11.

MASONRY LOADBEARING WALL

CONSTRUCTION

Chapter 10
Masonry Loadbearing Wall Construction

11.1 MASONRY LOADBEARING WALL

CONSTRUCTION - OVERVIEW
11.2 THREE TYPES OF WALL CONSTRUCTION
11.3 DETAILING OF MASONRY WALLS
11.4 TYPES OF THERMAL INSULATION FOR MASONRY
WALLS
11.5 MOVEMENT JOINTS IN BUILDINGS
11.6 OTHER SPECIAL PROBLEMS

11.2 THREE TYPES OF WALL CONSTRUCTION

11.2.1 Reinforced or Non-reinforced wall

- Non-reinforced walls cannot

carry high stresses and are generally used as parapet walls; sometimes buildings, of 16
story heights, have been built with non-reinforced masonry - Reinforced walls are
reinforced with vertical and horizontal steel reinforcements and are less thick

11.2.2 Composite masonry walls: Usually constructed with an outer wythe

of stone or facing brick and a back up of hollow concrete block masonry - The two
wythes are bonded together by steel horizontal joint reinforcements or by headers
from the outer wythe that penetrate the back up wythe

11.2.3 Cavity walls: Since exterior walls must resist water penetration and heat
transfer, these walls are built with internal cavities - Masonry cavity walls consist of
an inner, structural wythe and an outer wythe of masonry facing - These two are
separated by a continuous airspace that is spanned only by corrosion-resistant metal
ties that hold the wythes together - Cavity walls prevent water from reaching the
interior by interposing the cavity between outside and inside wythes of the wall When penetrating moisture reaches the cavity, it goes down and is caught by a thin,
impervious membrane called flashing and drained through weep holes to the exterior

Masonry Wall Types

Reinforced or Un-reinforced
Reinforcing Increases Load Carrying Capacity
Uses: Low Rise Construction, Foundations

One Type or Composite Masonry Walls

Composite; Two Wythes of Different Material
Typ. - CMU & Brick

Solid or Cavity Walls

Reinforced Masonry Walls

Cell Reinforcing

11.3 DETAILS OF MASONRY WALLS

11.3.1 Flashing and weep holes: A flashing is a continuos sheet of
impervious material that is used as a barrier against the passage of water, into
the building - Weep holes drain water from the cavity to the exterior

11.3.2 External flashings: Used to prevent moisture from penetrating

the roof edge to wet the masonry wall, at the intersection of roof and the
parapet wall - Uses a base flashing and counter flashing to achieve the purpose
- Roof membrane becomes the base flashing; counter flashing comes from the
outer wall to cover the base flashing - Should be turned in 8 into the wall to
prevent water penetration

Internal flashings: Used to catch the water that has penetrated the outer
wall and to drain it through weep holes to the exterior - Internal flashings
should be placed at the bottom of the wall cavity and at every location where
the cavity is interrupted; at heads of windows and doors, at window sills, at
shelf angles, and over exposed spandrel beams - Should be accompanied by a
weep hole - Should be turned up 6 to 8 at the interior face of the wall and
penetrate at least 2 into the back up wythe - Outside the wall, flashing should
be carried at least 3/4 beyond the outside face and turned down at 45 o angle

11.3 DETAILING MASONRY WALLS (Contd)

Weep holes should be placed at every 24 c/c horizontally - Min. diameter for
a weep hole is 1/4 - Made by inserting a short of rope laid in the mortar joint
and later pulled out - Plastic tube and metal accessories should be provided to
prevent insects from entering the cavity

Material for flashing: Made of sheet metal, UV resistant plastics,

elastomeric compounds, or composite materials - Galvanized steel is unsuitable
but stainless steel and copper are suitable; aluminum and lead are unsuitable

Cavity Walls
Common Construction for Exterior Walls
Insulating Value
Reduced Weight
Drainage

Cavity Wall Construction

Inner Wythe or support wall
Air Space (Insulation & Drainage)
Outer Wythe of Masonry
Masonry Ties to hold the Wythes together

11.4 TYPES OF THERMAL INSULATION FOR

MASONRY WALLS
11.4.1 Thermal Insulation of Masonry Walls: A solid masonry
wall is a poor insulator - Solid masonry wall is massive and as such absorbs
and stores heat during day and gives up during night; but in regions of
sustained cold weather measures must be taken to improve the insulating
qualities of masonry walls

11.4.2 Three different modes of insulation used - (i) Insulation on

the outside face with EIFS (exterior insulation and finish system), which
consists of panels of plastic foam that are attached to the masonry and covered
with a thin, continuous layer of polymeric stucco reinforced glass fiber mesh Masonry is completely covered with stucco - Disadvantage is that this stucco
is easily dented and EIFS is combustible

Masonry Veneer Anchors

Masonry Flashing
External Flashing
Prevents Moisture Penetration
Types
Material

Internal Flashing
Through Wall (Concealed) Flashing
Collects water
Drainage Through Weeps
Placement

