9.

BRICK MASONRY

Chapter 9
Brick Masonry

9.1 BRICK MASONRY - OVERVIEW

9.2 INTRODUCTION TO HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN

MASONRY
9.3 USES AND TYPES OF MASONRY MORTAR
9.4 MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS FROM CLAY
9.5 SIZES, GRADES AND TYPES OF BRICKS
9.6 TERMINOLOGY, BONDS AND JOINTS IN BRICK
MASONRY
9.7 TYPES OF BRICK MASONRY WALLS AND STRUCTURES

9.2 INTRODUCTION TO HISTORICAL

DEVELOPMENTS IN MASONRY

It is the simplest of all the building techniques - Mason stacks pieces of material
(bricks, stones, concrete blocks, etc.) over the top of one another to make walls,
with mud or mortar as binding material in between them

9.2.1 History

Began as low walls of stones or caked mud

Sun-dried bricks - With the availability of fire became burnt bricks
Invention of kilns made mass production of bricks easy
Limestone turned into lime mortar replaced mud as mortar
In Mesopotamia, palaces and temples were built of stone and sun-dried bricks in
4000 B.C.
The Egyptians erected their temples and pyramids of stones by 3000 B.C.
By 300 B.C., Greeks perfected their temples of limestone and marble
Romans made the first large-scale use of masonry arches and roof vaults in their
basilica, baths and aqueducts

9.2 INTRODUCTION TO HISTORICAL

DEVELOPMENTS IN MASONRY (Contd)

Medieval and Islamic civilizations perfected masonry vaulting to a high

degree of development - Islamic craftsmen built palaces, markets, and
mosques of bricks and often faced them with brightly glazed tiles
Europeans built fortresses and cathedrals using pointed vaults and flying
buttresses
In America and Asia other cultures were building with stones
During industrial revolution, machines were developed to quarry and cut
stones, mould bricks, and speed the transportation of these materials to site
of building
Portland cement came into wide use and this enabled the construction of
masonry building of greater strength and durability

9.2 INTRODUCTION TO HISTORICAL

DEVELOPMENTS IN MASONRY (Contd)

Late in 19th century tall buildings were built, of steel and reinforced
concrete (pored into simple forms), economically
Development of hollow concrete forms in 19th century averted the
extinction of masonry as a building material - Cavity wall, developed by
the British during the earlier part of the 19th century also contributed to
the survival of masonry as a building material
This facilitated the introduction of thermal insulation
High strength mortars, high-strength masonry units, and complex shapes
of masonry units extended the use of masonry for buildings

Masonry History
Rich History
Through the mid-1800s

Primary Building Materials

Late 1800s
New Products Developed
Ended Masonrys Dominance

Masonry History

20th Century Developments

Steel Reinforced Masonry
High Strength Mortars
High Strength Masonry Units
Variety of Sizes, Colors, Textures & Coatings

Masonry - Primary Uses Today

Concrete Masonry Units (CMU)
Foundation Walls
Structural Support Walls (low rise)
Backup Walls for Exterior Facing
Brick & Stone
Facing Materials - Veneers
Decorative Walls

Brick Masonry - Uniqueness

Fire Resistance

Size

Durability

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CMU Structural Walls on a Low Rise Building

Reinforcing Structural CMU Walls

CMU Structural Walls also serving as a Backup Wall for Brick

9.3 USES AND TYPES OF MASONRY MORTAR

9.3.1 Uses and Types of Masonry Mortar

Mortar is as much a part of masonry as masonry units such as bricks, stones, etc.

Mortar serves as : (1) A cushion and makes the masonry units to bear against

one another and thus provides strength to the wall; (2) A seal in between the
masonry units, and keeps the water and air from penetrating it; (3) A bonding agent
to make the individual units to adhere to one another; and (4) A surface enhancer ,
proving beautiful contrast and appearance
Most characteristics type of masonry mortar is made of Portland cement, hydrated
lime, and aggregates (sand) and water. Portland cement acts as bonding agent, lime
imparts smoothness and workability, sand provides the bulk around which lime sets,
and water provides workability to set bricks properly. Setting of hydrated lime with
absorption of CO2 from air makes the mortar strong
Masonry mortar (has various trade names): Contains one or more of the following,
viz. , Portland cement, Portland-pozzolan cement, natural cement, slag cement,
Portland-blast furnace slag cement, hydraulic lime, and in addition usually contains
hydrated lime, limestone, chalk, calcareous shell, talc, slag and/or clay

Mortar Functions
Provides for full bearing
Seals between masonry units
Adheres / bonds masonry units
Aesthetics

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Joint Color that Blends w/ Brick Color

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Mortar

Pre-packaged

Color range

Testing / Specifications

Curing

Shelf life

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9.3 USES AND TYPES OF MASONRY MORTAR (Contd)

In order to achieve workability, masonry mortars contain air-entraining admixtures

that produce high air content in mortar; this reduces the bond strength of masonry
mortar - For these reasons, for masonry work that requires high strength and low
permeability, only conventional cement-lime mortar should be used - Lime mortar
cures by drying and absorption of CO 2 from air to form CaCO3, whereas Portland
cement mortar cures by hydration that produces a dense, strong, and crystalline
structure that binds the sand particles together - To prevent premature drying
masonry units should be wetted before laying them in course.

