DRY-STACK MASONRY

CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM
Dissertation Proposal
MID-SEM EXAM

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF

AR. NARESH C. NAKRA

Presented By

NAKUL SINGH
B. ARCH
IX SEM

Synopsis
AIM
To study dry stacked masonry as an effective construction
technique using alternate building materials.
OBJECTIVES
Studying the meaning, historical importance and advantages of mortarless construction system.
Studying the need and feasibility of dry-stacked masonry over
conventional mortar-filled masonry in the specified climatic regions.
Studying various alternate building materials; their uses, advantages, and
properties.
Studying Seismic & structural load bearing capacity of materials to be
used in dry-stack masonry both in new and old construction.
Studying Cost-effective materials to be used in dry-stack masonry.
SCOPES& LIMITATIONS
The research is limited to the study of only alternate building materials
that can be used in constructing dry-stacked masonry.
The research is limited to the study of Hot & Dry & Composite climatic
regions.
Studying the seismic resistance of each material when dry stacked.

HYPOTHESIS
Dry stacked masonry is an effective construction technique even
with alternate building materials.

CASE STUDIES
LIVE STUDIES
CBRI , roorkee
Auroville earth institute
BMTPC, New delhi
HUDCOs library in HSMI, New Delhi
Technology park, Jaipur
Avas Vikas Limited
Harshat Mata Temple, Abhaneri, Rajasthan
LITERATURE STUDIES
Ar. Laurie Bakers projects
Machu Picchu, Peru
The Pyramids of Giza, Egypts
The Great Zimbabwean Ruins
Chalukyan Temple Architecture, Aihole, Karnataka

METHODOLOGY
TOPIC
IDENTIFICATION
INTRODUCTION
NEED
BACKGROUND
STUDY

CASE STUDIES

WRITING THE
PROPOSAL
INFERENCES
CONCLUSION
RECOMMENDATIO
NS

STUDYING ABOUT
ALTERNATE BUILDING
MATERIALS, THEIR
PROPERTIES AND
ADVANTAGES, AND THEIR
AVAILABILITY
STUDYING ITS
IMPORTANCE AND
ADVANTAGES OVER
CONVENTIONAL MORTARFILLED MASONRY.
UNDERSTANDING THE TECHNIQUES OF
DRY-STACK CONSTRUCTION WHICH ARE
USED SINCE ANCIENT TIMES TILL DATE
BY NUMEROUS LIVE AND LITERATURE
CASE STUDIES LISTED BELOW.
TESTING THE MASONRY
MODELS AGAINST
SEISMIC LOADS IN
TESTING LABS.
CREATING A TIMELINE OF
THE USE AND TECHNIQUES
OF DRY STACK MASONRY
SINCE ANCIENT TIME TILL
DATE.
DOCUMENTING THE
WHOLE STUDY IN A
RESEARCH PAPER FOR
PUBLISHING.

ME
TH
OD
OL
OG
Y

Table of Contents
1.
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.

SYNOPSIS
Aim
Objectives
Scopes & Limitations
Hypothesis
Case Studies
Methodology

2. INTRODUCTION
3. HISTORICAL TIMELINE
I. The Great Zimbabwe
II. Machu Picchu

INTRODUCTION
Understanding the topic
The dry-stacked interlocking masonry system consists of
interlocking blocks that are laid dry-stacked or with minimum
mortar slurry in a stretcher bond in a wall. It is a mortar-less
masonry system using blocks that interlock to provide leveling and
alignment. Though still uncommon, these systems could be used to
construct strong, durable, and cost-effective buildings. This type of
masonry system relies on self-weight to resist external forces
through interlocking mechanisms of shear keys.
Need for the study:
With the increase in material costs in the construction industry,
there is a need to find more cost saving alternatives so as to
maintain the cost of constructing houses at prices affordable to
clients. The use of the mortar-less load bearing interlocking block
building system has not yet become popular in developing
countries even though this system has been used in other
countries.

INTRODUCTION
Benefits of Dry-Stacked Interlocking Masonry System

Unlike standard masonry walls which are solid, the interlocking

mortar-less masonry blocks allow slight movement and lock
tighter over time, aided by an innovative application of steel
reinforcement. This construction technique is also better at
dissipating the energy of seismic waves than traditional masonry.
Other advantages are:
Reduction in construction time. Due to this, building construction
costs also reduces.
Reduction in usage of costly cement.
Interlocked masonry units can be dismantled easily and can be
reused.
Faster construction compared to masonry units, as the mixing and
placing of mortar is avoided.
High finish blocks are made resulting in exposed finish aesthetic
walls, saving on plaster/rendering & finishes costs.

