Ribbed vaults of the Nagyvázsony monastery church - Geometrical factor of safety highlights the secret

Abstract

Using the geometrical factor of safety, the article compares three ribbed vaults which are different in their structures and complexity. Each vault could have been built for the Nagyvázsony monastery church. The spatial geometry of the three different vaults is based on the rules of control curve construction using the known geometry of the remains of the church ruins. The thrust lines for the ribs are determined for the dead load of the vault in each case. These thrust lines, as statically possible solutions, prove the suitability of the structures, and the geometrical factor of safety of the ribs helps to specify the geometry based on which the vault could be built. The preliminary results of our research indicate that the geometrical factor of safety of the pointed groin vault proved to be the highest. From the three examined vaults, this one is the first that appeared in the history of architecture. Our conclusion is that the later built, more complex vaults raised not only geometrical or execution difficulties, but were also daring solutions from the aspect of the stability of the ribs.