Mortar types : (a) M-type - High strength mortar - 2,500 psi - Used for
buildings subjected to large lateral loads, and below grade (earth level) masonry;
(b) S-type - Medium high strength mortar - 1600 psi - Used for masonry
structures needing high flexural bond strength and normal compressive loads: (c )
N-type - Medium strength mortar - 750 psi - for general use above grade; and (d)
O-type - Medium low strength mortar; 350 psi - Used for non-load-bearing walls
and partition

9.3 USES AND TYPES OF MASONRY MORTAR (Contd)

Contains various amounts of Portland cement, masonry cement,

hydrated lime and sand - M-type contains 1:1:0.21/4 to 3 or
1:0:1/4:21/4 to 3 - S-type contains 1/2:1:0:21/4 to 3 or 1:0:1/2:21/4 to
3 - N-type contains 0:1:0:21/4 to 3 or 1/2:21/4 to 3 - O-type contains
0:1:0:21/4 to 3 or 1:0:11/4 to 11/2:21/4 to 3

9.4 MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS FROM CLAY

Bricks have greater fire resistance than stone or concrete masonry - Its size
enables easy handling and placement in walls; it can be easily adapted to
small-scale and large-scale structures to give pleasing appearance and texture

Constituents: Brick clays are produced by blending together various clays

(surface clays, shales, and fire clays) to produce the desired chemical
composition and physical properties - Clays can be divided into calcareous
clays (containing 15% Calcium Carbonate, which gives yellow color when
burnt) or noncalcareous clays (containing silicate of alumina, feldspar, and
iron oxide) - Iron oxide gives buff, red or salmon color, when burnt

Molding of Brick: The raw material is dug from pits, crushed, ground,
and screened to reduce it to a fine constituency - Then it is tempered with
water to produce a plastic clay for forming into brick

9.4 MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS FROM CLAY (Contd)

Methods of forming : Three different processes are used for brick forming (i) Soft Mud Process: A relatively moist clay (containing 20% to 30% of water)
is pressed into molds, either by hand or machine - The mold may be dipped in
water (water-struck bricks) or dusted with fine sand (sand-struck bricks) before
filling it with clay - (ii) Dry press bricks are formed with clays that shrink
excessively during drying - Is mixed with minimum amount of water(10%) - (iii)
Stiff mud Process: Most widely used process nowadays - contains 12 % to 15%
of water - passed through vacuum to remove any pocket of air, and then extruded
through a rectangular die to form bricks
The rectangular column of moist clay extruded through the die is cut by automatic
wire cutters to form individual bricks - After molding and cutting, the bricks are
dried for one or two days in low-temperature kilns - Then they are ready for firing
or burning

9.4 MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS FROM CLAY (Contd)

Firing of Bricks: Bricks are burnt either in a periodic kiln or a continuous tunnel kiln In a periodic kiln bricks are loaded in after initial drying, fired, cooled, and unloaded;
and the process is repeated after a certain period (say a month) - In a continuous tunnel
kiln the bricks are loaded onto special railcars that pass continuously through various
processes to emerge at the other end fully burned

Stages of burning: Water-smoking and dehydration (drives off the remaining water
from clay at 40o to 150o C) - Oxidation and Vitrification: Temperature of furnace rises
to 1000o to 1300o C - Clay transformed to a ceramic material - Flashing: Fire is regulated
to create a reducing atmosphere in the kiln that develops a color variation in the bricks Cooling: Bricks are cooled under controlled conditions to achieve the desired color and to
avoid any thermal cracking - The entire process of firing takes from 40 to 150 hours

Color of a brick: Depends on the chemical composition of clay, temperature, and

chemistry of fire - Iron in clay turns to red in oxidizing fire and to purple in reducing fire Calcium oxides gives creamy/white color - For bright colors, all faces of bricks can be
glazed like pottery during normal firing or during subsequent firing

Brick Masonry - Sizes and Shapes

No standard size
Normal coursing - 3 bricks = 8
Larger sizes
Custom Shapes & Colors

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9.5 SIZES, GRADES AND TYPES OF BRICKS

No single standard size available - Size varies

Modular Brick: 3 1/2 x 7 1/2 x 2 1/4 (Actual size)

