Masonry

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Brick Grades

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Grade SW (severe weathering): Used in areas of heavy rain, snow, or continual freezing.

Grade MW (Moderate Weathering) Used in areas of average rain and moderate freezing.

Grade NW (No weathering): Used in areas of minimal rain or freezing, as in sheltered or indoor locations.

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Face Brick

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Also has SW/MW grades in addition to

FBX: high degree of mechanical perfection, narrow color range, and minimal size variation.

FBS: Greater size variation and color range.

FBA: Nonuniform in size, colo, and texture.

Hollow brick is characterized with SW/MW as well as the same HBX, HBS, and HBA.

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Bricklaying

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Bricklaying is dependent on workmanship. For best results bricks should be laid between 40° and 90° and should be wetted prior to setting in order to minimize absorption of water from mortar. Should not exceed .7oz of water per minute. Should always be set in a full bed of mortar with mortar solidly filling all vertical head joints.

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Reinforced Brick Masonry

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Consists of two wythes of brick seperated by a two to four inch space in whicj horizontal and vertical reinforcing bars are placed. The space is filled solidly with grout (mixture of portland cement, sand, water, and sometimes pea gravel). It is much stronger than unreinforced brick masonry.

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Veneering

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Is the term used for exposed brick that is attached but not structurally bonded to the backing. The veneer units are held in place by metal wires, clips, or anchors.

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Efflorescence

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Is a white powdery deposit on the surface causes by soluble salts in the units or in the mortar. The salts are keached out by water that penetrates the masonry and results in unsightly patches of discoloration. Can be prevented, or minimized by selecting materials frwe of harmduk salts and by preventing water from penetrating the masonry. This can be done by use of solid and tight mortar joints, capped walls, effective flashing, and adequate weather protection of the masonry during the course of construction.

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Expansion Joints

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Are required in all masonry structures more than 200ft in length, or where there are two or more wings in building. Sealant is used to adhere to the two masonry surfaces while permitting movement parallel to the wall face. The compressible filler isnused to maintain the required depth of the sealant.

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Concrete Masonry Units

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Units include concrete bricks, concrete blocks, concrete tiles, and cast (concrete) stone.

Load bearing blocks are graded as N for severe exposure and S for blocks requiring protection from the weather.

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Strucutrural clay tile

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Hollow burned clay masonry units with parallel cells. Made from same clay as brick and may be load bearing or non load bearing walls. Divided into back up tile or facing tile.

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Gypsum Block

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Gypsum block or gypsum tiles, are solid or cored units manufactured from gypsum plaster. They are available in thickness from 2-6 in and in standard panels 12x30 inches. Used for interior non load bearing partition walls and can be used for lightweight fire protection. Two inches of gypsum is equal to 4 inches of CMU for fire protection. It cant be used outside and always setbin gypsum mortar in top of a base course of water resistant material.

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Glass block

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Solid or hollow blocks that have same general chemical composition as window glass. Used where light transmission, glare, or solar heat must be controlled, or where specific decorative effect is desired. Available in several sizes in 4inch modules. They are limited in length, height, and area and can never support structural loads. Always set in stacked bond. Mortar and glass does not bond exceptionally well. Control joints are critical due to high thermal expansion.

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Stone

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Stone consists of small or quarried pieces of rock and there are three types:

Igneous - granite

Sedimentary - Limestone, sandstone, bluestone, and brownstone.

Metamorphic - marble, soapstone, slate.

Stones come in a number of forms most commons forms are:

Rough stone (fieldstone): natural stone used decoratively.

Rubble Stone: irregular stone with at least one good face for ashlar veneer, copings, sills, and curbs.

Dimension Stone: cut stone, used for surface veneers, toilet partitions, flooring, stair treads.

Flagstone: thin slabs used for paving, treads, countertops.

Monumental stone: used for sculpture, monuments, gravestones.

Crushed stone: used as aggregate for concrete, terrazzo, built up roof surfacing as well as granular fill.

Stone dust: as filler in asphalt flooring, shingles, paints.

Properties of natural stone vary considerably, and one must choose carefully in regards to strength, porosity, absorption, and permeability. As well as finishes from rough (quarry face, split face, or sawed finish) to smooth (rubbed finish, honed face, or polished)

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Stone Masonry

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Stone masonry is classified into two groups. Rubble masonry, in which stones are left in their natural rough state and ashlar masonry which the stones are smoothed into rectangular blocks. Stone masonry is further categorized as coarsed, which has continuous horizontal joints, and uncoarsed (ramdom) that does not. A bond stone is a stone with its longest dimension perpendicular to the wall face to tie the wall to its backing.

Stone masonry can be laid in a bed of mortar or mechanically anchores to backup wall or frame.

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Mortar

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All masonry units are bonded with mortar, the purpose is to join the units together or to the supporting members, while preventing moisture penetration of the joints. It is composed of varying quantities of portland cement, sand, lime, and water. Sand should be clean and free of organic material, and its grading is based on the thickness of the mortar joint. Lime putty or hydratwd lime is used to improve workability and water retentivity, although it reduces the strength of the mortar. Masonry cement and mortar cement may be used instead of or in addition too, portland cement in which case no lime may be added. However only portland cement-lime mortar should be used where high strength and low permeability are required. Load bearing masonry and/or exposed to weather should use type M or S, and Type N and O when less compressive strength is required.

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Mortar joints

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The exterior surface of mortar joints, which is exposed to the weather, is finished to make the masonry more waterproof and to achieve a specific appearance. Joints may be made with a trowel, a special jointing tool, or raking device. The joint should be entirely filled to begin with, and the face joint be smooth and dense when the joint is completed.