Brick Masonry

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Introduction
• Brick masonry is construction in which uniform units ("bricks"), small
enough to be placed with one hand, are laid in courses with mortar
joints to form walls
Bricks dimensions
• Dimensions
• are typically described in terms of (thickness x height x length).
• Length is the largest dimensions followed by thickness, while height is the
smallest
• Nominal dimensions: Distances occupied by the unit plus one-half of the
mortar joint width on each sides
• Specified imensions: Specified dimensions of the bricks
• Actual dimensions: Are the specified dimensions plus or minus the allowable
manufacturing tolerance
Bricks terminologies
• The sides of masonry units are often designated in literature by
special names:
• bed: side formed by thickness x length
• face: side formed by height x length
• head: side formed by thickness x height (end)
Terminologies cont’d
• Cut shapes in construction: Bricks are cut into different sizes to help in
construction:
Orientation of Masonry units:
Bonding
• The term "bond" as used in masonry has three different meanings:
structural bond, mortar bond, or pattern bond.
• Structural bond refers to how the individual masonry units interlock
or tie together into a single structural unit. You can achieve structural
bonding of brick and tile walls in one of three ways:
• Overlapping (interlocking) the masonry units
• Embedding metal ties in connecting joints
• Using grout to adhere adjacent wythes of masonry
Bonding
• Mortar bond refers to the adhesion of the joint mortar to the
masonry units or to the reinforcing steel.
• Pattern bond refers to the pattern formed by the masonry units and
mortar joints on the face of a wall.
• The pattern may result from the structural bond, or may be purely
decorative and unrelated to the structural bond.
Bond patterns
Bond patterns
Running bond
• Simplest of all patterns
• Consists of all stretchers
• Because there is no headers, metal ties usually form structural bond
• Used largerly in cavity wall construction
American bond/ Common bond
• This is a variation of the running bond, having a course of full-length
headers at regular intervals that provide the structural bond as well as
the pattern
• Header courses usually appear at every fifth, sixth, or seventh course,
depending on the structural bonding requirements
English bond

• In general practice this type of bond is used.

• It consists of alternate courses of headers and stretchers .
• Considered as strongest bond in brick work
• For breaking vertical joints queen closer is placed after first header
•
 Header course

Stretchers course

Queen closer

ISOMETRIC VIEW OF
ENGLISH BOND
Flemish bond
•Each course consists alternate headers and
stretchers.
•Not as strong as English bond.
•Alternate course starts with a header at
the corner.
•For breaking of vertical joints , closers are
inserted in alternate courses next to the
quoin header.
Header

Stretcher

ISOMETRIC VIEW OF
FLEMISH BOND
Stack bond
• The stack bond is purely a pattern bond, with no overlapping units
and all vertical joints aligning.
• The units should be dimensionally accurate or carefully rematched, to
achieve good vertical joint alignment.
• This pattern usually bonds to the backing with rigid steel ties or 8-
inch-thick stretcher units when available.
English cross/dutch bond
• This is a variation of the English bond
• It differs only in that the joints between the stretchers in the stretcher
courses align vertically
• These joints center on the headers in the courses above and below
 JOINTS IN BRICK MASONRY

 Joint
 Weathered Joint: Mortar joint has sloped (downwards) edge.

 Concave joint: Joint concave inwards.

 Vee joint: mortar joint is in the form of a V.

 Flush Joint: Mortar joint is flush with the brick surfaces.

 Raked Joint: A large portion of the mortar joint is raked out -

Not a safe, impermeable joint.

 Struck Joint: Mortar joint has a sloped (upwards) edge.

 Masonry Joints
Weathered

Concave

Vee

Flush

Racked

Struck

20
Other Masonry terms
• Course— One of several continuous, horizontal layers (or rows) of
masonry units bonded together.
• Wythe— Each continuous, vertical section of a wall, one masonry unit
thick. Sometimes called a tier.
• Stretcher— A masonry unit laid flat on its bed along the length of a
wall with its face parallel to the face of the wall.
• Header— A masonry unit laid flat on its bed across the width of a wall
with its face perpendicular to the face of the wall. Generally used to
bond two wythes.
• Row lock— A header laid on its face or edge across the width of a
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wall.
• Bull header— A rowlock brick laid with its bed perpendicular to the
face of the wall.
• Bull stretcher— A rowlock brick laid with its bed parallel to the face
of the wall.
• Soldier— A brick laid on its end with its face perpendicular to the face
of the wall.
Masonry walls
• The types can be either:
• Structural or veneer
• Single or multi-wythe
• Solid or hollow
• Grouted or ungrouted
• Reinforced or unreinforced, depenging on the structural requirements of
design
Single Vs Multiple
• Single wythes
• Single unit thickness
• When single units are attrached to non-masonry backing walls they are called
veneers
• Multiwythe
• Multi unit thickness
• They can be contiguous, interlocked by overlapping units or separated by an
air space or cavity
• They are more resistant to moisture than single wythe eg (cavity walls)
Load bearing Vs Non-load bearing
• Loadbearing
• They support the live and dead loads of floor and roof systems
• Is a viable and economical structural system for many
building types of either low-, medium-, or high-rise design
• It is strong in compression, but requires the incorporation of reinforcing steel to
resist tensile and flexural stresses.
• Non-loadbearing
• Supports only its weight and resists only lateral wind, soil or seismic loads
•
Wall types examples
 Advantages of brick masonry
The brick masonry is cheaper as compared to stone masonry.
Bonding strength is very good.
In brick work , the mortar joints are thin and hence the
structure becomes more durable.
No complicated lifting devices are necessary in brick work.
Brick work can be done by the less skilled labours also.
In Brick work good quality of bricks posses good fire
resistance.
Due to regular size of bricks they are easy to handle.
 Defects in brick masonry

 Sulphate attack
• Sulphate salts present in bricks work react with alumina
content of cement .
It occur in boundary walls

 Crystallization of salts from bricks

Occur in masonry made out of brick which contain excessive soluble
salts
This phenomenon is also known as efflorescence.

 Corrosion of embedded iron or steel

Iron or steel embedded in brick work gets corroded in the presence of
dampness
On corrosion the metal expands in volume and tends to crack the
brick work.