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CIVE444: STRUCTURAL STEELWORK,

TIMBER and MASONRY

Masonry Lecture 1: Introduction

Dr Zhongwei Guan
zguan@liv.ac.uk
609 Brodie Tower
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Masonry Lectures

• Lecture 1 - What is Masonry & How is it used

• Lecture 2 - Material Properties & Design Codes
• Lecture 3 - Design for Vertical Loading
• Lecture 4 - Design for Lateral Loading, Retaining Walls
• Lecture 5 - Design for Global Loading, Accidental
Damage and Robustness
• Lecture 6 - Revision
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Eurocode 6 – Design of Masonry Structures

EN 1996 series consists of 4 parts:

• EN 1996-1-1 General - Rules for reinforced and unreinforced masonry

• EN 1996-1-2 General rules - Structural fire design

• EN 1996-2 Design considerations, selection of materials and

execution of masonry

• EN 1996-3 Simplified calculation methods for unreinforced masonry

structures
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Masonry Information on VITAL

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What is Masonry?

• Composite material

• Main Components:
– Masonry units
– Mortar
– Wall ties*
– Damp proof courses*
– Reinforcement*

* Optional dependant on form of construction

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London Bridge Station

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The Granary, Bristol

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Albi, France
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St Pancras Station
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Masonry Units
• Clay bricks – BS EN 771-1:
– Clay, or other argillaceaous material, fired at sufficiently high
temperature to achieve a ceramic bond.
• Calcium silicate – BS EN 771-2:
– Lime and sand hardened by high-pressure steam.
• Aggregate concrete blocks – BS EN 771-3:
– Lightweight or normal weight concrete
• Autoclaved aerated concrete blocks – BS EN 771-4:
– Low density blocks, low strength, but good thermal resistance
• Manufactured stone – BS EN 771-5:
– Concrete units made to resemble natural stone
• Natural stone – BS EN 771-6:
– Natural stone cut to required shape. Properties determined by
tests
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Clay Bricks - 1
Types of bricks
There are literally thousands
of different bricks – reduce basic
types. The vast majority are made
from clay and are kiln-fried.

Facing Bricks
Quality, durable bricks with an
attractive appearance for
external use above ground.
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Clay Bricks - 1
Wirecut
The clay is continuously extruded to a required size and
shape and then cut into individual bricks by means of a
wire. Usually the cheapest facings available since the
manufacturing process is highly automated.

Also:
1. Stock
2. Handmade
3. Fletton
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Clay Bricks - 2
Commons
A cheap ‘fill’ brick, designed to be
utilitarian rather than attractive. They
are perfectly fine for smaller jobs.

Engineering
The workhorses of the brick family.
Tough, strong, hard-wearing but
not usually very pretty. Excellent
resistance to frost & water, ideal
for groundworks, sewer works,
retaining walls. Pay for performance
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Clay Bricks - 3

Reclaimed
Salvaged bricks – rescued from old
buildings and cleaned up.
Know what you are looking for and
make sure to get decent quality
rather than any old dross, so buy
through a reputable merchant.
Wastage, not good outlook, old
imperial sizes (2 5/8” or 3”), can cost
twice the price of a quality facing or
‘reproduction’ reclaimed (due to
cleaning and sorting).
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Clay Bricks - 3

Specials
Any brick that isn’t a rectangle.
“standard specials” – bullnoses,
cants and radials
“special specials” - cills and quoins

These specials allow fantastic

designs and make brickwork the
most aesthetically pleasing.
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Calcium Silicate and Concrete

Concrete or Calcium Silicate

Popular in places where good brick-making clay is
scarce.

Some looks awful, but others may be split-faced or

have a pitched face to make them looks better.

