Page 262 - Masonry and Concrete

Masonry Veneer

261
MASONRY VENEER

TOP OF WALL
UNIFORM LOAD

8" – 16"
MINIMUM
ARCHING ACTION ARCHING ACTION

AREA OF HEIGHT =
L/2
LOAD ON LINTEL
THRUST 45° THRUST

SPAN LENGTH = L

FIGURE 7-11
Area of load on a lintel with arching action. (from Christine Beall, “Lintel Design and
Detailing,” The Magazine of Masonry Construction, March 1993).

resistance to compression is greater than its resistance to tension.
Arches generally are selected as an alternative to lintels not because of
their efficiency, however, but because their style suits the architectural
design of the home. Arches whose spans do not exceed 6 ft. are called
minor arches, and they are most often used in building walls over door
and window openings. Major arches whose spans are wider than 6 ft.
require engineering design. The terminology used to describe the var-
ious parts of an arch are illustrated in Figure 7-16.
The steps in building a masonry arch are simple, but good work-
manship is essential. Arches are constructed over temporary shoring
or centering to carry the dead load of the material and other applied
loads until the arch itself is completed and the mortar has cured to suf-
3
ficient strength (Figure 7-17). Cut two 4-in. plywood sections to the
size and shape shown on the architectural drawings and nail them on
either side of 2 4s (Figure 7-18). If the arch is a single brick wythe in

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