Arches are an architecturally decorative solution for the visual separation of rooms without doors. Basically, arches are arranged outside the building and are used to decorate country cottages or private houses.
The arches are not only very stable, they are also almost insensitive to displacements in the foundations. If the wall can collapse at the same time, displacements at the base of the arch will only cause distortions, which are harmless and even common for arches. Likewise, arches withstand earthquakes quite well. Interestingly, among the ancient ruins, the best preserved are the arches, and this is partly due to their characteristic stability.
The bricks on which the lintel rests are called heels.
The space covered by any jumper is called span.
A wooden form supporting the formwork on which arched, vaulted and domed structures are erected.
The number of bricks in the arch and rows in the arch should be odd.
Middle top odd brick - castle.
Arches, arranged to cover openings with a width of 2 to 4 m, can have a very different radius of curvature or different lifting arrows.
A brick arch is characterized by the use of a special masonry method - bow lintel... This design implies the erection of the wall to the level of the future lintel, then they begin to build the arch.
In this case, the thickness of the brickwork must be at least 1 brick, and as a rule, they are laid out in two layers of equal thickness, and both layers should be performed and "locked in locks" in the upper part at the same time.
Kruzhala is made of 40 mm thick boards. First, circles are made of planks, cut along the contour of the arch. Circles consist of separate jambs, knocked down in two layers with a gap in the joints. The lower part of the circle is connected with boards and on top of the circle, the formwork from planed boards is sewn with nails, which is sheathed with roofing iron, fiberboard, etc. The masonry is carried out along the formed surface, which repeats the shape of the arched lintel. There are also industrial ready-made arched openings, which are supplied unassembled.
Along the edges of the span, side supports are installed on which the template is installed and aligned horizontally with wedges. A cord is pulled between two boards attached to the wall, which makes it possible to adjust the position of the bricks laid in the direction of the castle.
A wedge-shaped stone or brick is used, which is laid strictly towards the center. In the absence of a ready-made curved brick, an ordinary solid brick is hewn, giving it a wedge-shaped shape. When laying arches, you should strictly monitor the quality of the bricks, the direction and thickness of the joints, which should not be more than the permissible for the project.
Arches made of ordinary bricks are made with wedge-shaped seams with a thickness of at least 5 mm at the bottom and no more than 25 mm at the top.
To accurately mark the distance between the bricks and the position of the seams, place a brick in the middle of the template, adjust the compass to the thickness of the brick plus 5 mm for the seam filled with mortar, and, starting from the middle brick, measure the distances along the edge of the template to the last complete brick. The width of the remaining gap is divided by the resulting number of bricks and the legs of the compass are additionally bred by the total value.
Arches are being laid simultaneously from both sides from the heels to the top with careful dressing of the seams. The brick is laid "on the edge" in transverse rows according to the formwork template. The radial position of the seam is controlled by a square template. To correctly fix the bricks in the masonry, the mortar is spread along the bed of the brick "wedge-shaped" (with a thickening up).
The position of the bricks is checked using a cord fixed at one end in the center of the semicircle.
Thickening of the seams against the indicated ones is allowed only in the cases provided for by the project.
The joints must be completely filled with mortar. The bricklayer also monitors the front surface of the masonry - the pattern of the dressing, the quality of the brick, its color and shade.
To ensure the uniformity of stresses in large arches, it is necessary to erect them so quickly that the solution does not have time to completely harden in all parts of the arches until it loosened up. The mortars should be applied to Portland cement.
