Types of Design Loads for Masonry

Lintel with Calculations

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Various types of loads are subjected on masonry lintel which need

to be identified and calculated for design of masonry lintels. Lintel is
defined as a transverse load beams which are positioned over an
opening in a wall to support the imposed loads above the lintel as
shown in Figure-1.

In this article, various design loads exerted on masonry lintel will be

discussed and explained.

Types of Design Loads for Masonry Lintel

 Self-weight or dead load of masonry lintel

 Dead load of the wall above the opening

 Dead load and live load transferred from the roof or the floor
supported by the wall over the opening

Fig.1: Masonry Lintel Over Window Opening in a Masonry Wall

Self-Weight or Dead Load of Masonry Lintel
All solid masonry and concrete lintels must be adequately grouted
and the dead load of the lintel can be computed if the enough
information about the dimension of the lintel is available. For the
design purposes, initial or preliminary cross sectional dimensions for
the lintel are considered.

Since, lintels are an important part of the wall so the width of the
lintel is the same as the wall and the only unknown that is required
to estimate the self-weight of the lintel is its depth.

Depth of approximately 20 mm per linear of 300 mm of the span

can be considered for preliminary design. Not only does the
computation of masonry self-weight depend on masonry unit types
for example light weight, medium weight, or normal weight but also
on the unit weight of the grout that is employed for the wall and it
may be taken as 1651.94 Kg/m3 or 2242.59 Kg/m3.
As an alternative for the method of dead load calculation mentioned
in the above section, the dead load of the lintels that have specific
height and breadth which are offered by NCMA could be utilized and
considerable errors can be avoided.

The values provide by the NCMA for specific size of lintels are
provided in Table-1, and the values are based on grout unit weight
of 145 pound per foot3, normal unit weight of 145 and light weight
of 100.
Table-1: Lintel Weights in Kg/ 30cm

Dead Load of the Wall Above the Lintel

The dead load masonry above the lintel is the weight of masonry
contained in forty-five-degree triangular area above the lintel if
arching action is considered to occur.

Consequently, the dead load for which the masonry lintel must be
design for consists of masonry dead load in triangular area plus
self-weight of masonry lintel.

It may be claimed that, the degree which made the triangular area
above masonry lintel vary from 45 to 60 degree.

The dead load for case where triangle is formed due to 60o over
lintel effective span is greater than dead load of masonry contained
in triangle created by 45o over the effective span of the lintel.
It is advised to employ the triangular formed by 45o for the
calculation of wall dead load over the lintel as illustrated in Figure-2.

Fig.2: Dead Load of Masonry in case of Arching Action and Masonry Self-
Weight
Furthermore, the dead load of the wall above masonry lintel may be
computed depend on tributary area basis when there is uncertainty
about the occurrence of arching action as shown in Figure 3.
 Fig.3: No Arching Action
When the height of the wall above the masonry lintel is equal or
smaller than half of lintel effective span plus 20 cm, the arching
action is neglected. In the case where arching action is neglected,
the dead load is computed depend on complete rectangular area of
the wall above the masonry lintel.

The height of the wall cannot be specified until lintel depth is

determined, and the latter should be assumed for design purposes
which can be revised later if required. For the design, minimum
allowable concrete lintel depth of 20 cm can be considered for
masonry lintel depth for small span length and greater depth of 40
or 60 cm may be utilized for longer spans.

Dead load and live load transferred from the roof or the floor
supported by the wall over the opening
Live and dead Loads exerted on masonry lintel by roof or floors
could be either concentrated or uniform loads.

With regards to concentrated loads, depend on results of tests, a

method for specifying concentrated load distribution on wall is
suggested by NCMA.

As per results of tests carried out for concrete block, brick masonry
and ACC masonry, it is assumed that concentrated loads may be
dispersed at slope of 2:1. Figure-4 shows the distribution of
concentrated loads on masonry lintel.

Fig.4: Distributions of Concentrated Loads on Masonry Lintel

As far as uniformly distributed loads are concern, there are two
cases which should be considered.

Firstly, when the line of roofs or floors are located above a specified
distance which is equal to half the effective span measured from the
top of the lintel plus 20 mm, then it is considered that arching
action is occur and the uniformly distributed live or dead load is not
supported by the lintel but rather by adjacent masonry.
 Secondly, when the line of roofs or floors is within the specified
distance, then the uniformly distributed live or dead loads are
supported by the masonry lintel.

Additionally, part of masonry lintel may be subjected to uniformly

distributed loads.

Finally, an example for uniformly distributed loads is when roof or

floor sheathing is nailed to the ledger beam that is connected to the
wall through bolts and the will is supported by an opening.
Consequently, the ledger beam transfers the load of the roof or
floors to the wall that is located over an opening.

Read More:
Different Types of Lintels and their Uses in Building Construction
Types of Openings in Walls, its Parts and Types of Lintels and Arches for
Openings
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