INTRODUCTION

Defensive Wall at Saqsaywaman,

Machu Pichu

Interlocking masonry pattern

studied herein.

SOURCE : Modified from

Andean Travel Web 2011

SOURCE : International Journal of

Solids and Structures 47 (2010)
15221536

A Timeline of Dry- Stacked

Construction
1) The Great Zimbabwe

SOURCE : sahistory.za

Introduction

The ancient ruins of Great Zimbabwe are to be found 150 miles from the
present day capital city of Zimbabwe, Harare. The ruins are located 1,100
metres above sea level looking down on the Shashe-Limpopa river basin on
the Harare Plateau.
The solid structures of Great Zimbabwe were built over quite a long period
from approximately 1200 years AD to 1450 years AD.
The historic site consists of 12 groups of buildings covering an area of 3
square miles. Its outer wall was constructed from 100,000 tons of granite
bricks.
At its peak it was said to be a 14th Century walled city
occupied by 20,000 people.
Close up shot of the
Great enclosure
SOURCE : cnn.com

Temple structure

SOURCE : greatzimbabweruins.org

The occupants lived in clay huts with thatched roofs but built substantial
number of stone masonry walls to form large enclosures to the settlements.
The dry-stacked stone masonry walls vary in height between 1m to 12m and
also in thickness from .5m to 5 m. They are either free standing or retaining
walls.
The Great Enclosure was constructed sometime between the 14th and the
15th Century and could have been built to enhance the prestige of the

The Mass Exodus

Suddenly around the middle of the 15th Century the populationleft

the buildings which comprise Great Zimbabwe.
It is not known exactly what led to this mass exodus but quite
possibly it could have been due to the over exploitation of the
surrounding natural resources or by the inhabitants trying to
maximize the profits which could be accrued from the highly
lucrative gold trade.
By the year 1500 AD the whole area had become totally
depopulated. Today all that is left to remind one of this bygone era
are the ruins of the buildings.

STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS

Sections of the stone walls have bulged outwards. The bulging

generally occurs at ground level and mid-height.
This is primarily due to active earth pressure and worsened by soil
movements.

(a) Bulging in a wall (b) Splitting in the

SOURCE : greatzimbabweruins.o

The Mass Exodus

STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS

Splitting within the wall units are particularly observed at joints

between a re-built section and the original wall. This may be
caused by differential settlements.
Arching mechanism in a dry-stack system is very low, leading to
the collapse of most of the structures over openings in the Great
Zimbabwe walls.
The masonry units at the top of the walls do not
have enough vertical load to develop friction and
hence they may topple if not tied down.

Last surviving
doorway
supported by a
prop

A Timeline of Dry- Stacked

Construction
1) Incan structures at Machu
Picchu

SOURCE : toddadams.net

Introduction

Machu Picchu is an Incan civilization site located on a ridge between

the Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu mountains in Peru. It is located
on an altitude of 2700 meters above sea level where the Urubamba
River flows across these mountains.
The retaining walls of Machu Picchu, constructed of dry stacked
granite blocks during the 15th century, have remained standing for
centuries in a challenging geological and climatic setting with little to
no maintenance. In order to construct such enduring infrastructure,
Incan engineers understood the basic concepts that we use today to
design modern retaining walls. A stability analysis, based on
conservatively selected parameters, reveals that the Incan walls
generally meet modern standards for sliding stability (assuming fullcontact and thus maximum frictional forces between blocks) and the
walls nearly meet modern standards for overturning stability.
Before the Spanish conquered the Inca Empire, Machu Picchu was
already abandoned and therefore never found by the invaders.
Fortunately for us, despite weathering and other natural
calamities(i.e., earthquakes), the city in the sky looks very much as it
would have in its prime 500 years ago since no one knew of its
existence and therefore could not dismember it.

