A bullnose is a broad convex radius on construction materials such as wood, masonry, and
ceramic tile
Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, walls, edges, or ot ...
. The term is also used for materials featuring such a profile, as in a “bullnose tile”. It is also used in relation to road safety and (formerly) railroad engineering design.
Uses
A bullnose profile is used both for safety and decorative effect, as an alternative to a flat-edged
chamfer
A chamfer ( ) is a transitional edge between two faces of an object. Sometimes defined as a form of bevel, it is often created at a 45° angle between two adjoining right-angled faces.
Chamfers are frequently used in machining, carpentry, fur ...
. It is variously added to construction materials with tools such as a mill, plane, and bit in a shaper or router.
Trim with a bullnose profile is used to provide a smooth, rounded edge for countertops, staircase steps, building corners, or other construction. Masonry units such as bricks,
concrete masonry unit
A concrete block, also known as a cinder block in North American English, breeze block in British English, or concrete masonry unit (CMU), or by various other terms, is a standard-size rectangular block used in building construction. The ...
s, or
structural glazed facing tile
Structural clay tile describes a category of burned-clay building materials used to construct roofing, walls, and flooring for structural and non-structural purposes, especially in fireproofing applications. Also called building tile, structural t ...
s may be ordered from manufacturers with bullnosed edges and corners.
The standard bullnose terminology refers to a one-quarter profile; two adjacent quarter profiles constitute a half bullnose. Rather than being machined from a single piece of material, a half bullnose may be created by bonding to one-quarter bullnoses together.
In the image above, quarter-bullnose tile is used adjacent to a square-edged piece of field tile to create a finished edge — note that the top trim strip bears a quarter-bullnose on both its edge and end.
Non-architectural contexts
A bullnose is used in highway construction in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
and other countries to buffer and protect the exposed end of the
crash barrier
Traffic barriers (known in North America as guardrails or guard rails, in Britain as crash barriers, and in auto racing as Armco barriers AK Steel (formerly Armco) genericized trademark) keep vehicles within their roadway and prevent them from co ...
or
Jersey barrier
A Jersey barrier, Jersey wall, or Jersey bump is a modular concrete or plastic barrier employed to separate lanes of traffic. It is designed to minimize vehicle damage in cases of incidental contact while still preventing vehicle crossovers resu ...
at entrance and exit ramps, similar to the rounding of a
guard stone
Guard or guards may refer to:
Professional occupations
* Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault
* Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street
* Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning
* Prison g ...
.
In the 19th century, the roofs of railroad passenger cars often had a raised centre section to improve ventilation and internal lighting. They were called ''lantern'' or ''
clerestory
A clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey; from Old French ''cler estor'') is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both.
Historically, a ''clerestory' ...
'' roofs. The design soon evolved to incorporate a
bullnose
A bullnose is a broad convex radius on construction materials such as wood, masonry, and ceramic tile. The term is also used for materials featuring such a profile, as in a “bullnose tile”. It is also used in relation to road safety and (for ...
at each end.
Name
The term bullnose originates from the rounded nose of a bull.
See also
*
Morris Oxford bullnose
The "bullnose" Morris Oxford is a series of automobile, motor car models produced by British manufacturer Morris Motors, Morris from 1913 to 1926. It was named by William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield, W R Morris after the city in which he grew up ...
References
Building materials
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