Stone

Masonry

Chapter No.02

Building Construction and Graphics

FALL-2013.

By. Engr.Rahat Ullah

outline
Stone and its major types based on formation
The stone masonry and its uses
Some pictures from the history
Comparison between brick and stone masonry
Technical terms
Classification of stone masonry
General principles to be followed in stone masonry
ASSIGNMENT NO.03

By. Engr.Rahat Ullah

Stone and its major types based on

formation
Building stone is a natural engineering material.
Stone is obtained from rock by applying certain disintegration
techniques like manual quarrying and blasting etc.
Stones obtained from rocks are irregular in shape and size
and thus need proper dressing before using for construction
purpose.
Based on formation of the parent rock it has three types
The igneous rocks
The sedimentary rocks and
The metamorphic rocks
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.continued
Igneous rock

formed by the solidification of molten rock such as volcanic

activity
For example: Granite

Sedimentary

formed from silt, marine life, and rocks that have been
deposited by running water
For example: Limestone, Sandstone

Metamorphic

igneous or sedimentary rock that have been changed by

pressure, heat, or moisture
For example: Marble, Slate
By. Engr.Rahat Ullah

The stone masonry and its uses

Stone blocks laid with cement or lime mortar in a systematic
manner forming a structural mass which can resist load without
disintegration is called stone masonry.
Stone masonry is used for the construction of walls, foundation,
columns, lintels, arches and other components of structures.
If abundantly available it can serve as an economical building
material keeping in view the dressing cost and time of
construction.
Undressed or rounded shape stone masonry with insufficient
mortar is disastrous in earthquake hazard areas like Balakot,
Abbottabad etc.
By. Engr.Rahat Ullah

Stone masonry,

Pictures from the history

By. Engr.Rahat Ullah

Roman aqueduct,
Pont Du Gard, France
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(50 AD).

Citadel Mycenae
Stone masonry corbelled arch and dome. 1350-1225
BC.
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Stone masonry at Palace

of Knossos, Crete 1350 BC
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As earlier as 700 BC.

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Rohtas Fort ,Pakistan(1451AD)

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Taj Mahal ,India (1632-1653AD)

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Lahore fort, Pakistan (1556By. Engr.Rahat Ullah

1603AD)

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Badshahi Mosque Lahore, Pakistan

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(1671AD)

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Comparison between brick and stone

masonry
Parameter
for
Stone masonry
Brick masonry
comparison
Material

Natural material of construction

obtained from a quarry.

Man made material

manufactured by proper
moulding and burning.

Dressing

Dressing is required to bring

stones to the required shape
and size.

Dressing is not required

since bricks are moulded to
desired shape/size.

Bonding

Difficult to provide required

bond in stone masonry.

Easy to provide the

required bond in brick
masonry.

Skill and care

High level of skill and greater

care is required in construction.

Less expertise and ordinary

labor is required.

Lifting and laying

Inconvenient to handle and

place stones without lifting
mechanism.

Convenient to handle and

place bricks without
excessive effort.

Mortar

Rich and greater quantity of

Moderate strength and
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mortar is required to get desired lesser quantity of mortar
is

continued
Thermal
resistance

High thermal conductivity

Low thermal conductivity thus
makes it
have greater comfort level in
warmer in summer and colder in extreme weathers.
winter.

Thickness of
construction

It cannot be used for walls less

than
12in thick.

It can be used for constructing

walls having a 4.5in thickness.

Strength

It possess greater strength.

Comparatively less strong.

Ornamental work

Costly and difficult to use in

ornamental work.

Cheap and can be easily used for

aesthetic purposes.

Appearance

Provides pleasing appearance

increasing with age.

Provides simple appearance which

deteriorates with age.

Cost

Its cost of construction is more.

Comparatively less cost of

construction.

Durability

Greater resistance to
weathering
agents and thus more life.

Comparatively less durable.

Maintenance cost

By.is
Engr.Rahat
Maintenance cost
less. Ullah

Maintenance cost is more.

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Technical terms
Block in course

The course of stones provided on the top of cornice to hold

down and
prevent the cornice from overturning.

Corbel
A short stone cantilever jutting from the face of a wall to
form a bearing.

Cornice
A projection which crowns a wall, any horizontal division of
a wall, or an architectural feature.

Bedding plane
The plane along which the stones can be separated into different
layers.
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Corbel

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Cornice and drip

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.continued

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.continued

Through stone or bond stone

The stone extending through the entire thickness of a wall to increase

its lateral stability is called a through or bond stone.

Parapet

A low wall constructed around the terrace of a building having flat

roof is called parapet wall.
Coping
A special course provided at the top of wall preventing penetration of
rainwater from entering the wall.

Quoins
Stones larger than those of which the wall is composed, or better
shaped, and forming the corners of walls or door and window
openings; if they project they are described as raised, and rusticated
if having chamfered angles.
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..continued
Frieze
The stone course provided below the cornice is called frieze.

Spalls
The chips of stone used for filling the hollow spaces in stone
masonry are called spalls.

Buttress
The stepped masonry projections which is intended to provide
lateral strength to the wall is called buttress.

String course
A distinctive course or band continued across a whole facade
which may be defined by its position e.g. a sill course.
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Identify the defects!

