Lintel Meaning
Christian Erdmann
A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented/structural item. In the case of windows, the bottom span is referred to as a sill, but, unlike a lintel, does not serve to bear a load to ensure the integrity of the wall.Modern-day lintels may be made using prestressed concrete and are also referred to as beams in beam-and-block slabs or as ribs in rib-and-block slabs. These prestressed concrete lintels and blocks can serve as components that are packed together and propped to form a suspended-floor concrete slab.
In classical Western architecture and construction methods, by Merriam-Webster definition, a lintel is a load-bearing member and is placed over an entranceway.[3] The lintel may be called an architrave, but that term has alternative meanings that include more structure besides the lintel. The lintel is a structural element that is usually rested on stone pillars or stacked stone columns, over a portal or entranceway.
The use of the lintel form as a decorative building element over portals, with no structural function, has been employed in the architectural traditions and styles of most cultures over the centuries.
Examples of the ornamental use of lintels are in the hypostyle halls and slab stelas in ancient Egypt and the Indian rock-cut architecture of Buddhist temples in caves. Preceding prehistoric and subsequent Indian Buddhist temples were wooden buildings with structural load-bearing wood lintels across openings. The rock-cut excavated cave temples were more durable, and the non-load-bearing carved stone lintels allowed creative ornamental uses of classical Buddhist elements. Highly skilled artisans were able to simulate the look of wood, imitating the nuances of a wooden structure and the wood grain in excavating cave temples from monolithic rock.[4]In freestanding Indian building examples, the Hoysala architecture tradition between the 11th and 14th centuries produced many elaborately carved non-structural stone lintels in the Southern Deccan Plateau region of southern India. The Hoysala Empire era was an important period in the development of art and architecture in the South Indian Kannadiga culture. It is remembered today primarily for its Hindu temples' mandapa, lintels, and other architectural elements, such as at the Chennakesava Temple.
The Maya civilization in the Americas was known for its sophisticated art and monumental architecture. The Mayan city of Yaxchilan, on the Usumacinta River in present-day southern Mexico, specialized in the stone carving of ornamental lintel elements within structural stone lintels.[5] The earliest carved lintels were created in 723 CE. At the Yaxchilan archaeological site there are fifty-eight lintels with decorative pieces spanning the doorways of major structures. Among the finest Mayan carving to be excavated are three temple door lintels that feature narrative scenes of a queen celebrating the king's anointing by a god.[6]
Lintels may also be used to reduce scattered radiation in medical applications. For example, Medical linacs operating at high energies will produce activated neutrons which will be scattered outside the treatment bunker maze with a dose rate that depends on the maze cross section. Lintels may be visible or recessed in the roof of the facility, and reduce dose rate in publicly accessible areas by reducing the maze cross section.[7]
When the upstairs bathroom in her New York home required stripping down to the original structure, a shoe was found hidden above the door lintel between the ceiling of the second floor and the attic floor.
A lintel is a common part of buildings. Whenever we want to create an opening like doors & windows in the building, we use lintels above windows, doors like openings as a simple solution to support the weight above the opening.
Although lintel construction is simple and it is very commonly used, we are here to define lintel theoretically. Furthermore, we have presented 6 types of lintel beams here in this article and discussed them briefly to give you an idea. Why does this matter? It will help you to select the best kind of lintel for your lintels construction work and enable you to answer what are lintels.
A lintel is one type of beam which is provided to support the above wall or partition material when openings like doors, windows, and so forth are necessary to provide a building structure.
Lintel design guidelines are specified in design codes. Before constructing a lintel one must follow the applicable codes of the country. Following are some general guidelines that may vary in different codes. It is highly recommended to follow the code applicable in your country rather than this guideline.
