Although masonry has been used as a building material since the beginning of time, some members of the construction industry may be less familiar with many of its specific properties than they are with other building materials and a great deal is often left to chance in specifying, designing and constructing masonry walls. The purpose of the book is to provide a detailed reference book for construction professionals responsible for specifying and designing masonry structures. It provides detailed information on the units of construction and mortars and general guidance on the selection of materials for the various locations and site exposures.
The reasons for, and accommodation of, movements in masonry are discussed in etail, as well as bricklaying and blocklaying under winter conditions, frost attack, salts and stains, rain penetration, dampness in walls and remedial measures, wall finishes (plastering, rendering and painting etc.) and the thermal and sound insulation of walls.
The reasons for, and accommodation of, movements in masonry are discussed in etail, as well as bricklaying and blocklaying under winter conditions, frost attack, salts and stains, rain penetration, dampness in walls and remedial measures, wall finishes (plastering, rendering and painting etc.) and the thermal and sound insulation of walls.
The book does not cover advanced structural analysis and design, which is adequately covered elsewhere, but does give guidance on the empirical design of freestanding walls, laterally loaded and internal walls and partitions. It also gives an introduction to calculated loadbearing masonry, fin and diaphragm walls, reinforced and post tensioned walls and masonry cladding to timber framed construction. Fire resistance of masonry is discussed, as well as workmanship, quality control, bonds and finishes, and repairing and replacing masonry.