Chapter 7: Introduction to

masonry structures
7.1 Composition of masonry and different
types masonry units.
7.2 Types of masonry structures
7.2.1 Load bearing and non-load
bearing masonry
7.2.2 Reinforced and unreinforced
masonry
7.3 Properties and strength of cement mortar
7.1 Composition of masonry and different
types masonry units
 Masonry may be defined as the construction of building units bonded together with mortar.
 Masonry structures are well known for their simplicity in construction and economy compared to
steel and reinforced concrete structures.
 The building units may be stones, bricks, or precast blocks of concrete.
 Constructing with building stones is the simplest and one of the oldest building method in the world.
 Masonry structures started being constructed using mortar which provided both better stability and
better performance.
 The mortar varied from material such as mud, lime and cement.
Use of masonry structures

 Masonry structures are used in

Arches
Partition wall
Retaining wall
Dams
 Masonry are used for finishing works in buildings
Advantages of masonry construction

 Masonry is non-combustible, so improves fire protection for building and its

occupants.
 Masonry offers a high resistance against pests, weather, and natural disasters.
 Masonry structures provide an attractive rustic or elegant look for a home or
building, depending on the material use and the workers’ expertise.
 Being durable and resistant, masonry can withstand large amounts of
compressive weight loads.
 Masonry buildings have longer lifespans than any other building type.
 Masonry doesn’t rot, and insects such as ants and termites can’t destroy its
structures.
Disadvantages of masonry construction

 Masonry construction involves heavy materials such as bricks, stone and

concrete blocks. These cannot be transported in conventional vehicles, and in
some cases they must be ordered from special catalogs, especially stones.
 Masonry activities cannot be done during heavy rain or freezing conditions,
since mortar will be severely affected.
 Masonry construction requires a good amount of time and adequate project
planning. Depending on the type of masonry, specialized manpower may be
necessary.
 Depending upon the type of
building units used, masonry may
be of following types:
 Stone masonry
 Brick masonry
 Hollow concrete Stone masonry
blocks

Hollow concrete blocks Brick masonry

1. Stone Masonry

 Stone is a naturally occurring, solid and durable

material used in construction.
 It is made up of minerals, such as quartz, mica,
and others, and can be found in a wide variety of
colors, textures and patterns.
 Stones are known for their durability, and natural
beauty, and are often used for construction.
Types of stone
 MAIN TYPES OF STONE MASONRY
(1) Rubble Masonry
 In rubble masonry, the blocks of stones
that are used are either undressed or
comparatively roughly dressed. The
masonry has wide joints since stones of Rubble Masonry
irregular size are used.
 (2) Ashlar Masonry
 In ashlar masonry, square or rectangular
blocks that are used are dressed and have
an extremely fine bed and end joints.

Ashlar Masonry
HANGING GARDEN OF BABYLON,
is one of the seven wonders of world
THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA
 Hagia Sophia,  Church of the Holy
Wisdom in Istanbul and one of the world’s
great monuments.
Structure built with white stone, marble

Victoria Memorial, Kolkata Taj Mahal - UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Structure built with red sand stone

Red Fort Delhi, India  Jama Maszid (Delhi), India

 School building in Nepal with rubble stone masonry in cement mortar
 Requirements of good building stone

 Strength> building stones have a high strength so that they resist the
coming load on them.
 Durability> Stones are capable to resist the adverse effects of naturals
forces such as rain, heat and wind
 Hardness> Building stones are used in various places like pavements,
floors. It provides resistance to abrasion.
 Toughness> Stones can resist impact load which is developed due to
vibration.
 One of the main advantages of stone is its aesthetic look, with a variety of
colors, sizes and textures - the design possibilities are endless.
 Stone are gradually losing their use as building materials

 Important buildings these days are being constructed of steel or RCC,

because of their being less bulky, stronger and more durable.
 Strength of stones cannot be so rationally analyzed as of those made with
steel and RCC.
 Suitable, durable and more easily workable alternative materials are now
available.
 Dressing of stones is time consuming and results in slow pace of
construction.
 Stones are not cheaply and conveniently available in the plains.
2. Hollow concrete blocks

 Hollow blocks are precast concrete units made of appropriate

mixture of cement and aggregate
 It can be produce in different shape and size.
 Hollow concrete blocks are prepared by concrete block technology.
 Concrete block technology is based on the principle of densification of a lean
concrete mix to make a regular shape, uniform, high performance masonry units .
 Typical size of concrete blocks = 300mm x 200mm x150mm
 Average compressive strength = 50-110 kg/cm2 at 28 days
 Mix proportion= 1:12-14 [1 part cement: 12-14 parts aggregates]
 Water absorption in 24hrs = < 10% by weight of block
 Advantages of hollow concrete block

