BUILDING STRUCTURE

SOLID WALLS

NURULHUDA ALI

JUNE 2011
 Walls

Def:-
• National Level Resource
A wall is a usually solid structure that definesAllocation
and sometimes protects an area. • National Physical Plan

“ A wall may be defined as a vertical

load-bearing member, the width of which
exceeds four times the thickness”.

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 Walls

Functions:-

• National Level Resource

i. Enclose or divide space of a building. Allocation
• National Physical Plan
ii. Provide privacy.
iii. Afford security.
iv. Give protection against heat, cold, sun, and rain.
v. Provide support to floors and roofs.

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 Walls

Functional requirements:-

• National Level Resource

i. Strength and stability Allocation
• National Physical Plan
ii. Weather resistance
iii.Durability
iv.Fire resistance
v.Thermal insulation
vi. Sound insulation

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 Walls

Types of walls:-

i. Load-bearing wall • National Level Resource

Allocation
ii.- wall which are designed to carry super-imposed load andPlan
• National Physical its own weight
iii.- e.g. external wall, internal wall

i. Non-load-bearing wall
ii.- walls that carry their own weight only
iii.- e.g. internal wall (divider or partition wall), external wall

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 Walls

• National Level Resource

Allocation
• National Physical Plan

load-bearing wall non-load-bearing

wall

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 Walls

Types of walls:-
• National Level Resource
Allocation
i.Load-bearing wall
• National Physical Plan

i. Solid masonry wall

ii. Cavity wall

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 Solid walls

Solid masonry wall

• National Level Resource
The most commoly used Allocation
• National Physical Plan
Made of concrete or clay blocks, bricks or stone
Horizontal courses cemented togheter with suitable mortar (used to bind
masonry units together is a combination of cement, sand and water)
Have openings

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Solid walls

• National Level Resource

Allocation
• National Physical Plan

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 Cavity walls

Cavity wall • National Level Resource

Allocation
• National Physical Plan
Comprising two leaves
Each leaf being built of structural units & separated by a cavity
Tied together with metal ties or bonding units to ensure that the two
leaves act as one structural units
The space between is either left in cavity or filled with insulating & water
proofing material

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Cavity walls

• National Level Resource

Allocation
• National Physical Plan

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Walls

• National Level Resource

Allocation
• National Physical Plan

Types of bonding

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 Types of bonding

• National Level Resource

i. Stretcher bond Allocation
• National Physical Plan
ii. Header bond
iii.English bond
iv.Flemish bond

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 Stretcher bonding

i. Stretcher bond
• National Level Resource
Allocation
A bond that consists entirely of stretchers
• National Physical Plan
Each vertical joint lying between the centers of the stretchers above and
Below.
It is the simplest repeating pattern, only for a wall one half brick thick, the
thinnest possible wall.
Such a thin wall is not stable enough to stand alone, and must be tied to
a supporting structure.

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Stretcher bonding

• National Level Resource

It is common in modern buildings, particularly as the outer face of a
Allocation
• National Physical Plan
cavity wall, or as the facing to a timber or steel framed structure.

Stretcher bond is now used in building garden and boundary walls which
are "stand alone" by incorporating a layer of steel brick reinforcing mesh,
laid every three or so courses thus acting as headers in tying the two
leaves together.

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Stretcher bonding

• National Level Resource

Allocation
• National Physical Plan

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 Header bonding

i.ii. Header bond

• National Level Resource
Allocation
• National
This as its name implies consists of headers only.Physical Plan
Header bond was sometimes used to help make a building look bigger.
Civic buildings and the odd town-house can be found in Header bond.
It's also used where there is a lot of ornamental detail, presumably to
avoid a lot of unsightly and costly cutting.

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Header bonding

• National Level Resource

Allocation
• National Physical Plan

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 English bonding

i.iii. English bond

• National Level Resource

Allocation
English bond is easy to recognise because it consists of a course of
• National Physical Plan
headers followed by a course of stretchers.
Although the bond was very common in the Victorian period it was not
generally used for houses, but was used in factories, stations and
retaining walls etc.
It's a very strong bond but probably not as attractive as Flemish bond.

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English bonding

• National Level Resource

English bond is always likely to be the bond found in the walls of bridges
Allocation
and viaducts. • National Physical Plan

The bond may be several bricks thick and the bricks themselves are likely
to be strong engineering bricks.

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English bonding

• National Level Resource

Allocation
• National Physical Plan

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Flemish bonding

iv. Flemish bond

• National Level Resource

It's most common in housing, particularlyAllocation
on front elevations.
The bond is often built in bricks of two •colours
National
to Physical
provide aPlan
decorative
pattern.
It's not as strong as English bond but is generally considered to be more
attractive.
The bond can be adapted to suit thicker walls - most houses built in
Flemish bond will have walls one brick thick (225mm or 9 inch).

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Flemish bonding

• National
In Flemish bond headers and stretchers alternateLevel
in each course.
Resource
Allocation
• National Physical Plan
To make the bond 'work' with the course above and below, additional
bricks known as queen closers are required.

The closer is effectively a quarter brick and it's usually positioned after
the first header.

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Flemish bonding

• National Level Resource

Allocation
• National Physical Plan

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