)

A beam is a List of structural elements that is capable of withstanding Structural load primarily by resisting bending. The bending force induced into the material of the beam as a result of the external loads, own weight and external reactions to these loads is called a bending moment....
; influenced by trabeatus, clothed in the trabea, a ritual garment) refers to the use of horizontal beams or lintel
Lintel

A lintel or header is a horizontal Beam used in the construction of buildings, and is a major architectural contribution of ancient Greece....
s which are borne up by column
Column

File:National Capitol Columns - Washington, D.C..jpgA column in structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through physical compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below....
s or posts. It is the opposite of the arcuated system, which involves the use of arches.

The trabeated system is a fundamental principle of Neolithic architecture
Neolithic architecture

Neolithic architecture is the architecture of the Neolithic period. In Southwest Asia, Neolithic cultures appear soon after 10000 BC, initially in the Levant and from there spread eastwards and westwards....
, Ancient Greek architecture and Ancient Egyptian architecture
Ancient Egyptian architecture

The Nile valley has been the site of one of the most influential civilizations which developed a vast array of diverse structures encompassing ancient Egyptian architecture....
. Other trabeated styles are the Persian, Lycian, nearly all the Indian
Indian architecture

The architecture of India is rooted in its History of India, Culture of India and Indian religions. Indian architecture progressed with time and assimilated the many influences that came as a result of India's global discourse with other regions of the world throughout its millennia old past....
 styles, the Chinese
Chinese architecture

Chinese architecture refers to a style of architecture that has taken shape in Asia over many centuries. The structural principles of China architecture have remained largely unchanged, the main changes being only the decorative details....
, Japanese
Japanese architecture

has a long history as any other aspect of Culture of Japan. Originally heavily influenced by Chinese architecture from the Tang Dynasty , it has also developed many differences and aspects which are indigenous to Japan....
 and South American styles.

A noteworthy example of a trabeated system is in Volubilis
Volubilis

Volubilis is an List of archaeological sites in Morocco situated near Meknes between Fez, Morocco and Rabat along the N13 road . The nearest town is Moulay Idriss....
, from the Roman
Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC....
 era, where one side of the Decumanus Maximus
Decumanus Maximus

In Roman city planning, a decumanus was an east-west-oriented road in a ancient Rome city, castra , or colonia . The main decumanus was the Decumanus Maximus, which normally connected the Porta Praetoria to the Porta Decumana ....
 is lined with trabeated elements, while the opposite side of the roadway is designed in arched style.

In India the style was used originally for wooden constructions, but later the technique was adopted for stone structures for decorative rather than load-bearing purposes.

See also

  • Architrave
    Architrave

    The architrave is a moulded or ornamental band framing a rectangular opening. It is the lintel or beam that rests on the capital s of the columns....
  • Atalburu
    Atalburu

    Atalburu is the name given to the lintel above the main entrance of traditional Basque houses.For each new house, it was usual, in particular in the province of Lower Navarre, to engrave on these stones:...
     (Basque house lintels)
  • Dolmen
    Dolmen

    File:paulnabrone.jpgFile:KilclooneyDolmen1986.jpgA dolmen is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of three or more megalith supporting a large flat horizontal capstone ....
  • Dougong
    Dougong

    Dougong is a unique structural element of interlocking wooden bracket , one of the most important elements in traditional Chinese architecture, Japanese architecture, and Korean architecture....
  • Structural design
    Structural design

    In structural engineering, structural design is an iterative process of applying engineering mechanics and past experience to create a functional, economic, and, most importantly, safe structure for the public to inhabit or to use....
  • Timber framing
    Timber framing

    Timber framing , or Half-timbering, is the method of creating framed structures of heavy timber jointed together with pegged mortise and tenon joints....