 Reduces cost investment at least 30% compared to fired clay brick masonry.
 Reduces more than 50% energy compared to fired clay brick masonry.
 Easy and speedy construction.
 Have good sound and thermal insulation.
 It can be produced in different shapes and sizes to fit different construction needs and designs
 Reduces dead load.
 Reduces the thickness of plaster due to size accuracy and less cement consumption due to
fewer joints.
 Makes environment friendly as fly ash used as one of the raw materials.
 It is an effective means of utilizing wastes generated by stone crushers, quarrying and stone
processing units.
 These are durable and maintenance free.
 It act as damp proof as it has low water absorption.
 Disadvantages of hollow concrete block

 Large concrete blocks are heavy and difficult to handle, requiring more
manpower. 
 Transporting concrete blocks can be quite expensive
 The price of concrete blocks can vary depending on the region, cement
costs and availability.
3. Brick masonry
 Brick masonry is built by placing bricks in mortar to
constructed structure that withstand exerted loads.
 There are several types of bricks and number of mortars
which can be used to construct brick masonry.
 The bond in brick masonry, which adheres bricks together,
is produced by filling joints between bricks with suitable
mortar. 
Compressed earth blocks are manufactured by compacting raw
materials earth mixed with a stabilizer such as cement or lime
under a pressure of 20-40 Kg/cm2.
Brick size and weight

 According to the BIS (Bureau of Indian Standard)

guideline,
 The standard size of modular brick in India is
190 mm x 90 mm x 90 mm (without mortar)
 The nominal size of modular bricks (with
10mm mortar) change to 200 mm x 100 mm
x 100 mm

 Weight of 1m3 of brick earth is about 1800kg.

 Hence, average weight of a brick will be about 3 to
3.5 kg.
 According to NBC (Nepal Building Code), the nominal size
of modular brick with
10mm mortar is 240mm x 115mm x 57mm
Types of Brick masonry work

Brick Work in Mud

• The mud is used to fill up various joints brick masonry work.
• Thickness of the mortar joint is 12 mm.
• it is the cheapest type of brick masonry
• employed for construction of walls with maximum height of 4 m.
 Brick Work in Cement

This type of brick masonry is construction by laying bricks in cement mortar

 Advantages of compressed earth blocks

 The production is made on the site itself or in the nearby areas. Thus, it
will save the transportation, fuel, time and money.
 The production of compressed earth block provide job opportunity for
local people.
 It has high strength and durability and needs minimum maintenance.
 Fire resistance
 Disadvantages of compressed earth blocks

 Proper soil identification is required.

 Bricks have a low resistance against tension and torsion loads, making
them more susceptible to seismic damage.
 Compared with stone and concrete blocks, bricks are also less strong and
durable, and limited in sizes and colors. 
 Plasterwork is required as finishing, which raises construction costs.
Technical terms related to brick masonry
 Course:
Each horizontal layer of bricks laid in mortar in a brick work is called a "course".
 Stretcher:
This is brick laid with its length parallel to the face or front direction of wall. The course
containing stretcher is called stretcher course.
 Header:
This is a brick laid with its breadth or width parallel to the face or front direction of wall.
The course containing headers is called header course.
 Arrises:
The edges formed by the intersection of plane surfaces of bricks are called the arrises and
they should be sharp, square and free from damage.
 Bed:
The lower surface of bricks when laid flat is called bed.
 Bed joint:
The horizontal layer of mortar upon which the bricks are laid is known as a bed joint.
 Perpends:
The vertical joint separating the bricks in either length or cross directions are
known as the perpends. For the good bond, the perpends in alternate courses
should be vertically one above the other.
 Lap:
The horizontal distance between the vertical joints in successive courses is termed
as lap. For a good bond, it should be one-fourth of the length of a brick.
 Closer:
A piece of brick which is used to close up the bond at the end of brick courses is
known as a closer. Closer helped in preventing the joints of successive courses
to come in one vertical line. Generally closer is not specially molded but it is prepared
by mason with the edge of the trowel.
 Frog:
A frog is a mark of depth about 10mm to 20mm which is placed on the face of a
brick to form a key for holding the mortar.
 QUOIN:
The external corner of the wall is called a "Quoin".
 QUOIN HEADERA
Corner header, in the face of wall, which is a stretcher in the side wall
is known as "Quoin header".
 QUOIN STRETCHERA
Corner stretcher in the face of a wall, which is header in the side wall is
known as "Quoin stretcher".
Bonds in brickwork

• The main purpose of bonding in brickworks is to give strength and a good

appearance to the wall.