Deviations in the thickness of the joints in the masonry should not exceed:
- horizontal ................................................ ........................................ -2; +3 mm
- vertical ................................................ ............................................ -2; +2 mm
1 - box; 2 - quarter-cylindrical; 3 - domed; 4 - domed on sails without a drum; 5 - domed on a drum; 6 - konkha; 7 - gable; 8 - cross; 9 - hipped roof; 10 - 12 - step-arched; 13 - undisturbed cross; 14, 15 - closed on stripping, converging to the corner; 16, 17 - vaulted ceiling pa stripping, converging to the corner; 18 - closed on stripping, receding from the corner; 19 - closed with free arrangement of formwork; 20 - closed on a faceted base ("faceted dome"); 21 - sailing; 22 - dome on trumpet; 23 - criss-crossed with horizontal stripping skirts; 24 - criss-crossed with inclined stripping skirts; 25 - grove with stepped stripping; 26 - closed without stripping; 27 and 28 - half-tray and tray; 29 - vaulted overlap of the stripping; 30 - tray on stripping; 31 and 32 - options for the light five-domed pillarless temple
In brick churches, the vaults are laid out on the formwork, which rests on circles and walls or on supporting arches lowered in relation to them. After the solution has hardened, the circles are removed and the formwork is removed.
Fireplaces and stoves may only be covered arches, screeds, overlap or wedge. Do not use metal products for floors: fittings, corners, channels, etc.
Arch the most reliable overlap, transferring the vertical load from the upper rows of the stove or fireplace masonry to the walls "in the spacer".
Arches are:
- semicircular
- onion
- straight
To lay such an arch, you must first make a circle. Take a sheet of plywood and cut 2 semicircles out of it with a radius of half the width of the firebox. Place the semicircles on the floor and insert 11cm pieces of wood between them and nail them together. The circle is ready.
When laying the arch on a cement-sand mortar, the bricks are placed on the circle whole, not ground off, but the masonry is wedged with a mortar. When laying the arch on clay, it is impossible to wedge the mortar, since the clay-sand mortar has a very low strength and sooner or later it will crumble out of the seams. Therefore, all the bricks of the arch must be grinded onto a wedge. Moreover, the size of the wedge depends on the radius of curvature of the arch.
You can calculate the size of the wedge through geometric formulas, but it's easier to draw with a thread. To do this, put the circle on the table and attach a brick to it. From the center of the circle, pull the thread over the upper left corner of the brick.
Draw a cutting line across the brick with a pencil from the top left corner. Do the same for the right side of the brick. You will get something like this. Then grind off the excess with a grinder or a pick and you will get a wedge brick, designed specifically for your radius of curvature of the arch.
After preparing the required number of wedge bricks, you can start laying. The circle is installed in the firebox on props, leveled and plumb. The masonry of the arch is carried out, starting with the outermost bricks so that there is a brick in the upper part of the arch, and not a seam between two bricks. The correctness of the masonry is checked with a thread pulled from the center of the circle. The bricks adjacent to the arch are fitted in place.
Bow arch flatter than semicircular. It is used for wider windows, with limited window height. Circling under such an arch does not represent an even half of a circle, but a sector.
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The masonry technology of an arched arch is the same as that of a semicircular one, with the only difference that the radius of curvature in such an arch is not known in advance. It is calculated by the formula:
R - radius of curvature of the bow arch
в- the height to which you want to raise the top of the arch (usually equal to the height of 1-2 rows of masonry)
c- half the width of the firebox
Straight arch... It is used in the event that you want to make sure to make a straight overlap. From the arch, only bricks are left here, ground down on a wedge. That is, the principle of the arch (to transfer the vertical load to the sides) remains, but the shape of the arc disappears.
At the same time, it is not necessary to make a circle. The arch is laid along the board. In manufacturing, a straight arch is the most difficult of all floors. The main difficulty is the calculation of the saw cut angles of each brick, or rather its measurement.
To define the stitch angles, you must first set the center of the arch. Further, the technology is similar to the manufacture of bricks for a bow arch. Only instead of a circle, a straight board is used. First, a central brick is placed in the center of the board. The angles of the cuts are measured using a thread stretched from the center of the arch to its upper corners.
The central brick (1) is sawn along the cutting lines. Then the second brick (2) is placed on the right to the central cut brick so that the lower left corner of the second brick coincides with the lower right corner of the central one. The thread (4) is pulled over the upper right corner of the second brick from the center of the arch (3). A cutting line is drawn. In this case, the lower right corner of the second brick is below the board line. A second cutting line (5) is drawn along the board, like a ruler, cutting off the lower right corner of the second brick.
