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Testing In-Wall Compressive Strength

1) There are four methods to determine the compressive strength of existing masonry walls: removing samples for lab testing, making cuts to remove masonry for in-place testing, estimating strength from removed masonry units and mortar analysis, or using a flat jack inserted into a cut mortar joint. 2) The assistant recommends using the flat jack method as it causes minimal damage to the wall that is easily repaired. 3) According to ASTM E 122, at least 20 tests should be performed for accurate results with the given error and variability factors, but 5 tests is recommended as a minimum for practical purposes on small facilities.

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Aamir Haideri
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84 views2 pages

Testing In-Wall Compressive Strength

1) There are four methods to determine the compressive strength of existing masonry walls: removing samples for lab testing, making cuts to remove masonry for in-place testing, estimating strength from removed masonry units and mortar analysis, or using a flat jack inserted into a cut mortar joint. 2) The assistant recommends using the flat jack method as it causes minimal damage to the wall that is easily repaired. 3) According to ASTM E 122, at least 20 tests should be performed for accurate results with the given error and variability factors, but 5 tests is recommended as a minimum for practical purposes on small facilities.

Uploaded by

Aamir Haideri
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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TESTING IN-WALL COMPRESSIVE

STRENGTH
Our firm is adding a partial second story to an old warehouse to convert it to an office
building. The foundation and soil conditions make the project possible, but how can I
determine the compressive strength of the existing masonry? How many areas should I test?
What methods are most cost effective?
I know four methods for determining the compressive strength of existing walls.
The first is to remove a section from the wall and send it for laboratory testing per
ASTM E 447. There are some problems with this approach, however. Physically
removing samples from the wall affects its appearance. Depending on the building's
age, matching the color and texture of the masonry units removed may be nearly
impossible. Also, samples may be damaged during removal or shipping, especially if
the wall has multiple wythes. A second method is to make two vertical cuts entirely
through the wall thickness and remove some of the masonry between these cuts. An
in-place compression test can be performed using a hydraulic ram. As with the
previous test method, the wall will be damaged by this testing and it may be difficult
to perform in multi-wythe systems. Because the test is performed in place, however,
samples will not be disturbed in shipping. The third method involves removing
masonry units and samples of the mortar and estimating the compressive strength.
The masonry units are tested in accordance with ASTM C 67 to determine
compressive strength. Mortar is analyzed for chemical composition. The masonry
strength can be estimated using Tables 1.6.2.1 and 1.6.2.2 in ACI 530-88. The
fourth way to test the compressive strength in the wall is to use a flat jack as
described in ASTM C 1196-91. The test involves making a horizontal cut in the
mortar joint. A thin steel bladder is installed into this cut. The masonry is loaded by
pumping hydraulic fluid to expand the flat jack. Because no bricks are cut, the wall is
easily repaired by repointing the joint. I recommend using this fourth method for
most instances. To determine how many tests to perform, use ASTM E 122. If you
use a factor of 3, an error of 10%, and a coefficient variation of 15%, the procedure
indicates that you should perform 20 tests. For a small facility, this may not be
practical. However, I recommend performing at least five tests, whatever the
facility's size. Performing five tests gives a probability of 1 in 10 that the measured
compressive strength will vary from the actual compressive strength by more than
10%. More tests may be needed if the coefficient of variability exceeds 15%. This
ignores variability within the test method itself.

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