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Mechanics of flying buttresses: The case of the cathedral of Mallorca

Publicated to:Journal Of Mechanics Of Materials And Structures. 13 (5): 617-630 - 2018-01-01 13(5), DOI: 10.2140/JOMMS.2018.13.617

Authors: Fuentes P

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Abstract

© 2018 Mathematical Sciences Publishers. The function of the flying buttress is to take the thrust from a central vault and carry it over the lateral aisle to the external buttresses. Flying buttresses also resist lateral loads such as wind and seismic loads. When there is an additional upper tier, its main function is to carry these lateral loads. The structural behavior of flying buttresses has been studied by several authors since the 19th century with different approaches. An accurate survey of the cathedral of Mallorca has been used to study these elements. The flying buttresses in the cathedral of Mallorca, with ca. 9m span and around 30 tons weight, are probably the biggest in Gothic architecture. Their position approximately 30m above ground makes them very sensitive to the leaning of the buttresses. First, an overview of the structural behavior of flying buttresses will be provided, within the theoretical framework of limit analysis. Then, the general equilibrium, deformations and crack patterns of the flying buttresses in the cathedral of Mallorca will be analyzed. The local problems, such as the sliding of the head of the flyers, and the different solutions that have been adopted trough history will be studied.

Keywords

Cathedral of mallorcaFlying buttressesLimit analysis of masonry structures

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Journal Of Mechanics Of Materials And Structures due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency Scopus (SJR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2018, it was in position , thus managing to position itself as a Q2 (Segundo Cuartil), in the category Mechanics of Materials. Notably, the journal is positioned en el Cuartil Q4 for the agency WoS (JCR) in the category Mechanics.

From a relative perspective, and based on the normalized impact indicator calculated from the Field Citation Ratio (FCR) of the Dimensions source, it yields a value of: 1.53, which indicates that, compared to works in the same discipline and in the same year of publication, it ranks as a work cited above average. (source consulted: Dimensions May 2025)

Specifically, and according to different indexing agencies, this work has accumulated citations as of 2025-05-31, the following number of citations:

  • WoS: 2
  • Scopus: 6
  • OpenCitations: 4

Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-05-31:

  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 7 (PlumX).

Leadership analysis of institutional authors

This work has been carried out with international collaboration, specifically with researchers from: Germany.

There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (FUENTES GONZALEZ, PAULA) and Last Author (FUENTES GONZALEZ, PAULA).

the author responsible for correspondence tasks has been FUENTES GONZALEZ, PAULA.