In the same way, sequentially placing subsequent bricks to the arch, all the rest are trimmed. In this case, each time the lower right corner of the next brick will fall below and below the level of the board. Using the same technology, bricks are cut to the left of the central one. The result is an arch with a flat bottom and a stepped top.
Now it remains to draw a straight line from the upper left corner of the leftmost brick to the upper right corner of the rightmost brick and cut off all the bricks along this line. This will give you a set of bricks for a straight arch. Such an arch is placed along a straight board, as if it were a circle. When choosing the center of the arch, it must be borne in mind that the height of the bricks and the strength of the arch directly depend on its position. The closer the center is to the arch, the steeper the wedges turn out, the arch is stronger, but the height of the bricks in it decreases.
Screed... It is used if you want to make a straight floor with vertically standing bricks. Not the most reliable way to overlap. The use of steel bars can cause the floor to sag over time. To make a screed, take two steel rods with a diameter of 10-12 mm and a length of 20-30 cm more than the width of the firebox. Thread the ends of the rods. In bricks intended for overlap, drill holes with a diameter of 12-14 mm. Arrange the drilled bricks in a row and thread them through the cut holes. Hammer in the joints between the bricks with mortar. After the solution dries, put washers on the rods and tighten the resulting bar with nuts. You can install such a brick block directly on the fireplace window. This is very nice, but, due to the use of metal, it is very unreliable. No matter how refractory the brick is, it still heats up and heats up the steel rods, and the thermal expansion coefficients of brick and steel are very different from each other.
Overlapping with slips. It is used for direct overlapping of small (up to 1 brick wide) areas in ovens. Bricks in such an overlap do not collapse due to the fact that they are cantilevered in the masonry. When laying, a plank must be placed under them, which is then removed.
Overlapping with a wedge... It is used for direct overlapping of openings up to 2 bricks wide. For overlapping with a wedge, a support is also used, on which numbered bricks are laid. After the end of all the masonry, the plank is removed. Bricks # 3 are held firmly in the masonry, brick # 6 is held at the expense of a wedge.
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Video: do-it-yourself arch masonry
Making a brick arch is not an easy task, even for an experienced home craftsman. Such an action requires certain skills and knowledge. And if the skills need to be acquired in practice, then knowledge can be obtained by reading the recommendations and instructions on how to make an arch from brick. For clarity, we present photo and video materials.
Forms
A do-it-yourself brick arch can be created in a variety of shapes, taking into account the required architectural style. Types of openings, taking into account the masonry:
- classic - the height of the semicircle - the half-width of the opening;
- onion - a trimmed cone, characteristic of the oriental style;
- wedge-shaped - in the form of a wedge, at the top it is attached with a locking element, which is characteristic of the Gothic style;
- modern - the arc is like a truncated cone;
- romanticism - rectangular with a slight rounding of the corners;
- ellipse - used in postmodern or new wave;
- the portal is rectangular.
One or another masonry of brick arches is characterized by features that must be taken into account, especially harmony with a certain style.
Subsequence
In general, the procedure is different for all types of arches, but the main stages of this event can be distinguished:
- project creation;
- building a template element;
- its installation;
- masonry;
- removing the template;
- finishing.
It is worth noting that the template element can be made either from wooden blocks or from chipboard. The sizes are determined in advance. And the attractiveness of the brickwork depends on the quality of the template.
What is necessary?
To lay out an arch from a brick, you will need a template formwork, which is made of boards and two racks for support.
Laying is done without gaps using wedge bricks. The thickness of the seams is allowed up to 1 cm. When using a cement-sand mortar, the template can be removed only after two weeks.
If there is no wedge brick, you can redo the rectangular one. For an oven arch, this parameter should be small. In addition, it is not recommended to use a solution for such a case, otherwise destruction is likely.
Template creation
The template is quite difficult to create. We can say that this stage of construction is the most difficult. After all, the result will be responsible for the shape, and at the same time play the role of a supporting structure. The template is created from a semicircle of chipboard and a piece of board. They should be nailed together, and then the hardboard is fixed.
