Aided by old newspaper sources, we discovered three small stone bridges in Cowley County, Kansas, which do not at present appear on the county’s stone arch bridge brochure.
Pawhuska’s Big Stone Bridge: Part 3
In Pawhuska, Oklahoma is an imposing, triple arch stone bridge with an interesting history. In this series of posts, we investigate the story behind the magnificent structure.
Pawhuska’s Big Stone Bridge: Part 2
In Pawhuska, Oklahoma is an imposing, triple arch stone bridge with an interesting history. In this series of posts, we investigate the story behind the magnificent structure.
Pawhuska’s Big Stone Bridge: Part 1
In Pawhuska, Oklahoma is an imposing, triple arch stone bridge with an interesting history. In this series of posts, we investigate the story behind the magnificent structure.
Hidden Structural Features
Many stone arch bridge feature subtle design features that are tucked away out of sight within the structure, which can greatly complicate rehab and load handling calculations.
Building With Stone: The Intermediate Stage
Often at some point a masonry project will start looking wrong in the middle of construction. However, it is important to keep building with the final goal in mind.
Mortared Vs. Mortarless Masonry
In this post we contrast the pros and cons of mortared and mortarless stone arch bridge construction, mentioning potential pitfalls with each.
On Mortar
In this post, we investigate the advantages of using mortar in stonework, looking into what purpose the mortar serves and its limitations.
The Different Kinds of Mortar
In this post we will briefly examine what makes the various types of commercially available mortar mixes different, and how this relates to repairing historic structures.
The Importance of Friction
Friction is a crucial factor in stone arch bridge stability, and, when the line of thrust is solidly within the arch, holds the arch stones firmly in place.