Structural influence of the geometry of masonry vaults - Brick tiling patterns for compression shells using geodesic coordinates

Abstract

In this thesis, we propose a strategy for generating patterns for brick laying on compression free-form shells. The strategy is based on geodesic coordinates which guarantees an equal length between its coordinates curves, which for brickwork means an equal spacing between the bed joints. The implementation is done for polar geodesic coordinates using dynamic relaxation. The procedure is implemented in a parametric design framework and evaluated on a test case. Our study revealed that the proposed strategy has potential of contributing in the design of complex brick shells and also being a piece in the puzzle of understanding patterns of historical vaults.