While timber is as yet utilized in the development of homes, heavier materials, for example, block, concrete, and stone, can likewise be used, particularly in the event of business structures and private condo squares. Thus, the utilization of stirred steel lintels has developed increasingly well known. Depending on the cost and availability of materials, different materials are used for lintel construction. Lintel beams are classified into the following types according to the elements of their development:
Wooden or Timber Lintels are the most seasoned sorts of lintel. They are fundamentally used in hilly areas where timbers are accessible. But in open areas, uses of timber are constrained as a result of the significant expense and accessibility of present-day materials. If there should be an occurrence of more great dividers, timber lintel beam is made out of two wooden pieces avoided as much as possible with the assistance of wooden separation pieces. Sometimes, timber lintels are reinforced by the arrangement of mild steel plates at their top and base; such lintels are called flitched lintels. It has a few other disadvantages-
Rectangular bits of stone can be utilized as a lintel. This type of lintel is mainly used in this area where the stone is plentifully accessible. On the off chance that the length of the opening is long, by then, in any event, two bits of timber are joined to give the lintel all things considered openings. They are merely used in mountainous buildings as they weigh too much and due to the non-availability of other materials for their construction. Its use is intrinsically bound to stone masonry structures. Stone lintels must be utilized according to an understanding of the characteristic layering. The thickness of the stone lintel is a significant factor in its design. As a thumb rule, the thickness is taken as 4 cm. Per 30cm length of span and the minimum thickness should be 8 cm. This sort of lintel beam will be firm and solid. There are a few inconveniences also of the stone lintel.
At present, reinforced concrete lintels are very common in use. In this type, reinforcement is used to overcome the low malleable issue in concrete. They are developed in present-day structures. They are suitable for heavy loads and larger spans. Their thickness is kept around up to 8 centimeters for every meter. RCC lintels can be either precast or cast in situ. Generally, precast reinforced cement concrete lintels are used when the lintel span is smaller. Lintel width should be the same as wall width. The depth of the lintel beam depends on the length of the span and the loading's magnitude.
Concrete, though strong in compression, is fragile to tensile stress, so main reinforcement bars are used at the bottom to resist the tensile stress. Half of these bars are cranked at the ends. Shear stirrups are provided to withstand shear stress. Typically, cement, sand, and aggregates are mixed in 1:2:4 ratio to form cement concrete mortar. This lintel has a handful of advantages:
Brick lintels are constructed with hard, well burnt first-class brick. It can be formed as bricks on the end, bricks on the edge, and coursed bricks laid horizontally over openings. This type of lintel is used when the opening is small (less than 1m) with light loadings. Their depth varies from 10 cm (thickness of one brick) to 20 cm depending upon the span. Bricks with frogs filled with mortar give more shear resistance at end joints than the standard blocks.
Heavy loadings and more substantial span lengths are the problems for brick lintels. These can be overcome by using reinforcement bars. Reinforced brick lintels thus provide more support than brick lintels. The depth of the reinforced brick lintels is equal to 10 cm. or a multiple of 10 cm (or one brick thickness). The arrangement of the bricks should be such that there is enough space lengthwise between the adjacent bricks for the insertion of mild steel bars as reinforcement. After insertion bars, the remaining gap is filled with 1:3 cement mortar. 6 mm bars are used as vertical stirrups at every 3rd vertical joint. 8 to 10 mm bars placed at the bottom are used as primary reinforcement.
A steel lintel beam can be suitable when the superimposed loads are heavy, and the opening gaps are significant. Steel lintels are preferable when the depth of lintel plays an essential role because the designer cannot ignore the depth of reinforced concrete lintels due to heavy loads. These lintels consist of channel sections or rolled steel joists or channel sections either used singly or in the combination of two or three units. Depending upon the requirements, the lintel can be a single section or a combination of two or more. A single steel joist is either embedded in concrete or cladded with stone facing to keep the same width as the wall. A combination of two or more units is placed side by side and held in position by a tube separator. Relieving with water is accomplished in any event for ten days. It has many advantages:
If brick walls or other heavy nonstructural members exist between the window and the structural beam above, a lintel is mandatory above a window. This window lintel will distribute the loads to the masonry wall beside the window. Window lintels can also secure the window frame from damage.
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