Standard Brick
: 3 1/2 x 8 x 2 1/4
Engineer Modular : 3 1/2 x 7 1/2 x 2 3/4
Engineer Standard : 3 1/2 x 8 x 2 3/4
Close Modular
: 3 1/2 x 7 1/2 x 3 1/4
Roman
: 3 1/2 x 11 1/2 x 1 5/8
Norman
: 3 1/2 x 11 1/2 x 1 5/8
Brick may be solid, cored, hollow or frogged - This allows even drying of
bricks

Custom-shaped bricks are often required for building for providing special
details

9.5 SIZES, GRADES AND TYPES OF BRICKS (Contd)

Grades of Building Bricks - Grade SW: Withstands severe weathering

(freeze-thaw, alternate wetting and drying) - Grade MW: for moderate weathering
- Grade NW: for negligible weathering

9.6.3 Types of Facing Bricks - Type FBX: High degree of mechanical

perfection, narrow color variation, minimum size variation per unit - Type FBS:
Wide range of colors, greater variation of size per unit - Type FBA: Nonuniformity in size, color and texture.

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Extruded Wire Cut

Wood Mold

Extruded Smooth

Extruded Raked 30

Brickwork Strength

Depends on:
Strength of the masonry unit
Strength of the mortar

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9.6 TERMINOLOGY, BONDS AND JOINTS IN BRICK

MASONRY

9.6.1 Terminology used in laying bricks: Bed joint, Head joint,

Collar joint, Wythe, Stretcher, Header, Soldier, Rowlock

9.6.2 Structural bonds used during brick laying

Running Bond: All courses of brick made of stretchers, with breaking of

joints, from one course to the other

English Bond: made of alternate courses of stretchers and headers, with

breaking of joints

Common Bond or American Bond : Made of stretchers courses, with

every sixth course being made completely of headers, with breaking of joints

Flemish Bond: In the same layer ( or course) stretchers and headers are
laid alternatively, with breaking of joints

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Basic Brickwork Terminology

Head
Joint
Bed
Joint

Course - horizontal layer of brick

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Basic Brickwork Terminology

Header - Bonds two wythes together
Wythe: vertical layer 1 unit thick

Rowlock laid on face,

end visible

Stretcher - long dimension horizontal

& face parallel to the wall

Soldier - Laid on its end, face parallel

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Brick Bonds
Structural Bonds
Cavity (Veneer) Walls

Running bond
Stacked bond

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9.6 TERMINOLOGY, BONDS AND JOINTS IN BRICK

MASONRY(Contd)

Procedure for building brick walls: (i) Laying of lead (or corner
bricks) to establish the wall planes and courses heights - (ii) Bricks in between
leads are laid to a line ( a heavy string stretchers taut between line blocks at
each lead)

9.6.3 Joint Tooling:

Required for giving beauty to mortar joints

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
Mortar joints can vary from 1/4 to 1/2 - Usually taken as 3/8

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Laying Masonry
Layout & Leads
Line

38

Stationary Scaffolding39

Masonry Joints
Weathered

Size

Joint Tooling

Joint Profiles

Concave
Vee
Flush
Racked
Concave
Struck

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Concave Joints

Raked Joints

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9.7 TYPES OF BRICK MASONRY WALLS AND

STRUCTURES

9.7.1 Spanning Openings in Brick Walls

Brick walls must be supported above openings for windows or doors, using

reinforced concrete lintels, reinforced brick,or steel angles

A corbel is an ancient structural device of limited spanning capability, that may be
used for small openings in brick walls, for beam brackets, and for ornamental
provisions.

Arches can be used instead of lintels to span large openings in walls- Different
forms of arches can be built: Segmental Arch, Jack Arch, Tudor Arch,
Elliptical Arch, Roman Arch (cylindrical shape), Goethic Arch,
Parabolic - Arch Terminologies: Intados, Extrados, Soffit, Spring line,
Skewback, Crown, Span, Rise

Steel Lintel

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Simulated Precast Concrete Lintel

(actually a steel lintel supports the assembly)

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Arch

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9.7 TYPES OF BRICK MASONRY WALLS AND

STRUCTURES

9.7.3 Reinforced Brick Masonry:

A reinforced brick masonry wall in constructed with two wythes of brick, 2

to 4 apart, placing the reinforced steel in the cavity and filling the cavity with
grout. Grout is a mixture of Portland cement, aggregate and water. Grout must
be filled enough to flow readily into the narrow cavity and fill it completely Two methods are used in building reinforced brick walls: Low-lift method:
Height of grout filling is not more than 4 feet - Wythes are held together by
galvanized steel wire ties at 24 c/c horizontally and 16 c/c vertically High-lift method: Wall is grouted, one story at a time - Clean out holes are
left at the bottom to drive out the debri (from mortar in brick masonry) down
with water through the holes - Finally the clean out holes are sealed with a
brick and mortar joint