Shelf
Angle

Dampproofing & Flashing

Flashings over Wall Openings

11.4 TYPES OF THERMAL INSULATION FOR

MASONRY WALLS
11.4.1 Thermal Insulation of Masonry Walls: A solid masonry
wall is a poor insulator - Solid masonry wall is massive and as such absorbs
and stores heat during day and gives up during night; but in regions of
sustained cold weather measures must be taken to improve the insulating
qualities of masonry walls

11.4.2 Three different modes of insulation used - (i) Insulation on

the outside face with EIFS (exterior insulation and finish system), which
consists of panels of plastic foam that are attached to the masonry and covered
with a thin, continuous layer of polymeric stucco reinforced glass fiber mesh Masonry is completely covered with stucco - Disadvantage is that this stucco
is easily dented and EIFS is combustible

11.4 TYPES OF THERMAL INSULATION FOR MASONRY

WALLS (Contd)
11.4.3 Insulation within the wall: If the cavity in a wall is made
sufficiently wide, the masons can insert slabs of foam insulation against the inside
wythe as it is built; the overall width of cavity must be adjusted so that the net
width of air space is at least 2 - the hollow cores of the cavity wall can be filled
with loose granular insulation

11.4.4 The inside surface of the masonry wall is insulated, by

attaching plastic foam to the wall and applying plaster directly to the foam, or
attaching wood/metal furring strips to the inside of the masonry wall with
masonry nails - Presence of furring strips creates a space in the wall in which the
electrical wiring and plumbing can easily be concealed

Thermal Insulation
Outside Face (typically EIFS)
Within the Wall
In the Cavity or
In the Hollow Cores
On the Inside Face

Insulation in CMU cells

External Insulation

Insulation in Cavity

Insulation in Cavity

Insulation being installed in the cavity

Masonry Construction
Masonry and Wood
Masonry and Steel
Masonry and Concrete

CMU Masonry with Joist & Metal Decking

CMU with Precast Concrete Decking

Electrical Rough-in

MPE Rough-In

Rough-in
Electrical
Plumbing
HVAC
Fire Damper

Electrical Roughin

11.5 MOVEMENT JOINTS BUILDING

Building materials and building experience small displacements continuously Many of these motions are cyclical and never-ending - All materials shrink as
they grow colder and expand as they grow warmer, each material doing it at
its own characteristic rate - All these motions or displacements are small in
magnitude, but they occur in every building - If they are ignored in design,
they can tear the building apart, causing cracking of brittle materials
These small motions are accommodated by:
- Strengthening of structures so as to resist the expansion stresses
- Providing of movement joints
- Construction joints
- Structure/Enclosure joints - Sealant joints at the top of an interior partition
- Surface divider joints
- Control joints
- Expansion joints

Expansion & Contraction

Structure Movement, Masonry Changes
Expansion Joints
Within Masonry Wall
Two-way Movement
@ Change in Thickness, Height, or Openings

Isolation Joints

Expansion Joint

Weep Holes

Expansion Joint Material

11.6 OTHER SPECIAL PROBLEMS

11.6.1 Expansion and contraction: Due to temperature and moisture content
- Should be accounted for in the design

11.6.1 Efflorescence: A fluffy white powder, that sometimes appears on the

surface of a brick, stone, or concrete block wall - Consists of one or more water
soluble salts that migrate to the surface - Can be prevented by proper choice of
masonry units

11.6.2 Mortar joint deterioration: Water running down a masonry wall tends
to accumulate at mortar joints - Due to freeze and thaw cycles the mortar in the
joints expands and contracts alternatively and deteriorates - Weather-resistant
mortar must be used to prevent deterioration

11.6.4 Moisture resistance of masonry: Moisture resistance of masonry

units must be specified to minimize water absorption - Flashing and weep holes
must be provided - Exterior wall must be coated with stucco or paint - Below
grade masonry should be parged with two coats of type M mortar, 1/2 thick - The
exterior wall must be coated with damp-proofing compound

11.6 OTHER SPECIAL PROBLEMS

(Contd)

11.6.5 Cold and hot weather construction: Special precautions are

necessary to prevent mortar freezing before curing is complete - Keep masonry
units dry - Protect them from freezing before use - Use type 30 cement (high early
strength) and warm water to produce mortar at a optimum temperature - Mix
mortar in small quantities - Protect the wall from wind, as the mason builds it Protect against freezing for at least three days - Try to avoid chemical accelerators
and anti-freeze admixtures since they are harmful to mortar and reinforcing
steel - In hot weather, dampen the masonry units before laying them in place Also keep the masonry units and mortar ingredients in shade before use

Other Special Problems

Efflorescence

Joint Deterioration
Moisture Penetration
Hot & Cold Weather Construction

Efflorescence

Efflorescence

Masonry and the Codes

Masonry often used as a fire separation wall
Used with Steel and Concrete Decks - Type
1&2