BRICK
MASONRY
What is Brick Masonry
Brick : Brick is a building unit, which is in the form
of rectangular block in which length to breadth ratio
is 2 but height can be different.
Masonry : Construction of building unit bonded
together with mortar.
Brick Masonry: The art of laying bricks in mortar in
a proper systematic manner gives homogeneous
mass which can withstand forces without
disintegration, called Brick masonry.
Brick Masonry-Uniqueness
Fire Resistance
Size
Durability
Workability
Economical
Types of Bricks
Bricks may be categorized in different ways like material
used, strength, appearance, process of manufacturing,
etc.
Based on strength, bricks can be classified into:
First class brick
Second class brick
Third class brick
Over burnt or jhama brick
Types of Bricks
Based on appearance, bricks are of two types:
Pressed: have a deep frog in one bedding surface and
a shallow frog in the other.
Wire-cut: 3 or 4 holes through them constituting up
to 25% of the total volume of the brick.
Quality of Good Bricks
Sound, hard and well burnt with uniform size, shape and
color.
No cracks/flaws.
No mark should be made when scratched by finger nails.
When stuck together should produce metallic ringing
sound.
Should not break when dropped from a height of 90-120
cm.
Should not absorb more than 20% of their dry weight when
immersed in water for 24 hours.
Brick Dimensions
General dimension: 10”x5”x3’’(With mortar)
Nominal size: 9.5”x4.5”x2.75”
(Without mortar)
TYPES OF BRICK MASONRY
Bricks Masonry
Brick Work in Mud Brick Work in Cement
General Principle to be observed in
Brick masonry construction
Article 9.3;
Page no: 231;
Building Construction by Sushil Kumar
Brick Laying Tools
Trowel
Plumb bob
Hammer
Spirit level
Mason square
Steel tape
Steps of Brickwork Construction
Preparing the Mortar
Laying the Bricks
Filling the gaps
Curing
Brick Closures
QUEEN CLOSURE: A brick cut in
half down its length.
KING CLOSURE: A brick cut a
corner & joining middle points of
width and length of the brick.
THREE QUARTER CLOSURE: A brick
cut to three-quarters of its length,
and laid with its long, narrow side
exposed.
HALF BAT: A brick cut in half across
its width and laid in the wall
structure.
QUARTER BAT: A brick cut to a
quarter of its length.
Orientation of Brick
❖ STRETCHER: A brick laid with its long
narrow side exposed.
❖ HEADER: A brick laid flat with its width
at the face of the wall.
❖ SOLDIER: A brick laid vertically with
the long narrow side of the brick
exposed.
❖ SAILOR: A brick laid vertically with the
broad face of the brick exposed.
❖ SHINER: Brick laid on edge like a sailor,
but the broad face is set horizontally.
❖ ROWLOCK: Brick laid on its side, with
BONDS IN BRICK-WORK
There are several types of bonds for brick:
English bond
Flemish bond
Header bond
Stretcher bond
Herringbone bond
English cross bond
Dutch bond
Raking bond
Garden wall bond
English Bond
This is a pattern formed by laying alternate courses of stretchers and
headers. The joins between the stretchers are centered on the
headers in the course below. This is one of the strongest bonds but
requires more facing bricks than other bonds.
Flemish Bond
This is formed by laying headers and stretchers alternately in each
course. The headers of each course are centered on the stretchers of
the course below. This bond is strong and often used for walls
which are two‐bricks thick.
Header Bond
Since header bonds lacks strength in pressure transmission along the
length of the wall, it is not preferable to use this kind of bond for load
bearing walls. Header bond is useful when the design demands
curved surfaces to be constructed. In such cases, stretcher bond
cannot be used. Apart from using it for curved surface, it can also be
used for the brickwork in foundations.
Stretcher Bond
A commonly used bond, a pattern is made only using stretchers,
with the joins on each course centred above and below by half a
brick. This type of bonding is not particularly strong.
Herringbone Bond
In herringbone bond, bricks are laid at an angle of 45° to
the direction of the row, instead of horizontally. Alternate
courses lie in opposing directions, resulting in a zigzag
pattern.
Masonry Joints
❖ Weathered joint : Mortar joint has sloped
(downwards) edge.
❖ Concave joint : Joint concave inwards.
❖ Vee joint : Mortar joint is the form of V.
❖ Flush joint : Mortar joint is flush with the brick
surface.
❖ Raked joint : A large portion of the mortar joint
is raked out not a safe, impermeable joint.
❖ Stripped joint : A medium large portion of the
mortar joint is a safe permeable joint.
❖ Struck joint : Mortar joint has aslope (upwards)
edge.
Defects in Brick Masonry
⚫ Sulphate Attack
⚫ Efflorescence
⚫ Corrosion of steel
⚫ Shrinkage on drying
Sulphate Attack
⚫ Sulphate Salts (Brick) + Alumina (Cement)/
Hydraulic Lime (Lime mortar) increase in
volume
⚫ Results: - chipping and spalling of bricks
- formation of cracks
⚫ Occurs in situations where brick work is
exposed to weather/moisture.
⚫ Remedies:
⚫ choosing suitable material
⚫ adopting suitable construction details that the
entry of moisture into the body of bricks can
be checked.
Efflorescence
⚫ Bricks containing excessive soluble salts
⚫ When come in contact with water, the soluble
salts get dissolved and appear in the form of
form of fine whitish cristals on the surface.
⚫ Results:
⚫ The surface of brick work gets disfigured and
presents an ugly look.
⚫ Remedies:
⚫ By brushing and washing the effected
surface repeatedly.
Corrosion of steel
⚫ Steel gets corroded in the presence of
dampness.
⚫ Results:
⚫ Steel expands in volume and tends to crack
the brick work.
⚫ Remedies:
⚫ By encasing the reinforcement in dense
cement mortar (15-25 mm)
Shrinkage on drying
⚫ Results:
⚫ Develops cracks in the masonry joints.
⚫ If mortar used is lean, the cracks are
distributed over large number of joints.
⚫ Remedies:
⚫ By protecting masonry from moisture
penetration.
Some Brick Structures
⚫ Duplex
Home
Some Brick Structures (contd.)
⚫ Mosque’s
Dome
Some Brick Structures (contd.)
⚫ Arche
s
Some Brick Structures (contd.)
⚫ Arch
bridge
Some Brick Structures (contd.)
⚫ Paveme
nt
Thank You
