Chapter 9

BUILDING MATERIALS
Module 1 Lecture 2b
STONE and CONCRETE MASONRY
WHAT IS STONE MASONRY
Stone masonry is an assembly of
stone units bonded together by
mortar to form walls and other
parts of the building.
CLASSIFICATION OF STONE MASONRY
 RUBBLE – is essentially the crude, uncut stone that is collected as
fieldstone having rounded, natural faces, or angular broken faces. There is
no attempt to produce an orderly course, either vertically or horizontally.
Small spaces are filled with smaller stones. When laid on a wall, the pattern
can be:

COURSED RANDOM
 ASHLAR MASONRY – work requires the use of finely dressed cut
stone carefully worked and joined, laid together in cement or lime
mortar of equal size joints at right angles to each other, in regular or
irregular horizontal courses. The joints between the stones are very
thin, regular, and of uniform thickness, which make the ashlar
masonry very strong and sturdy.
 Coursed Ashlar - Ashlar masonry  Random Ashlar - Ashlar masonry
laid out in courses of equal height; laid without regular courses but with
blocks of various sizes may be an overall effect of horizontal
combined to make up the height of the orientation
course.
 ASHLAR MASONRY uses cut-stone – or dimension
stone, that has been selected, trimmed, or cut to
specified or indicated shapes or sizes, with or without
one or more mechanically dressed surfaces.
TYPES OF ASHLAR MASONRY
Factors like the arrangement of the stones, laying of the
stones in regular courses with continuous joints, or in broken
courses, the height and length of the stones in the layer define
these types.
Ashlar Rough Tooled Masonry
In this type of ashlar masonry, the beds
and sides are finely chisel-dressed but the
exposed face is dressed by rough tooling.
This dressing gives the masonry a rough
exposed finish to the masonry.
Ashlar Fine Tooled Masonry
This is the finest type of ashlar stone
masonry. The bed, joints and faces of the
stones are chisel-dressed to remove all
unevenness and obtain perfectly
horizontal and vertical joints. The mortar
joints are so thin that they are barely
exposed which gives this type of masonry,
a very close and packed finish.
Ashlar Facing
This type of ashlar masonry is used to
give the building an exposed and good
aesthetics. The exposed faces of the
stones are rough tooled and chamfered.

