Veneer masonry[edit]

A masonry veneer wall consists of masonry units, usually clay-based bricks, installed on one or both
sides of a structurally independent wall usually constructed of wood or masonry. In this context the
brick masonry is primarily decorative, not structural. The brick veneer is generally connected to the
structural wall by brick ties (metal strips that are attached to the structural wall, as well as the mortar
joints of the brick veneer). There is typically an air gap between the brick veneer and the structural
wall. As clay-based brick is usually not completely waterproof, the structural wall will often have a
water-resistant surface (usually tar paper) and weep holes can be left at the base of the brick veneer
to drain moisture that accumulates inside the air gap. Concrete blocks, real and cultured stones, and
veneer adobe are sometimes used in a very similar veneer fashion.
Most insulated buildings that utilize concrete block, brick, adobe, stone, veneers or some
combination thereof feature interior insulation in the form of fiberglass batts between wooden wall
studs or in the form of rigid insulation boards covered with plaster or drywall. In most climates this
insulation is much more effective on the exterior of the wall, allowing the building interior to take
advantage of the aforementioned thermal mass of the masonry. This technique does, however,
require some sort of weather-resistant exterior surface over the insulation and, consequently, is
generally more expensive.

Dry set masonry[edit]

Dry set masonry supports a rustic log bridge, where it provides a well-drained support for the log (which will
increase its service life).

See also: dry stone

The strength of a masonry wall is not entirely dependent on the bond between the building material
and the mortar; the friction between the interlocking blocks of masonry is often strong enough to
provide a great deal of strength on its own. The blocks sometimes have grooves or other surface
features added to enhance this interlocking, and some dry set masonry structures forgo mortar
altogether.

Brick[edit]
Main article: Brickwork
Brick Work

Solid brickwork is made of two or more wythes of bricks with the units running horizontally
(called stretcher bricks) bound together with bricks running transverse to the wall (called "header"
bricks). Each row of bricks is known as a course. The pattern of headers and stretchers employed
gives rise to different 'bonds' such as the common bond (with every sixth course composed of
headers), the English bond, and the Flemish bond (with alternating stretcher and header bricks
present on every course). Bonds can differ in strength and in insulating ability. Vertically staggered
bonds tend to be somewhat stronger and less prone to major cracking than a non-staggered bond.

Uniformity and rusticity[edit]

Masonry repair work done to a brick wall.

The wide selection of brick styles and types generally available in industrialized nations allow much
variety in the appearance of the final product. In buildings built during the 1950s-1970s, a high
degree of uniformity of brick and accuracy in masonry was typical. In the period since then this style
was thought to be too sterile, so attempts were made to emulate older, rougher work. Some brick
surfaces are made to look particularly rustic by including burnt bricks, which have a darker color or
an irregular shape. Others may use antique salvage bricks, or new bricks may be artificially aged by
applying various surface treatments, such as tumbling. The attempts at rusticity of the late 20th
century have been carried forward by masons specializing in a free, artistic style, where the courses
are intentionally not straight, instead weaving to form more organic impressions.

Serpentine masonry[edit]
Main article: Crinkle crankle walls
A crinkle-crankle wall is a brick wall that follows a serpentine path, rather than a straight line. This
type of wall is more resistant to toppling than a straight wall; so much so that it may be made of a
single wythe of unreinforced brick and so despite its longer length may be more economical than a
straight wall.
Concrete block[edit]

Concrete masonry units (CMUs) or blocks in a basement wall before burial.

Blocks of cinder concrete (cinder blocks or breezeblocks), ordinary concrete (concrete blocks), or
hollow tile are generically known as Concrete Masonry Units (CMUs). They usually are much larger
than ordinary bricks and so are much faster to lay for a wall of a given size. Furthermore, cinder and
concrete blocks typically have much lower water absorption rates than brick. They often are used as
the structural core for veneered brick masonry, or are used alone for the walls of factories, garages
and other industrial-style buildings where such appearance is acceptable or desirable. Such blocks
often receive a stucco surface for decoration. Surface-bonding cement, which contains synthetic
fibers for reinforcement, is sometimes used in this application and can impart extra strength to a
block wall. Surface-bonding cement is often pre-coloured and can be stained or painted thus
resulting in a finished stucco-like surface.
The primary structural advantage of concrete blocks in comparison to smaller clay-based bricks is
that a CMU wall can be reinforced by filling the block voids with concrete with or without steel rebar.
Generally, certain voids are designated for filling and reinforcement, particularly at corners, wall-
ends, and openings while other voids are left empty. This increases wall strength and stability more
economically than filling and reinforcing all voids. Typically, structures made of CMUs will have the
top course of blocks in the walls filled with concrete and tied together with steel reinforcement to
form a bond beam. Bond beams are often a requirement of modern building codes and controls.
Another type of steel reinforcement, referred to as ladder-reinforcement, can also be embedded in
horizontal mortar joints of concrete block walls. The introduction of steel reinforcement generally
results in a CMU wall having much greater lateral and tensile strength than unreinforced walls.
"Architectural masonry is the evolvement of standard concrete masonry blocks into aesthetically
pleasing concrete masonry units (CMUs)."[2] CMUs can be manufactured to provide a variety of
surface appearances. They can be colored during manufacturing or stained or painted after
installation. They can be split as part of the manufacturing process, giving the blocks a rough face
replicating the appearance of natural stone, such as brownstone. CMUs may also be scored, ribbed,
sandblasted, polished, striated (raked or brushed), include decorative aggregates, be allowed to
slump in a controlled fashion during curing, or include several of these techniques in their
manufacture to provide a decorative appearance.[3]
"Glazed concrete masonry units are manufactured by bonding a permanent colored facing (typically
composed of polyester resins, silica sand and various other chemicals) to a concrete masonry unit,
providing a smooth impervious surface."[4]
Glass block or glass brick are blocks made from glass and provide a translucent to clear vision
through the block.
Stonework[edit]