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Classification of stone masonry

Masonry can be classified according to the thickness of joints,
continuity of courses and finish of face.
Broadly there are two types of stone masonry, namely:
1. Rubble Masonry
2. Ashlar Masonry

1). Rubble masonry:

This consists of blocks of stones either undressed or roughly dressed
and laid in suitable mortar, having wider joints which are not of
uniform thickness.
b) Uncoursed random rubble masonry
a) Random rubble masonry:
c) Coursed rubble masonry
d) Dry Rubble masonry.
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i. Uncoursed rubble masonry

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ii. Random Rubble masonry

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iii. Coursed Rubble Masonry

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iv. Dry Rubble Masonry

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Example of random rubble wall produced from six-sided sawn blocks.

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Random rubble uncoursed

Random rubble coursed

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Square rubble course

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Square rubble Built to regular courses

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2). Ashlar masonry:

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Types of Ashlar Masonry

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Ashlar fine or coursed ashlar masonry

Random coursed ashlar masonry
Rough tooled ashlar masonry
Rock or quarry faced ashlar masonry
Chamfered ashlar masonry
Block in course ashlar masonry
Ashlar facing masonry.

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..continued
1. Ashlar fine or coursed ashlar masonry.
In this type of masonry stone blocks of same height are used.
Every stone is tooled on all sides and thickness of mortar is
uniform.
A satisfactory bond can be attained due to uniform sizes of stones.

2. Random coursed ashlar masonry.

This type of ashlar masonry consists of fine or coarse ashlar but
the courses are of varying thickness.

3. Rough tooled ashlar masonry.

sides of stones are rough tooled and dressed with chisels.
thickness of joint is uniform and not exceeding 6mm.

4. Rock or quarry faced ashlar masonry.

Similar to rough tooled type except that there is a chisel margin
left rough on the face which is known as quarry faced.
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..continued
5. Chamfered ashlar masonry.

It is similar to quarry faced ashlar masonry except that the edges are
beveled or chamfered to 450 for depth of 25mm or more.

6. Block in course masonry.

it is the name given to a class of ashlar masonry which occupies an

intermediate place between rubble and ashlar masonry.
the stones are all squared and properly dressed.
It resembles coursed rubble masonry or rough tooled ashlar masonry.

7. Ashlar facing masonry.

Ashlar is the superior but expensive type of stone masonry thus in

order to reduce the cost a wall is commonly constructed with a facing
of ashlar and backing of rubble or brick masonry,
Such walls are also called compound or composite masonry walls.
If the backing is of rubble masonry it is called rubble ashlar, if the
backing is of brick masonry then it is termed as brick ashlar.
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1.

Ashlar fine or
coursed ashlar
masonry.

3. Rough tooled
ashlar masonry.
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2.
Random
coursed
ashlar masonry.

4. Rock or quarry
faced ashlar
masonry.
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5.

Chamfered
ashlar
masonry.

6. Block in course
masonry.

7. Ashlar facing
masonry.
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Choice of wall type

The choice of walling type is influenced by:
The design of the building,
Technical considerations (whether the wall is load
bearing or non-load bearing),
Its location,
Site exposure, and
Aesthetic considerations.

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General principles and precautions

to be followed for stone masonry
1)The stone used shall be hard, durable and tough. All stones
should be laid on its natural bed.
2)The pressure acting on the stones should not act parallel to the
bedding planes. This will try to split the stones. Sometimes
stones used in corbels are laid with pressure acting parallel to
bedding planes.
3)The bond stones and headers should not be of dumb-bell shape.
4)Large flat stones should be laid under the ends of girders, roof
trusses, etc.
5)In all slopping retaining walls, the beds of the stones and the
plan of the courses should be at right angles to the slope.
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continued
6)
All laid fine dressed stone work should be protected
against damage during further construction by means of
wooden boxes.
7)
Jambs for door and window openings should be made of
quoins
which are equal in height to the course. They
should be in
breadth equal to at least 1 times the height
of the course and their length should be at least twice the
height.
8)
All the surfaces should be kept wet while the work is in
progress and also till the mortar has set.
9)
Double scaffolding will be used wherever it is difficult to
fit in the stones later on.
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.continued
10) All the portions of the masonry should be raised
uniformly.
Wherever this is not possible, the stone
work built earlier should be raked (stepped) so that the
new work can be bonded well with the old.
11) Sufficient through stones should be used and they
should form
th of the area in elevation.
12) The hearting of the masonry should be properly
packed with
mortar and chips, if necessary, to avoid
any hollows or very thick mortar joints.
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.continued
13) Vertical faces of the masonry walls should be checked
with a
plumb rule and the battered faces should be
tested with wooden template corresponding to the batter
and a plumb rule to ensure
a constant batter.
14) The stones used in the masonry should be wetted
before use to avoid moisture being sucked from the
mortar.

Masonry should not be allowed to take tension.

Through or bond stone should be selected separately

from
ordinary building stones.

Double scaffolding should be used.

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Assignment No.03
Coursed rubble masonry may be sub-divided into three
classes Discuss these three classes of coursed rubble
masonry.
Write down specifications of stone masonry for different
types of stone masonry.
Explain in detail cutting and dressing of stones and the
tools which are used in this process.

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