Chamfered Ashlar Masonry

It is a special type of ashlar rock faced in
which the strip provided around the
perimeter of the exposed face is
chamfered at an angle of 45 degree to a
depth of 25 mm.
USES OF STONE MASONRY SETTING
Paneling – thin slabs of stone cut
to dimension and thickness to
cover back up walls and provide
finished exterior
Trim – stones cut for specific
purposes like:
jambs
sills
copings
cornices
lintels
steps
arch stone (voussoirs)
 CHECKLIST FOR STONE MASONRY
 The quarry must have sufficient stone of
the color selected to satisfy the needs of
the project.
 The stone selected must be capable of
withstanding the rigors of the weather at
the project site.
 Veneer thickness is a function of panel
size especially regarding handling,
transportation, erection, and structural
adequacy.
 Detail the installation to inhibit moisture
movement. Use waterproofing on back-
up material to prevent staining. At
bases, detail the waterproofing as
shown on the right side of this slide.
 Mortar, when used, should be of the
non-staining type.
 Obtain sample to verify color, finish and
texture variations.
 Specify shop and erection drawings
together with structural computations
where necessary for anchorage system.
 When storing stone at project site prior
to setting, make certain that temporary
wood strips or other parting devices do
not stain or disfigure the stone.
 During construction, unfinished
stonework should be protected from
weather by plastic or non-staining
coverings.
BRICK MASONRY
BRICK MASONRY
 Involves the assembly of brick
masonry units including mortar,
jointing, bond, tieing, and
workmanship to ensure
performance, appearance,
strength, and weather tightness.
WHAT IS BRICK
Brick is made from clay or shale that is finely ground, mixed with
water, molded to the desired shape, dried, and fired in a kiln. Three
processes are used in the manufacture of brick today:
 Stiff mud process – about 12 to 15 percent water is added to the clay. After
thorough mixing, the mixture is extruded through a die and cut with a highly
stretched wire.
 Soft mud process – about 20 to 30 percent water is added to the clay to
produce a uniform plastic mass. The mixture is placed in molds by hand or
machine. To prevent the mix from sticking to the molds, the molds are either
wetted or sanded. If water is used as lubricant, the brick is called water-
struck; if sand is used, it is called sand-struck.
 Dry press process – using clays of low plasticity and the addition of up to
about 10 percent water, the mixture is placed in steel molds and subjected to
pressures of 500 to 1500 psi, producing the most accurately formed brick.
 TYPES OF BRICK
 Building brick – or the common red brick, is widely used for
foundations and for backup for exterior solid walls. In many
instances, building brick has been utilized intentionally as
facing brick, depending upon its color after firing, and whether
its face has been textured by scoring, combing, wire cutting, or
otherwise treated to provide a unique surface appearance.
 Facing brick – is made from clay, shale, fire clay, or
mixtures of them, under controlled conditions. Appearance
is governed by 3 types:
− For general use in exposed exterior and interior
masonry walls and partitions where wider color ranges
and greater variation is sizes are permitted
− For general use in exposed exterior and interior
masonry walls and partitions where a high degree of
mechanical perfection, narrow color range, and
minimum permissible variation in sizes are required.
− Bricks manufactured and selected to produce
characteristic architectural effects resulting from non-
uniformity of the individual units.
 Glazed facing brick – is made from a combination of clay,
shale, fire clay, or mixture thereof, similar to a facing brick,
and with a finish consisting of a ceramic glaze fused to the
body of the brick. One of the standards used governs
grades for tolerances of face dimensions. The other
requirements are concerned with properties of the finish
with respect to imperviousness, resistance to fading,
resistance to crazing, flame spread, toxic fumes, and
hardness and abrasion resistance.
MORTAR
 The primary function is to bond
brick masonry units together so
that the mortar joints are
durable and will act as a seal
against the entrance of water.
 Other important properties of
mortar are workability, water
retention, strength, and its
ability to heal minor cracks.
 Ingredients of mortar are
cementitious material,
aggregate (specifically sand),
and water
 Typical compressive strength of
mortar ranges from 350 to 2500
psi
 Bonding or adhesive qualities of
mortar and its durability is
increased by 2 ways:
− Mixing mortar to the maximum
flow. This means using
maximum amount of water
and re-tempering, or replacing
water lost through
evaporation.
− Wetting clay units
JOINTS
 The aesthetics of a brick joint
are determined by its size,
color, and the way it is tooled.
 The method by which a joint is
tooled also contributes to the
water tightness of the wall.
 The concave joint which
compresses the mortar tightly
against the masonry units
produces the best resistance to
water penetration by densifying
the surface of the mortar.
 Joints that are rubbed or that are
made by cutting excess mortar
with a trowel (flushed) run the risk
of admitting water because they
do not compress the mortar
surface against the units at the
side of the joint and against the
mortar itself.
 Struck and raked joints do not
shed water; this can promote
leaking.