Stone Masonry

Stone blocks used in masonry can be dressed or rough, though in both examples: corners, door and
window jambs, and similar areas are usually dressed. Stone masonry utilizing dressed stones is
known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble
masonry. Both rubble and ashlar masonry can be laid in coursed rows of even height through the
careful selection or cutting of stones, but a great deal of stone masonry is uncoursed.

 Slipform stonemasonry produces a hybrid wall of reinforced concrete with a rubble stone face.
 Natural stone veneers over CMU, cast-in-place, or tilt-up concrete walls are widely used to give
the appearance of stone masonry.
 Sometimes river rock of smooth oval-shaped stones is used as a veneer. This type of material is
not favored for solid masonry as it requires a great amount of mortar and can lack intrinsic
structural strength.
 Manufactured-stone, or cultured stone, veneers are popular alternatives to natural stones.
 Manufactured-stone veneers are typically made from concrete.
 Natural stones from quarries around the world are sampled and recreated using molds,
aggregate, and colorfast pigments.
 To the casual observer there may be no visual difference between veneers of natural and
manufactured stone.

Gabions[edit]
Gabion Wall

Gabions are baskets, usually now of zinc-protected steel (galvanized steel) that are filled with
fractured stone of medium size. These will act as a single unit and are stacked with setbacks to form
a revetment or retaining wall. They have the advantage of being both well drained and flexible, and
so resistant to flood, water flow from above, frost damage, and soil flow. Their expected useful life is
only as long as the wire they are composed of and if used in severe climates (such as shore-side in
a salt water environment) must be made of appropriate corrosion-resistant wire. Most modern
gabions are rectangular.
Earlier gabions were often cylindrical wicker baskets, open at both ends, used usually for temporary,
often military, construction.
Similar work can be done with finer aggregates using cellular confinement.

Passive fire protection (PFP)[edit]

Masonry walls have an endothermic effect of its hydrates, as in chemically bound water, unbound
moisture from the concrete block, and the poured concrete if the hollow cores inside the blocks are
filled. Masonry can withstand temperatures up to 1,000ºF and it can withstand direct exposure to fire
for up to 4 hours.[5] In addition to that, concrete masonry keeps fires contained to their room of origin
93% of the time.[5] For those reasons, concrete masonry units hold the highest fire class flame
spread classification, a Class A.
Masonry buildings can also be built to increase safety by reducing fire damage, such as the use
of fire cuts during construction.

Mechanical modelling of masonry structures[edit]

A comparison (using transmission photoelasticity) between the stress diffusion in an elastic body (on the left)
and a model of masonry (on the right). A highly localized stress percolation is visible on the right.

From the point of view of material modelling, masonry is a special material of extreme mechanical
properties (with a very high ratio between strength in compression and in tension), so that the
applied loads do not diffuse as they do in elastic bodies, but tend to percolate along lines of high
stiffness,[6][6] see the figure on the right and watch a video for more details.

See also[edit]
 Cast stone   List of stone
 Castle – Fortified residential  Concrete finisher
structure of medieval Europe  NIST stone test wall
 TC 125 (European Union)  Passive fire protection
 Defensive wall – Fortification used to  Rubble masonry
protect an area from potential  Stone wall – Masonry structural division
aggressors  Stonemasonry – The craft of creating
 Dry-stone wall buildings, structures, and sculpture
 Fire protection using stone
 Galleting  Tuckpointing

Masonry Associations[edit]
 International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers
 Mason Contractors Association of America
 Operative Plasterers' and Cement Masons' International Association

References[edit]

1. ^ Repairing Masonry (2015). "Tips for Repairing Masonry". Retrieved 2015-04-14.

2. ^ "Concrete Masonry Units & Oldcastle Architectural Brick Blocks". www.echelonmasonry.com.
Retrieved 2017-03-23.
3. ^ "{title}". Archived from the original on 2009-05-21. Retrieved 2009-11-21.