Notre‑Dame Structure: Ribs, Webs, Buttresses

An engineering overview of Notre‑Dame’s structural system: rib vaults, webs, and flying buttress chains.

1/12/2026

16 min read

View of transept vaults showing ribs and webs

Notre‑Dame’s structure is distributed logic. Ribs collect loads; webs carry them; buttresses return them to ground.

📊 Elements & Effects

Element	Role	Effect
Rib	Collector	Focus thrusts at supports
Web	Membrane	Distribute between ribs
Buttress	Restraint	Counter lateral thrust

📐 Mechanics (Qualitative)

$$ ext{Rib load} ightarrow ext{pier} quad ; quad ext{web load} ightarrow ext{ribs} $$

Slenderness: Piers sized to limit buckling.
Continuity: Joints grouted to maintain paths.

Transept vaults

Structure is a chorus—each component sings a line.

Về Tác Giả

Structural Engineer

Với tình yêu Paris và lối du lịch cẩn trọng, tôi biên soạn cẩm nang này để giúp du khách chạm tới những câu chuyện của Notre‑Dame — nơi đức tin, nghề thủ công và cộng đồng giao hòa.

Notre‑Dame Structure: Ribs, Webs, Buttresses

📊 Elements & Effects

📐 Mechanics (Qualitative)

Về Tác Giả

Structural Engineer

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