Installation of support pillars
Side supports are made of the boards, for installation from the inside of the columns. A template is installed on the end of these elements. Next, we are doing the markup, determining the location of each brick.
Masonry
Do-it-yourself masonry is easy if you follow certain recommendations. The bricks are laid from the edges to the middle. They should be placed according to the labels on the template. You can control the quality of the arch when there are three bricks left for laying.
The solution should be applied in a wedge-shaped manner. To maintain the symmetry of the second row, a cord is used.
It is worth cleaning the solution after it has set. A wet brush is used for this.
Design features for the garage
You can give a sufficient number of photos of brick arches that are used in garages. To ensure its durability, it is recommended to consider several features.
For example, many strive to make the arc minimal, but this only reduces the reliability of the structure. It is also recommended to correlate the strength of the template with the weight of the arch.
The uprights should fit snugly so that the arch does not sag. Before starting the process, you should determine the required amount of bricks. If the arch is large, thick seams should be avoided. The thickness of the bottom seam should be 3-6 mm. Laying is carried out from the edges to the center. The last one is the central brick.
If the arch is made for a garage, the distance in the opening will be large. To increase the strength of the wall above the arch, it is worth laying along the reinforcement.
Design features for stoves and fireplaces
In this case, the bricks are fitted tightly so that they touch at the bottom. When the masonry is dry, the template can be difficult to remove. Then there is an alternative - to burn it during the heating process.
Cleaning from the solution
Since during the laying with your own hands, the solution cannot always be perfectly distributed, it can fall on the front part. Then it will have to be cleaned with a dry cloth. If the mortar is not enough in the seam, it must be filled from the bottom up.
Causes of destruction
There are special circumstances as a result of which the arch can burst:
- Small radius with large width. Due to the uneven distribution of significant loads, cracks and fractures may appear;
- If metal bases or corners are used as a template. Despite the desire to use them to strengthen the structure, the result may be the opposite. After all, a metal base, unlike a wooden template, does not allow the arch to shrink. This can lead to cracks.
- The template was not retrieved in time. During the stay of the template in the structure, it absorbs moisture, the wood swells, as a result of which the masonry does not withstand stress. Therefore, if you cannot immediately pull out the template, you should cover the arch with plastic.
- The cause of destruction can be the subsidence of the foundation, in which case it will need to be strengthened.
Preventing possible causes, we build a reliable structure
It will take several hours to create a brick arch with your own hands. There is nothing complicated in the procedure, it is only important to follow the technologies, recommendations, then the result will be at the highest level - finishing the arch with bricks will not only look beautiful, but also serve for many years.
An arch is a curved lintel that serves as an architectural element of a wall opening or a span between supports. The side brace of the vaulted structure ensures its strength. Brick arches differ in types:
- bow arches - bricks are laid in them along a guide in the form of a truncated arc;
- wedge-shaped arches - bricks are laid in a wedge with a fixing "lock" device;
- full arches - brickwork is made in a semicircle and has a height of 1/2 the width of the opening.
Despite the different ways of laying a piece stone, the sequence and general principle of work on the manufacture of such arches do not differ much. If you have experience in the construction business, any of them can be laid out with your own hands.
Masonry materials
When installing arches, trapezoidal wedge bricks are used. The shape of such materials allows you to reliably fix the structure of the vault. Wedge bricks can be purchased at a building materials store or made by yourself by machining common items to the desired shape.
A cement-sand mortar or its special types is used as a binding material for brickwork of arches. For example, to decorate the hearths of stoves or fireplaces with your own hands, the solution is prepared from clay with the addition of fine gravel with a fraction of less than 8 mm and chamotte sand.
The cladding of lined arches is often done using decorative stone. This finishing material is comfortable, fits perfectly into the interior of almost any room, giving it solidity.
Making a brick arch
The technology of making a brick arch with your own hands is influenced by the choice of its type and design features. The vault installation process consists of several stages:
- calculation and production of an arched template;
- installation of the template in the opening or between the support pillars;
- brickwork of the vault;
- compression and fastening of the finished structure;
- disassembly of the template;
- arch finishing.
