New Concepts for Application of Topological Interlocking In Architecture

Abstract

The paper concerns the issue of constructing flat vaults from elements topologically interlocking inspired by the Abeille blocks. One of the new ideas that are presented is constructing the vaults in an order opposite to the one considered untill now. The problem of static response on the thrust force, significant for flat vaults, is usually solved by the use of the perimeter frame, added only after arranging all the elements of the vault. The paper presents how to arrange the vault inside a previously made frame thanks to application of special components divided into parts, which are inserted at the end and play the same role as a keystone in a stone arch. The other new concept is shaping vaults based on equilateral triangles and regular hexagons, from hexagonal, romboidal and triangular elements shaped and arranged in a manner similar to the one used for shaping square vaults. The last innovative concept presented in a paper concerns shaping the perimeter frame from the components providing stiffness of the frame only due to topological interlocking. All presented ideas have been analised purely at a geometric level.