Post and lintel

Stonehenge,an example ofNeolithic architecturepost and lintel construction.

Post and lintel construction of theAiravatesvara Temple,India, a World Heritage Monument site

Leinster HouseinDublinretains column-shapedpilastersunder apedimentfor aesthetic reasons.

Post and lintel(also calledprop and lintel,atrabeated system,or atrilithic system) is a building system where strong horizontal elements are held up by strong vertical elements with large spaces between them. This is usually used to hold up a roof, creating a largely open space beneath, for whatever use the building is designed. The horizontal elements are called by a variety of names includinglintel,header,architraveorbeam,and the supporting vertical elements may be calledposts,columns,orpillars.The use of wider elements at the top of the post, calledcapitals,to help spread the load, is common to manyarchitecturaltraditions.

Lintels

Further information:Beam (structure)

In architecture, a post-and-lintel or trabeated system refers to the use of horizontal stone beams orlintelswhich are borne bycolumnsor posts. The name is from theLatintrabs,beam;influenced bytrabeatus,clothed in thetrabea,a ritual garment.

Post-and-lintel construction is one of four ancient structural methods of building, the others being thecorbel,arch-and-vault,andtruss.

A noteworthy example of a trabeated system is inVolubilis,from theRomanera, where one side of theDecumanus Maximusis lined with trabeated elements, while the opposite side of the roadway is designed in arched style.

History of lintel systems

The trabeated system is a fundamental principle ofNeolithic architecture,ancient Indian architecture,ancient Greek architectureandancient Egyptian architecture.Other trabeated styles are thePersian,Lycian,Japanese,traditionalChinese,andancient Chinesearchitecture, especially in northern China,and nearly all theIndianstyles.The traditions are represented in North and Central America byMayan architecture,and in South America byInca architecture.In all or most of these traditions, certainly in Greece and India, the earliest versions developed using wood, which were later translated into stone for larger and grander buildings.Timber framing,also usingtrusses,remains common for smaller buildings such as houses to the modern day.

Span limitations

There are two main forces acting upon the post and lintel system: weight carryingcompressionat the joint between lintel and post, andtensioninduced by deformation of self-weight and the load above between the posts. The two posts are under compression from the weight of the lintel (or beam) above. The lintel will deform by sagging in the middle because the underside is under tension and the upper is under compression.

The biggest disadvantage to lintel construction is the limited weight that can be held up, and the resulting small distances required between the posts.Ancient Roman architecture's development of thearchallowed for much larger structures to be constructed. Thearcuated systemspreads larger loads more effectively, and replaced the post-and-lintel system in most larger buildings and structures, until the introduction of steelgirderbeams andsteel-reinforced concretein the industrial era.

As with theRoman templeporticofront and its descendants in laterclassical architecture,trabeated features were often retained in parts of buildings as an aesthetic choice. Theclassical ordersof Greek origin were in particular retained in buildings designed to impress, even though they usually had little or no structural role.

Lintel reinforcement

The flexural strength of a stone lintel can be dramatically increased with the use ofPost-tensioned stone.

See also

• Architrave–structural lintel or beam resting on columns-pillars
• Atalburu–Basque decorative lintel
• Dolmen–Neolithic megalithic tombs with structural stone lintels
• Dougong–traditional Chinese structural element
• I-beam–steel lintels and beams
• Marriage stone–decorative lintel
• Opus caementicium
• Structural design
• Timber framing–post and beam systems
• Stonehenge

References

• Summerson, John,The Classical Language of Architecture,1980 edition,Thames and HudsonWorld of Artseries,ISBN0500201773
• Lyttleton, Margaret (2003). "Trabeated construction".Grove Art Online.Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.t085978.