Article
Article
Arch
Article By:
Birnstiel, Charles Consulting Engineer, Forest Hills, New York.
Last reviewed:October 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.047300
A structural member that spans horizontally between supports that develop inwardly directed horizontal reactions when the member is subjected to a vertical load. The member axis is usually curved and usually lies in a vertical plane. Arches are used to support decks for roadways, railroad tracks, and pipelines on bridges, as well as in buildings to support walls, floors, and roofs in order to provide spaces unobstructed by columns. They may be built of steel, concrete (plain, reinforced, or prestressed), composite concrete-steel, timber, or masonry. See also: Structural materials
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