Importance of Dry Stacked Masonry

Dry stone has been a successful building technique
throughout the ages because of its unique range of
benefits:

Masons need a minimum of tools to erect structures that are

remarkably durable; yet, if damaged, are easily repaired. They
resist fire, water, and insects. If correctly designed, they are
earthquake resistant. The work does not deplete natural
resources, and aesthetically compliments and enhances the
landscape.
Walls without mortar rely on the skill of the craftsmen and the
forces of gravity and frictional resistance.
Because the sides slope slightly inward, ground movement locks
the structure more tightly together.
Importantly, a stiff concrete footing is not needed, saving labor
and material expense.
Mortared walls have a shorter life span than dry stone walls
because frozen rain and snow get trapped in mortared seams and
push the joints apart, whereas a correctly-built dry stone wall

TYPES OF MODERN DAY

INTERLOCKING BLOCKS
There are three types of interlocking blocks available in
India:
1. Hydraform Interlocking Blocks ( stabilized earth blocks(SEB)
and fly ash blocks)
2. Fly ash interlocking blocks
3. Cement concrete interlocking blocks

A Typical Interlocking Block

Source: Bansal
Deepak, CBRI
ROORKEE

Block laying Courses

One (horizontal) layer of blocks is called a course. Height of

a course = 115 mm.

Course of masonry with bonding

The interlocking dry stacked
masonry comprises of SEB
(stabilized earth blocks) / fly-ash
interlocking blocks
that can be laid dry - stacked or
using minimal mortar slurry/grout in
a stretcher bond.

Source: Bansal
Deepak, CBRI
ROORKEE

Relevant Indian
Standards
The interlocking blocks (SEB and fly ash blocks) are in accordance with relevant
Indian standards given below:

IS 12984: 1990 Fly ash- lime bricks-specification

IS 2110: 1980 Code for practice for in situ construction of wall in building with soil
cement
IS 1725:1982 Specification for soil-based blocks used in general building
Construction.
IS 4326: 1983 Earthquake resistant design and construction of building code of
practice
IS 3495: 1992 Method of tests of burnt clay-building bricks
Part (1) Determination of compressive strength
Part (2) Determination of water observation
Part (3) Determination of efflorescence
IS 13759: 1993 Fly ash building bricks specification.
IS 1905: 1987 Code of practice for structural use of unreinforced masonry.
IS 1893: 2003 Indian standard for Seismic Zoning & Earthquake resistant design.
IS 5454: 1978 Method for sampling of clay building bricks.

Conclusions & Inferences

Following are some of the conclusions drawn from the research and the studies
previously done by other research scholars from reputed institues across
India. More are on the way:

The interlocking block masonry is quite generic and does not require
sophisticated machinery or equipment, can be done with local materials with
optimum moisture & stabilizers on the site itself.
Embodied energy Values (EEV) of these blocks is much less compared to
burnt clay bricks, as minimum cement and electrical energy are used to
produce these blocks.
The compressive strength of interlocking block masonry is better than the
compressive strength of conventional masonry. The compressive strength of
conventional block masonry wall pallet obtained was 8.71N/mm2 while it was
10.107N/mm2 for the interlocking block masonry wall pallet, which is around
16% more than the conventional block masonry.
The flexural strength of interlocking block masonry is higher than the
conventional mortar joined block masonry.It was about 12% of its
compressive strength.
The interlocking block masonry has also performed better than the
conventional block masonry in carrying the lateral loads and interlocking
block masonry has absorbed more energy than conventional masonry before
failure.

REFERENCES

Bansal Deepak; Sustainable Dry Interlocking Block Masonry Construction

- Dry General Manager (Projects), Hudco, Hudco Bhawan, Delhi
Harshad M. Patel, Tejas J. Upadhya, Dr. N. K. Arora; Dry Stacked Masonrypresent Scenario 2- Paripex - Indian Journal Of Research
I. Stefanou, J. Sulem, I. Vardoulakis; Homogenization Of Interlocking
Masonry Structures Using A Generalized Differential Expansion TechniqueWww.Elsevier.Com/Locate/Ijsolstr
Ginger Pigeon; Inca Architecture: The Function Of A Building In Relation
To Its Form- University Of Wisconsin-la Crosse
Pieter Vander werf, Mortarless Block Systems An Analysis Of The Six
Systems On The Market.
https://www.drystone.org/history/
Melissa M. Fontanese, E.I.T.; A Stability Analysis Of The Retaining Walls Of
Machu Picchu- University Of Pittsburgh
Charles Anthony Laster; Earthquake Resistant Design For Masonry Walls
Utilizing A Mortar-less Construction System
Rogrio Pave; Structural Behaviour Of Dry Stack Masonry ConstructionUniversidade Eduardo Mondlane, Maputo, Mozambique
Sonjoy Deb; Interlocking Mortarless Building Block Systems- N.I.T. Silchar
http://www.formblock.net/formblock.php