Page 137 - Masonry and Concrete

Masonry Construction Techniques
136 CHAPTER FIVE

5.1.1 Modular Planning
Brick and concrete block walls are typically laid out based on a 4-in.
or 8-in. module, respectively. The nominal length of one modular
brick plus one mortar joint is 8 in. Three bricks laid one on top of the
other with three mortar joints is also equal to 8 in. If the height and
length of brick veneer walls are multiples of 4 in. and doors and win-
dows are located and sized on a 4-in. module, only whole and half-
length modular brick will be needed and a minimum amount of
cutting and fitting will be required. For example, a brick wall should
be 6 ft.-8 in. long rather than 6 ft.-6 in. because 6 ft.-8 in. (80 inches)
is a multiple of 4 in. A brick sidewalk should be 3 ft.-0 in. wide rather
than 2 ft.-6 in. because 36 in. is a multiple of 4 in. Concrete blocks
have nominal face dimensions of 8 in. 16 in., including one head
and one bed joint. If the height and length of concrete block walls are
multiples of 8 in. and doors and windows are located and sized on an
8-in. module, only whole and half-length blocks will be needed (Fig-
ure 5-1). In construction of brick veneer over concrete-block backing
walls, modular sizes facilitate the coursing and anchorage as well as
the joining and intersecting of the two types of units (Figure 5-2).
When the brick and block units work together in both plan and sec-
tion, it increases the speed with which you can lay up a wall and
improves the general quality, workmanship, and appearance of the
job. Figure 5-3 lists the heights and lengths for various brick and
block courses. Corners and intersections in masonry walls can be crit-
ical both structurally and aesthetically, and proper planning can facil-
itate construction of these elements while maintaining proper
coursing (Figure 5-4).
A brick that is laid lengthwise in the wall is called a stretcher
(Figure 5-5). Standing upright with the narrow side facing out, it is
called a soldier—with the wide side facing out, a sailor. A stretcher
unit that is rotated 90° in a wall so that the end is facing out is called
a header. If the unit is then stood on its edge, it’s called a rowlock.
With modular brick, no matter which way you turn the units, they
will work to a 4-in. module. Turning a brick stretcher crosswise in a
two-wythe wall to make a header is also easy if the units are modu-
lar. The header unit is exactly the same width as a wall built of two
3
rows of brick with a 8-in collar joint in between. Two header units

Downloaded from Digital Engineering Library @ McGraw-Hill (www.digitalengineeringlibrary.com)
Copyright © 2004 The McGraw-Hill Companies. All rights reserved.
Any use is subject to the Terms of Use as given at the website.