Cheap
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Concrete Blocks - 1

Solid blocks without voids

(Group 1)
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Concrete Blocks - 1

Cellular blocks – contain one

or more formed voids which
do not fully penetrate the
block (Group 1 or Group 2,
down to void ratio)

Hollow blocks – contain one or

more formed voids which fully
penetrate the block (Group 1
or Group 2, down to void ratio)
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Concrete Blocks - 2
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Manufactured Stone
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Natural Stone - 1

Limestone – Lincoln Cathedral Sandstone – Liverpool Cathedral

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Natural Stone - 2
• Sandstone

• Limestone

• Granite

• Slate
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Mortar
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Wall Ties - 1
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Wall Ties - 2
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Damp Proof Course

EPDM - Ethylene-Propylene-
Diene-Monomer
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Bed Reinforcement
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Windposts and Parapet Posts

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Reinforced Masonry
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Pointing
Pointing ensures the bed joints and
perpends are properly filled with
mortar. Pointing is usually undertaken
an hour or so after the bricks have
been laid. The unpointed joints can be
topped up with fresh mortar before
tooling to the required style.
Weatherstruck/Flush - with the blade
of a trowel
Bucket handle – a semi-circular
section jointing bar
Recess – a joint raker
The most common
Weatherstruck & Bucket handle offer pointing styles
better resistance to rain penetration.
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Brick Dimensions - 1
The UK modular format: standard
brick size 215x102.5x65 mm (face x
bed x end). With a standard 10 mm
wide joint, gives a working size of
225mm x 75 mm

4 courses of bricks
(+bedding joints) gives a
total depth of 300 mm. 4
bricks in a line gives a width
of 900mm including the
perpends (vertical joints)

Using stretcher bond, there

are 60 bricks/m2 in a single
skin wall.
1/(0.225x0.075)
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Brick Dimensions - 1
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Brick Dimensions - 2

UK standard-format brick: Brick CB.1.5 to BS4729

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Brick Dimensions - 2

UK standard-format brick: relation of header

to stretcher
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Brick Dimensions - 3

UK standard-format brick
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Grouping of Masonry Units

Group 1 – Solid of up to 25% voids

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Grouping of Masonry Units

Group 2 – Over 25% voids

Groups 3 & 4 – rarely used in the UK
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Brickwork Bonding -1
Stretcher bond is the easiest bond to
lay and minimises the amount of
cutting required.
For single skin walls – quite easy
For a double skin wall – the two skins
are locked together across the collar
joint by means of wall ties.

Header bond is not used as often as

stretcher one, but equally simple.
Impractical for single skin walls.
Popular for diaper work, where
patterns (usually diamonds or criss-
crosses) are picked out in bricks of
different colours.
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Brickwork Bonding - 2
English bond is one of the strongest
brickwork bond patterns, which is a
traditional one dating back 100s of years
and features alternating courses of
stretchers and headers.

Flemish bond features alternating

stretchers and headers within the
courses. This is a more decorative
pattern than English bond, especially
with the headers using a different
coloured bricks.
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Brickwork Bonding - 3

English Garden Wall Bond is a

simple variation of English bond,
where the header courses are
separated either 3 or 4 courses of
stretchers. There is also a
‘Scottish Bond’ featuring 5
courses of stretchers between
courses of headers.
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Load Bearing Brickwork

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Brick Cladding
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Low Brick Retaining Wall

A basic retainer wall up to 1 m high
Important points: (1) the foundation is
laid on a solid base of clay or stable
ground, or with 300 mm of cover; (2)
the rear of the wall should be protected
with a damp-proof membrane such as
PIFA1200; (3) there should be some
draining the bank, either via weepholes
or by means of a perforated drain.
‘House bricks’ may not be suitable.
Engineering bricks are fine.
Any other bricks with a FL
classification (frost resistant/low salt
content).
Stone or suitable concrete blocks.
If in doubt, seek professional
guidance.
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Masonry Retaining Wall

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So what have we learned.....?

• Module Details (Masonry Part)

• What is Masonry
• Types of Masonry Units
• Resources for Masonry Design
• How Masonry is used
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