Equilibrium of self-balanced shells. Cross-herringbone technology

The equilibrium of self-balanced masonry shells during their construction is the focus of this research. Investigation of historical self-balanced technologies, i.e., based on techniques that allow building shells without supports, is the foundation of the study. Based on the findings, an approach to assess the equilibrium of masonry structures during their construction is derived. This approach, is defined by two steps, considers the essential building factors, and can be applied to different self-supporting technologies. Among all the historical technologies studied, the cross-herringbone technique has been closely investigated. The construction characteristics associated with this technique are derived from two sources: historical documents and real structures. The two-step approach formulated is now implemented to assess the self-balanced state of two case studies that were built adopting the cross-herringbone technology.