Each of these stages of construction requires careful execution. Therefore, we will consider them in more detail.
Making an arched template
Brick arch masonry is performed using a special template that repeats the contour of the future opening. In addition to the formative one, the arched template performs a load-bearing function in the process of the main work. Therefore, it is important to accurately calculate and make this auxiliary element with your own hands. When calculating it, it must be borne in mind that the lifting height of the arch must correspond to its rounding radius and be equal to 1/2 of the opening width.
The material for the manufacture of the template are boards and sheets of chipboard (chipboard). On a sheet of chipboard, a pencil marks the center of the arch structure, its lower and upper points. Then they need to be connected with an arc until a truncated semicircle is obtained. Two circles are cut out according to the markings made, the bases of which are nailed along the long ends of the board. The length of the piece of the board should correspond to the width of the opening, and its transverse dimension should correspond to the thickness of the future arch. A 6mm hardboard strip is nailed to the arcuate part, starting from the base of the structure, on which brickwork will be made. The template is ready.
Installing a template
Installation of a self-made template is performed using side supports. They are made of planks and installed on the inside of the opening, then spaced apart with beams of the required length or other planks. Then a template is installed on the upper end of the supports.
For the correct placement of a masonry stone on it, you need to make a markup. To do this, a brick is installed in the middle of the template. Then the compass is moved apart to a width equal to the thickness of the brick plus 0.5 cm of the thickness of the masonry seam. Fixed distances along the edge of the template are laid from the laid brick with marks. This needs to be done on both sides of the template.
Arch masonry
Arched laying is carried out evenly on both sides of the template, moving gradually to its middle. The position of each stone placed must correspond to its own mark. The application of the mortar to the brick bed should be wedge-shaped - this will improve the fixation of the materials. Masonry joints should not expand by more than 25mm. After the completion of the main work, a castle brick is vertically installed in the middle of the arch. It clogs tightly and fixes the entire structure.
The correctness of the laying and the direction of the radial seams are checked by the markings and the cord, the end of which is tied to a nail hammered in the center of the supporting part of the template.
The formwork can be removed after 2-3 weeks, this time is influenced by the air temperature and the quality of the masonry mortar. To remove the template, it is necessary to remove the spacers and support boards, and then carefully lower it down.
Arch finishing
An impressive result can be obtained when decorating a brick arch with your own hands using decorative stone. For this process, its narrow plates are used - it is easier to fix them on arched curves. The order of further actions is as follows:
- The surface of the arch is cleaned together with a part of the adjoining walls and treated with a primer. With smooth surfaces, notches are made on them.
- A solution is prepared, consisting of glue, sand and lime. Its composition may vary depending on the type of decorative stone.
- Usually, in addition to the arch, the adjacent parts of the walls are exposed to facing. The first row of stone is laid from below at the joints of the arch and the wall.
- The laying of the next row of stone also begins from the bottom, but the extreme stone should protrude slightly beyond the joint in it. All other stones are overlapped.
- The trim elements of the rounded edges of the arch are pre-cut along the arc using a construction knife and pliers.
- The inner part of the arch is lined with decorative stone elements, also overlapping them.
- After finishing, the resulting seams are sealed with a special solution, which is applied with a spatula.
Brick arches can be made with your own hands in various styles, but the laying of any of them will give your home an original look and a great atmosphere.
A beautiful window or door arch made of bricks will decorate any interior space. Masonry technology is simple, but still requires certain skills. Therefore, it is better for the arched opening to be designed and overlaid by the master. However, if you carefully study the instructions and take into account all the important nuances, draw up a project, then you can lay out the arch in a semicircle with your own hands.
Varieties of brick arches
A brick arch is a decorative element, therefore, it is often used to decorate openings in living quarters. But before you build beautiful arched openings in houses and apartments, it is useful to study the information about what types of arches exist. The most common varieties are:
- Wedge-shaped. Lovers of Gothic interiors often resort to the wedge shape. In this case, the brickwork should form a wedge-shaped arched vault, the upper point of the point is fixed with a special building element.
