Author: Haroon Khalil

Effective thickness of a wall is an idealised thickness which reflects the behaviour of the wall. Effective thickness is determined as detailed below. Table 17.4 Stiffness coefficient where Sp = Centre to centre spacing of pier or cross wall wp = Width of pier in the direction of the wall or the actual thickness of cross wall tp = Thickness…

While deciding the length of walls, the following end support conditions are considered: Various combinations of the above conditions and the effective length of a wall are presented in Table 17.3 (Fig. 17.10). Table 17.3 Effective length of walls Source: IS: 1905, 1987. Note: (i) H = actual height of wall between centre of cross wall/pier. L = length of…

If both lateral and rotational restraints are offered by a support, then the wall is said to be fully restrained at the support. It is said to be partial, if only lateral restraint is provided. Combination of these two restraint cases yields different boundary conditions depending on location. The effective height of a wall is…

Masonry structures gain stability from support offered by cross walls, floors and roof. Load-bearing walls are structurally sound as long as the load is applied axially without any eccentricity. Lateral support for load-bearing walls or columns limit the slenderness of the structure. Further the lateral supports reduce the possibility of buckling of member due to…

Loads on walls may be classified based on the load–wall reaction. The load–wall interaction may be divided into the following two major groups: Vertical Loads Vertical loads may be uniformly distributed load or concentrated load. Loads acting parallel and along the axis of wall cause axial stress. Loads may act eccentrically. In such cases, these…

In general, non-load bearing walls have adequate strength, stability, sound insulation and fire resistance. Non-load bearing walls may be interior walls or exterior walls. Different types of materials are used for non-load bearing walls, viz., brick, wood, hollow block, metal lath, corrugated sheet, etc. Following are some of the important non-load bearing walls: Panel Wall…

In veneered wall the facing is attached to the backing but need not be bonded. The entire load is taken by the backing. The facing is mostly for decoration purposes or to meet aesthetic needs (Fig. 17.5). Figure 17.5 Veneered wall

It is similar to a solid wall but with a different facing material. These two materials are bonded together such that both take the load. The facing material may be of a different quality such that it may give a better aesthetic view. Generally dressed stone facing is done on brick walls (Fig. 17.4). Figure…

These walls are similar to solid walls but the thickness of wall at intervals is increased (Fig. 17.2). The thickened portions are called as piers or pilasters. These walls are used for the following purposes: Figure 17.2 Solid wall with piers 17.2.3 Cavity Wall Cavity wall consists of two structural leaves separated by an uniform continuous…

It is a wall built of solid bricks or perforated bricks and designed to carry an imposed dead loads and live loads, including its self-weight (Fig. 17.1). Figure 17.1 Solid wall