Barrel vaulted roofs have a curved roof that resembles a barrel cut in half. Barrel roofs are designed with a similar purpose to a dome roof, with the primary advantage over dome roofs being that they are able to cover longer, rectangular buildings.
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagon-head vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are typically circular in shape, lending a semi-cylindrical appearance to the total design. The barrel vault is the simplest form of a vault: effectively a series of arches placed side by side (i.e., one after another). It is the form of barrel roof.
Barrel Vaulted roof
A Barrel Vaulted roof is the simplest type of vaulted roof, with a curved, often semi-circular cross-section with a semi-cylindrical appearance that can span long distances. In cases where windows are installed along the roof of a building, barrel-vaulted ceilings can be beneficial at allowing the maximum amount of light into a building and they also allow for additional height that would not otherwise be available in other roof types. Barrel roofs are commonly used in the design of factories and other industrial buildings that cover large sections of land. They are often built with metal but can also be built with traditional asphalt shingles.
Arch-based constructions
As with all arch-based constructions, there is an outward thrust generated against the walls underneath a barrel vault. There are several mechanisms for absorbing this thrust. One is to make the walls exceedingly thick and strong – this is a primitive and sometimes unacceptable method. A more elegant method is to build two or more vaults parallel to each other; the forces of their outward thrusts will thus negate each other. This method was most often used in construction of churches, where several vaulted naves ran parallel down the length of the building. However, the outer walls of the outermost vault would still have to be quite strong or reinforced by buttressing. The third and most elegant mechanism to resist the lateral thrust was to create an intersection of two barrel vaults at right angles, thus forming a groin vault. This form of design is observed in cellars, crypts, long hallways, cloisters and even great halls.
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Family-owned and operated, Deegan Roofing Company has been installing and servicing residential and commercial roofing customers in the New Jersey area for over 30 years. If you are concerned about your roof surviving the upcoming winter weather or are currently experiencing roofing problems, it’s never too late to contact Deegan Roofing to get your roof inspected before winter. Website https://www.deeganroofing.com/ Address: 345 Terrill Rd, Scotch Plains, NJ 07076 Hours: Open 8:30 AM ⋅ Closes 5:30 PM
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