• Bonding means the arrangements of bricks in such a way that no vertical joint of
one course is exactly over the one below.

• An unbonded wall, with its continuous vertical joints has little strength, stability
and such joints must be avoided

• In brickwork, the amount of lap should be minimum ¼ of brick along the length of
the wall.
 Positions of bricks in brick wall construction
Bonds in brickwork
 Various types of bond in brickwork are as:

• Stretcher bond • Raking bond

• Header bond • Dutch bond
• English bond • Brick on edge bond
• Flemish bond • English cross bond
• Garden wall bond • Facing bond
• Rat trap bond
Stretcher bond

 It consists of only stretcher

courses in the front elevation
Header bond

 It consists of only header courses in

the front elevation
English bond

 English bond is the alternate

arrangement of header course and
stretcher course, i.e., one header
placed centrally above each
stretcher.
 Features of English bond
 The alternate course consists of stretchers and header.
 The queen closer is put next to the quoin header in header course to develop the face
lap.
 If the wall thickness is an even multiple of half brick, the same course shows header
or stretcher in both the front and back elevation.
 But, if the wall thickness is an uneven multiple of half bricks, a course showing
stretcher on front face shows header on the back face, and vice versa.
 The number of mortar joints in the header course is nearly double than that in the
stretcher course. Hence, care should be taken to make the header joints thinner;
otherwise the face lap disappears quickly.
 The queen closer are not required in the stretcher courses.
 In the stretcher course, the stretcher have a minimum lap of one fourth of their length
over the headers
Flemish Bond

 In Flemish bond, header and

stretcher are placed alternatively in
every course.
 Features of Flemish bond
 In every course, the header and stretcher are placed alternatively.
 The queen closer is put next to the quoin header in alternate courses to develop the
face lap.
 Every header is centrally supported over a stretcher below it.
 Constructing a wall with a Flemish bond required more skill than constructing a wall
with an English bond
 Flemish bond are of two types
 Double Flemish bond
 Single Flemish bond
Single Flemish Bond

 In single Flemish bond, the front elevation is of

Flemish bond and the back elevation of English
bond.
 Single Flemish bond combine the strength of the
English bond and the appearance of Flemish
bond. back
 It is used when the expensive bricks are used for
face work.
 A single Flemish bond cannot be used for a wall
having a thickness of less than 3/2 bricks.
front
 Double Flemish Bond

 In double Flemish bond, header and stretcher are

alternatively placed in every course.
 It provided better appearance than the English
bond, but it is less stronger than English bond.
 It is used when better appearance of wall is
required
Comparison of Flemish and English bond

 The English bond is found to possess more strength than the Flemish bond for
walls having thickness greater than 1 ½ bricks.
 The Flemish bond grands more pleasing appearance than the English bond.
 It is possible to make use of broken bricks in the form of brickbats in case of
Flemish bond. However more mortar is required.
 The construction with the Flemish bond require greater skill as compared to
the English bond
 Rat trap Bond

 It is also known as Chinese brick bond.

 In rat trap bond, bricks are placed in a vertical position which creates cavity in the wall
while maintaining the same wall thickness as that of the conventional brick masonry wall.
 As the thickness of the wall is kept as 230mm, a cavity is created inside the wall
 To strength the masonry, vertical and horizontal reinforcements bars are provided in the
cavities.
 Electrical conduits and plumbing pipes, with prior planning, can be put inside the cavity for
better aesthetics.
 Advantages of Rat Trap Bond
1.The cavities in the masonry act as thermal insulators. Thus, the interiors remain cooler in summer and
warmer in winter.
2.Rat Trap masonry uses fewer bricks and mortar reducing the cost of masonry up to 30% when
compared with conventional brick masonry.
3.Walls constructed using rat trap masonry can be used as load-bearing as well as a thick partition wall.
5. Rat-trap bond when kept exposed, creates aesthetically pleasing wall surface and the
cost of plastering and painting may also be avoided.
6. As this type of masonry has 30% of cavities, the dead load of the structure is reduced
which in turn reduces the structure supporting members such as column and footing.
7. In case of more structural safety, reinforcement bars can be inserted through the cavity
until the foundation.
8. Many buildings that were constructed decades ago have proved that this type of walling
technology is durable and the maintenance costs are low.
Disadvantages of Rat Trap Bond

1.Skilled labor is required to construct this type of masonry.

