pubish by

•SAMIULLAH
•SYED MEHRAN YOUSAF
• ADNAN AHAMAD
•PUBLISH DATE 15 FEBRUARY 2019
•SUBMITTED PROF.DR ASHRAF

DEFECTS IN MASONRY WALLS:

GENERAL ASPECTS

The behaviour of buildings is quite complex and involves aspects of material science that
sometimes are not well understood yet. Also, masonry is a subject which is not taught in depth
during Engineering and Architecture University courses. These aspects increase the difficulty in
accurately identifying defects in buildings elements and determining the cause. In general terms,
the main causes of defects are associated with human and natural causes.
Some studies point out that the most common cause of defects is associated with mistakes in
the design process and with inadequate execution of construction works. The quality of building
materials and the absence or maintenance quality are less frequently considered as the cause.
In addition to knowing the cause, it is also important to distinguish whether the defect is
•structural or
•non-structural.
Structural defect:
Structural defects affect the mechanical behaviour of the construction element. These elements
may perform other functions (e.g. structural walls can also perform acoustic and thermal
insulation, water-tightness and fire resistance functions). Moreover, structural defects can also
affect non-structural elements, therefore it is important to understand and consider the
interaction between these two types of element to prevent the defects.
In general terms, the most common masonry structural defects are:
•cracking due to the settlement of foundations, excessive loading and deformations
(shear and flexural) and other effects (creep, shrinkage and thermal).
•local crushing due to high compressive loads
•corrosion of metallic elements or chemical reactions.
•And the most common masonry non-structural defects are:
•undesired changes in the physical properties of the materials due to the presence of
water/humidity (from the soil, construction works, precipitation, condensation,
hygroscopicity, accidental causes, …) thus affecting the durability, aesthetics and the

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