[edit] Varieties of Brick Arches

A large number of brick arches (such as the gothic, segmental or axed arch) are extremely difficult to erect and need years of experience to execute successfully. But there are two basic types, the soldier arch and the ringed arch, which anyone with basic bricklaying skills can build.

Soldier arch:

This is a square shaped arch which is purely decorative and non load bearing. Generally it is used to cover the reinforced lintel or rolled steel joist that bears the weight of the wall from above and which is placed behind it (fig. A below).

The exact design of the arch varies according to the position of the lintel and the thickness of the wall into which it is built. A single leaf wall or an opening backing on to an existing house wall usually has a brick arch on only one side of the opening, while a double thick or cavity wall has an arch on both sides.

A: To construct a soldier arch above an opening you need a concrete Iintel to take the weight from above as well as a piece of angle iron to support the brickwork

Ringed arch:

This is the simplest type of rounded arch to construct since it involves no complex geometry or cutting of bricks to fit the design. It is semi circular in shape with all of the bricks facing inwards towards the centre of the arch. To add a decora­tive finish, two or even three rows of brick are often set on end, one above the other.

Once you decide the type of arch you want to build, familiarize yourself with some of the terms used in arch construction. Fig. D below shows all the component parts of a typical ringed brickwork arch.

D: A sound knowledge of the component parts of a ringed arch is essential if you want to build one correctly. Note that all the bricks face towards the striking point

[edit] Arch Design

Brickwork arches can be built as part of a new wall construction or inserted into an existing wall over a door, window, or other suitable opening.

If you are building a new wall and want to include brick arches as part of the overall construction, site them carefully and make sure they are included on building plans. Design door and window openings so they are just wide enough to build an arch using a convenient number of whole bricks. Also, take into account how any proposed arch will look once it is built, avoid overlarge arches which look out of place above a small opening, such as a narrow door.

Once your plans are drawn up and the site prepared, start work on building the wall. Continue until you I reach a level where the arch can be inserted easily and conveniently. If you are building a ringed arch, stop when the top of the last course is level with the springing line (fig. D above); for a soldier arch, build up to a level one course below the arch itself.

If you are inserting a new arch into an existing wall, you must first of all demolish the brickwork above the opening. Try to cut away the minimum number of bricks in case you start a general collapse. Treat openings wider than 1m with great care and carry out tests to determine whether the wall is load bearing before any demolition takes place.

Before you actually cut away any brickwork, decide the size and shape of arch you want and mark its outline in chalk across the top of the open­ing. Then, starting from the bottom, use a hammer and wide bolster to chop out one brick at a time and carefully remove it. Wear goggles or safety glasses when doing this to protect your eyes.

Once you have removed all the bricks within the marked out area, chop out a further amount (equal to about one course) all around the opening. This will allow you enough room to work when erecting the new arch. Clear away all the debris left around the opening at this stage and lightly dampen the surrounding brickwork with water and a distemper brush to cut down the dust.

[edit] Selecting Bricks

Before starting work on the arch, it is important to make sure that the bricks you are going to use are exactly the right type and colour. If your arch is part of a new construction, you should have few problems getting bricks which match those on the wall behind. But if you are inserting a new arch into an existing wall, you may well have difficulty getting bricks which are similar, especially if the existing bricks are old.

To solve this problem, take one of the bricks from the wall to a brick merchant or brickyard. They should be able to provide you with a selection of second hand bricks, some of which will hopefully match those in the wall. If you have no success, search out a demolition contractor's yard for an alternative source.

To add an extra decorative dimension, the arch can be built with bricks of a different colour to those on the existing wall.