Arch In Their Designs Of Aqueducts example essay topic

Construction of the Roman Aqueduct started with finding a suitable source of water fairly close to the town that needed the water. This source usually came from underground springs for which the Romans had to search. After water was found, the aqueduct was commissioned to be built and a surveyor was hired to find the most practical route. The aqueducts gradient was usually around one foot drop per two hundred feet in length. By choosing the gradient and maintaining it along the entire length of the aqueduct, the water could be made to flow fast enough to ensure a good supply, yet not so fast that the force of the rushing water washed out the aqueducts and pipes (Myron). Getting this precise gradient required measurements by the surveyor.

After the surveyor calculated the length of the aqueduct, and the overall fall, construction could then start. Underground Aqueducts Work on the aqueduct would begin concurrently at various points along the route. Once a channel had been dug, a chorobate would be lowered into the trench to check the slope. The chorobate was a ten-foot long wooden trough with a long grove running down its middle where water was poured; the water indicated when something was level. Once the route was the right gradient the water channel was lined with concrete or a pipe was put into the ground. Underground aqueducts made up about 90% of the 313 total miles of aqueduct into Rome.

Above Ground Aqueducts When an aqueduct came to a valley, it was no longer possible to keep the required gradient underground; therefore the Romans designed a bridge like structure of arches that spanned over the valley. When you think of the Roman aqueducts, you think of these beautiful structures, but only about 10% of all aqueducts leading to Rome were above ground. These aqueducts were engineering feats. The structure was a series of arches that were built together.

Sometimes, when a very high aqueduct was needed, there were three courses of arches, one on top of the other, with the arches becoming smaller toward the top. This stacking of arches was done because of stability reasons and it proved to work because some of the aqueducts are still standing today. The Arch One of the Romans greatest engineering feat is the design of the arch. Before the Romans, the bridges that were built were usually a flat piece of stone spanned over a space between two upright supports. The problem with this design is that a heavy weight on the middle of the span put too much stress on the stone and broke it.

The Romans solved this problem by designing the arch. When a heavy weight is on the arch, the stones compress into each other and into a solid foundation, thus making the structure stronger. The Romans used the arch in their designs of aqueducts, bridges, and buildings, many of which are still standing today. (BCIT) Materials The Romans were the first civilization to make a mortar that did not disintegrate when exposed to water.

They found natural cement near the Italian town of Pozzuoli and mixed the cement with lime, sand, and water to form the mortar. The mortar was used by Roman Engineers in aqueducts, as a binder in piers and arches, and for foundations. In the arch, stones were held together with the mortar. The arch sat on a solid foundation and the stones were stacked up and mortared together so the axial forces between the stones would transfer the load into the foundation. Therefore the arch could withstand a large amount of force. The top of the aqueduct was lined with cement and covered by stones to protect the aqueduct from contamination and poisoning from enemy troops.

(BCIT) When the water reached the city, it was held in tanks. The tanks were then tapped to 1200 public fountains, eleven large-scale public baths, 867 smaller baths, and two artificial lakes. The aqueducts of Rome created the original public works system. Water was regulated and taxed to private and public homes.

The 38 million gallons of water that went through Rome everyday had to go somewhere, so a sewer system was created to get rid of the excess waste. The sewer in some places was large enough for a good-sized boat to travel through. The excess water from the aqueducts ran through the sewer and into the Tiber River, completing the public works cycle. (Hamblin).