- Romance. In this situation, the opening must be laid out in a rectangular shape, and the corner part must be semicircular.
- Onion. In his home, this type of arch can be made by an admirer of oriental interiors. In this case, the bricks are laid out in such a way that an arch in the form of a truncated cone is formed.
- Classic. This arch is semicircular, if desired, can be framed with decorative pillars. To make the structure look harmonious, it is important to adjust the size of the semicircle to ½ the width of the main opening.
- Modern. Externally, the opening looks like an arc.
- Porta. Uncomplicated design laid out in the shape of a rectangle.
- Ellipse. Such an arch is round on the vault and can have different widths.
Advantages and disadvantages
Despite the fact that window and door arched ceilings of a semicircular shape are considered an interesting interior solution, they have their pros and cons, which are important to consider before starting construction.
This decor is used for window openings.
The main advantages of such structures are as follows:
- Unique atmosphere in the house. The arches of the entrance or interior door laid out in a semicircle create a special, pleasant atmosphere that the owners of the premises and their guests will feel.
- Simple design and installation. Even without building experience, having carefully studied the construction scheme, it will be possible to build a red brick door arch in your house on your own.
- Reliability of construction. The arch is a monolithic structure that can withstand increased loads.
- Versatility. The arch can be folded not only inside the house. It is often framed by entrance gates, gates, window openings. Even the hole in the stove can be covered with a brick in the form of an arched arc, which is also an original solution and a beautiful addition to the overall interior of the room.
However, such a structure also has disadvantages, for example, the following:
- A semicircular arch requires the creation of a unified interior style, which includes a specific facing of walls, windows and floors. The implementation of these ideas will require significant expenditures of labor, materials and finance, which not everyone can afford.
- Strict, step-by-step adherence to masonry technology. If the dimensions are incorrectly calculated or a brick vault is not formed according to the project, there is a high risk that the structure will not withstand and will fall apart.
Step-by-step instructions for building an arched opening
Drafting and drawings
To make a construction project, you need to measure the height of the wall.
If the decision to lay a brick arch is final, first of all you need to draw up a template with which you can evaluate the shape and size of the future structure. To draw up a template, it is recommended to measure:
- the thickness of the supporting structures;
- the distance of the top point relative to the ceiling;
- the height of the walls;
- required opening width.
When these parameters become known, an initial sketch of the future template is created, which is made from chipboard. For drawing:
- an arc is drawn with an optimal bend;
- the optimal radius of the structure is set, taking into account the width of the opening under it.
If the brickwork of a brick arch is complicated, while the number of bends and levels is non-standard, each element should be calculated and drawn separately. After, when making a sketch, all the elements are added. It is important to pay attention to the fact that the size of the template should be smaller than the actual parameters of the arch. This will help remove the layout from the opening without any additional effort.
Calculation of material and design parameters
The parameters of the finished structure must be calculated.
Before you start modeling the sketch, it is worth measuring the wall, ceiling height and the desired opening width. The calculation of a brick arch is carried out as follows:
- the radius of the semicircle is determined, as well as the width;
- using a compass, the required radius is drawn.
The calculation of the arch and its dimensions is carried out according to the following formula:
- R = L2 + H2 / 2H, where R - radius, L - ½ chord, H - height.
Arched door masonry
When all the parameters become known, the installation of the wooden sketch is carried out, followed by the brickwork itself. The distribution of bricks is carried out from below, while the laying is carried out on both sides of the future arch. In order not to disturb the distance between the supports, a board of the required length is placed, which is held on to the posts and moves as they increase. After that, it is necessary to install a bar on both sides of the structure, which will serve as a support.
When laying out the columns, it is worth considering that the number of rows laid out to form an arch should not be even. It is important to thoroughly fill all seams and lintels with mortar, otherwise the design will be unreliable. Having reached the central vault, you need to install a "castle" brick, with the help of which it will be possible to fix the entire lintel of the opening. When the structure is completely laid out, the wooden template is removed. To decorate the arch, you can use decorative plaster imitating red brick. If the arched structure is erected on the street, for example, over a wicket, plaster for external work is chosen for cladding.