2.Frequent cleaning of external surface required if not plastered.
3.Special care and attention to be given while designing and constructing rat trap
bond masonry.
Properties and strength of cement mortar

 Cement mortar is a homogeneous mixture of cement, sand and water in suitable

proportion
 Sometimes, the addition of mixture is required in the mortar to make it more resistant to
water and chemicals.
 Portland cement is commonly used in making cement mortar.
 Properties of cement mortar
 It should be easily workable
 It should develop adequate strength and bond for work
 It should be durable
 It should be cheaply available
 The joints formed by mortar should not develop cracks, and they
should be able to maintain their appearance for quite a long time.
 It should bind the bricks or stones to give a tight joint through
which water cannot penetrate.
Grade of cement mortar

Grade name Mix (by volume) Compressive

Cement sand strength at 28
days (N/mm2)

MM 0.7 1 8 0.7 – 1.5

MM 1.5 1 7 1.5 – 2.0
MM 3 1 6 3.0 – 5.0
MM 5 1 5 5.0 – 7.5
MM 7.5 1 4 7.5 TO ABOVE
 Uses of cement mortar

 Used for masonry works  Used for plaster works

 Used for flooring works  Used for pointing works
 Advantages of cement mortar
 It achieves maximum efficiency in less time
as compared to lime mortar.
 It is fire resistance.

 Disadvantages of cement mortar

 It has low tensile strength
 It requires curing process for supporting hydration
 It should be used immediately after preparation and
consumed within half an hour after adding water
Types of masonry wall

 3. Reinforced masonry wall

 4. Unreinforced masonry wall
1. Load bearing masonry wall
2. Non-load bearing masonry wall
 Reinforced brick masonry (RBM)
 Reinforced brick masonry (RBM) comprises of
brick work which consolidates steel installed in
mortar or grout.
 Reinforced masonry walls can be load bearing
walls or non-load bearing walls. 
 Basically hollow brick is used in reinforces
brick masonry.
 After construction of reinforcing brick
masonry, we should provide a plaster of a
minimum total thickness of 15 mm to protect
the reinforcement bar from weathering action.
 Reinforcement in walls are at required
intervals both horizontally and vertically is
used. 
 The size of reinforcement, their quantity and
spacing are determined based on the loads on
the walls and structural conditions.
 Advantages of reinforced brick masonry over conventional brick masonry

 The reinforcement provides extra rigidity , additional tensile strength, allowing

the better use of brick masonry's inherent compression strength.
 Lower cost housing
 Reinforced brick masonry plays an important role during an earthquake
 Lowest labor cost
 It gives weather protection
 It is cheaply supervised
 Load bearing
walls

 Load bearing walls are constructed as both exterior as well as interior walls
 They directly transfer the load from roof to the foundation.
 It supports structural members such as beams, slabs and wall above floors.
 The thickness of wall depends upon the load that acts on it.
 The construction system with load bearing walls are economical than the system with framed
structures.
 The load bearing walls can be reinforced or unreinforced masonry walls.
 Unreinforced masonry

 Unreinforced masonry is stone, brick, or cement construction

that supports itself, without any other framing to add strength
and reinforcement. 
 The un-reinforced masonry walls are prone to cracks and failure
under heavy compressive loads and during earthquakes.
 They have little ability to withstand lateral forces during heavy
rain and wind.
 Cracks also develop in un-reinforced masonry walls due to earth
pressure or differential settlement of foundations.
Non-load bearing wall

 A wall which doesn’t help the structure to stand up and

holds up only itself is known as a non-load bearing wall.
 Followings are the main features of non-load bearing walls:
 A non-load bearing wall doesn’t support floor roof loads
above.
 It is not a part of the structural frame system. 
 Most of the time, they are interior walls whose purpose is
to divide the floor into rooms. 
 They are built lighter to reduce the dead load
of the structure. 
 One can remove any non-load bearing walls
without endangering the safety of the building. 
 Non-load bearing walls can be identified by the
joists and rafters. 
 They are not responsible for gravitational
support for the property.
 Masonry as infill walls
 .Infills walls are the walls which are confined on all four sides
with reinforced concrete frame or reinforced masonry.
 Infills walls does not carry any types of load
 They are not design to perform as moment resisting elements
 Masonry is used as infills wall, also called as confined masonry
 Confining the masonry walls with bond beam and tie column
results in
 Improve in connection between structural walls
 Improvement in the stability of slender structural walls
 Improvement in strength and ductility of masonry walls
 Reduction in the risk of disintegration of masonry walls
damaged by earthquake.
 Inorder to ensure structural integrity, vertical confining elements should be
located at all corners of the building and at all joints and wall intersections.
 In addition, they should be placed at both sides of any wall opening.
 Vertical confining elements should also be placed at all free ends of structural
walls