Author: Haroon Khalil

Providing horizontal and vertical expansion joints in walls helps to reduce the cracks to a considerable extent. Horizontal and vertical expansion joints absorb vertical and horizontal movement respectively. In general, expansion joints have to be provided for every 15 m. The sealant used for joints are natural or cellular rubber, bitumen, expanded plastics, coconut pith,…

Depending on the type of foundation soil, the foundation has to be designed and the supporting masonry walls should be designed with adequate stiffness. Such a design will help to control excessive shear of flexural stresses in the masonry.

Following are the preventive measures which could minimise the cracks in brick masonry.

Causes Cracks are frequently found in brick masonry walls due to some of the reasons given below.

In an eccentrically loaded wall, there is an axial load and a bending moment. These two may be combined into a single resultant load acting at a distance. This is known as equivalent eccentricity (Fig. 17.15). Figure 17.15 Equivalent eccentricity The stress distribution due to axial load and the bending moment are combined to get the…

Figure 17.14 Eccentricity due to unequal span in interior wall

In general, walls in buildings are commonly loaded with some eccentricity. Eccentricity may be caused due to one reason or another. Thus, there is a little possibility of establishing an exact relationship between factors which may cause eccentricity. Some of the factors which contribute for eccentricity on brick walls are: Thus a designer has to…

Ordinary masonry walls are reinforced with iron bars or expanded metal mesh and such walls are called reinforced brick walls. Here, the reinforcement, iron bars or expanded metal mesh are provided at every third or fourth course (Fig. 17.11). Figure 17.11 Reinforcement of brick wall with metal mesh Alternately flat bars of sections about 25 mm…

Slenderness ratio is the ratio of effective height or effective length to effective thickness of the masonry unit. Slenderness ratio is an important factor to be considered in the stability of a wall. For solid walls, the effective thickness is the actual thickness of the wall. For the solid walls which are adequately bonded with…