 Stripped joints and joint profiles that

do not shed water should be limited
to interior walls, walls in areas with
arid climates, and to cavity walls
where there is a mortar coat to
protect the building from water
intrusion.
BOND PATTERNS
 While masonry bonding is the laying of units in rows or courses to tie
the units together, bonds are also designed to enhance the
appearance of a masonry wall.
 The bonds in brick masonry is developed by the mortar filling
between layers of bricks and in grooves when bricks are laid adjacent
to each other and in layers in walls.
 Depending upon the wall design, each course of brick is one
continuous horizontal layer bonded with mortar.
 The course can consist of brick laid end to end (stretcher) and/or with
headers (short dimension).
− Stretcher is the term used when the bricks are laid with its longer side exposed
to view
− Header is the term used when the units are laid with its ends exposed
 MOST COMMONLY USED TYPES OF
BOND PATTERNS
Stretcher or running bond
 a pattern created by laying brick
end to end (long dimension)
with each course breaking joints
at the midpoint of the course
below.
 Walls constructed with stretcher
bonds are not stable enough to
stand alone in case of longer
span and height. Thus they
need supporting structure, such
as brick masonry columns and
beams at regular intervals.
Common or American
bond
 a pattern consisting of stretcher
or running bond courses, 6 or 7
courses high with a course of
headers (short dimension) laid
perpendicular to the stretcher
course.
 English bond – a pattern
consisting of alternating
courses of stretchers and
headers.
 Flemish bond – a pattern
created by using one
header followed by one
stretcher in a course and
with each course offset so
that a header in one course
is centered over the
stretcher below.
 Stack bond – a pattern of brick stretchers laid so that horizontal
and vertical joints are all in one line.
 Soldier course – brick laid on end with the face showing ; used
essentially for belt courses or flat arches
 Rowlock course – brick laid on face edge with end showing;
used for sills or belt courses.
 Header bond – a pattern created by all headers in all courses,
with each brick breaking joints over the midpoint of the unit
below.
 Sailor course – brick laid on end with the broad side of the
brick showing. Such brick must be determined beforehand to
have a weatherproof broad face without perforations.
TYPES OF BRICK LAYOUT
CONCRETE MASONRY UNITS
 Produced using portland cement,
graded aggregates, and water.
When required, the mix may also
contain air-entraining admixtures,
coloring pigments, and pozzolanic
materials.
 Manufactured by vibrating a dry,
stiff, no-slump concrete mixture
into metal molds, immediately
turning it out wet onto a rack (so
that the mold can be reused
immediately) at a rate of 1000 or
more units per hour.
 Have advantages over brick and
stone masonry.
 Curing, essential to control shrinkage, is done in several ways. Air-
drying, requiring about 2 to 4 weeks of open-air drying with weather
protection, is not as desirable as the other 2 types of accelerated curing.
Racks are cured at an accelerated rate by subjecting them to steam at
the atmospheric pressure or faster curing at higher pressure, called
autoclaving. After the units are steam cured, the units are dried to a
specific moisture content, and bundled in wooded crates for shipping to
the construction site.
 Made in varying sizes and shapes: Standard hollow block thickness -
4”(100mm), 6”(150mm), 8”(200mm); standard hollow block size -
8”(H)x16”(L) or 200mm x 400mm
 Other shapes: Channel bond beam, Low-web beam, Solid unit, Capping
unit, A-block, H block, Header unit, Control joint unit, Single Bullnose, etc.
 Bond Beam
Typical Shape

Combination
‘Corner’ – Round & Square
MORTAR vs. GROUT
Mortar and grout are used in both masonry work and tile
work; however they serve different purposes.  Both
products are portland-cement based product, which causes
them to harden.  The variables are in the size of the
aggregates (stone, sand, etc.) and the quantity of water
added to the mix.
The role of mortar is to make one material stick to another.  Thus, in
laying bricks or concrete masonry units (CMU), mortar is placed in the
joints between the bricks or blocks.
Grout is a filler product and is intended to flow.  Therefore, it usually
has a higher water content.  A mason will fill the cores of a CMU with
grout.  A person installing tile will use a grout to fill the spaces
between the tile after the mortar has cured.
MORTAR JOINTS
 Mortar joints are normally ½ inch
(12mm)thick.
 Two types of mortar beds are used; full
bedding (webs and face shells are bedded in
the mortar) and face-shell bedding (only the
face shell are bedded in the mortar).
 Full bedding is used where strength is an
important factor (i.e., first course on a
foundation, solid units, piers, columns,
pilasters) and in reinforced masonry. For all
other concrete blocks, face shell bedding is
sufficient.
 To obtain a more watertight construction, a
concave joint or a Vee-joint should be used.
Concave and Vee joints compress the mortar
and offer better resistance to water
penetration than other types of joints.
CRACK CONTROL
 While several factors will cause concrete masonry to move
(e.g., thermal change and change in moisture content),
shrinkage due to moisture loss is significant and should be
addressed with measures to inhibit crack formation.
 Two methods can be used to accommodate shrinkage:
− Introduce control joints
− Provide joint reinforcement. While reinforcement does not
eliminate cracks, it controls the formation of cracks. The stresses
which do not occur are transferred to the reinforcement; as a
consequence, there is an even distribution of stresses, and
hairline cracks result which are barely visible.
Control Joint
REINFORCING & ANCHORAGE
 Joint Reinforcing
CHB LAYING GUIDELINES
 Avoid using freshly made, uncured CHBs as they are still in a state
of shrinkage.
 Store CHBs for at least 14 days after curing before using them.
Protect them from rain and ground water, stacking them in a way
which allows air to circulate around and between them.
 It is recommended to test the compressive strength of CHBs
produced/purchased in order to ensure they meet the required
strength.
 Dampen CHBs before laying as dry masonry absorbs water from
the cement, weakening the joint. CHBs should always be laid on a
full bed of mortar and vertical joints should always be filled.
 Consider plastering/rendering the surface of CHB walls in order to
avoid excess absorption of moisture into the wall and to facilitate
periodic cleaning.