HAWASSA UNIVERSITY

INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
FACULTY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT
DEPARTMENT OF CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

Building Workshop (CoTM 2054)

By: SISAY T.
 CHAPTER 1: MASONRY
Contents:
Introduction
Masonry Mortar
Types of Masonry
 Concrete Block Masonry
 Brick Masonry
 Stone Masonry
Masonry Tools and Equipment
 Introduction
 Masonry: is an art of construction in which building units,
such as concrete blocks, clay bricks, and stones are
arranged systematically and bonded by a binding agent
(mortar) to form a mass structure.
 Also this mass structure is called masonry.
 It is essentially a wall material. Broadly walls can be sub
divided into load bearing and non load bearing (curtain
walls).
 In addition to this there is retaining walls which can carry
thrust load.
 Masonry is generally a highly durable form of
construction.
 The materials used, the quality of the mortar,
workmanship, and the pattern in which the units are
assembled can substantially affect the durability of the
overall masonry construction.
 A person who constructs masonry is called a mason.
 Masonry Mortar
Mortar is composed of one or more cementitious
(binding) materials, fine sand and sufficient water to
produce a workable mixture.
It is used to bind building blocks such as concrete block
masonry, bricks and stones together; in addition it fill
and seal the irregular gaps between them.
Cement + Sand + Water = Cement Mortar
Lime + Sand + Water = Lime Mortar
Lime + Cement + Sand + Water = Combo Mortar
Properly mixed and applied mortar is necessary for good
workmanship and good masonry service because it must
bond the masonry units into a strong, well-knit structure.
The mortar that bonds concrete block, brick, and stone
will be the weakest part of the masonry unless you mix
and apply it properly.
Both the strength of masonry and its resistance to rain
penetration depend largely on the strength of the bond
between the masonry unit and the mortar.
Various factors that affect bond strength of mortar are:
 Type and quantity of the mortar
 Its workability/plasticity
 Its water retentivity
 The surface texture of the mortar bed and
 The quality of workmanship in laying the units
 Workability of Mortar

 Mortar must be workable(plastic) enough to work with a

trowel.
 You obtain good workability(plasticity) by using mortar
having good water retentivity, using the proper grade of
sand, and thorough proper mixing.
 Mortar properties depend largely upon the type of sand it
contains.
 Clean and sharp sand produces excellent mortar, but too
much sand causes mortar to segregate, drop off the trowel,
and weather poorly.
 Mortar Water Retentivity

 Water retentivity is the mortar property that resists rapid

loss of water to highly absorbent masonry units.
 Mortar must have water to develop the bond.
 If it does not contain enough water, the mortar will have
poor workability(plasticity), and the bond will be weak
and spotty.
 Sometimes, you must wet brick to control water
absorption before applying mortar, but never wet
concrete masonry units.
 Mortar Strength and Durability

 The type of service that the masonry must give is

determined by the strength and durability of the mortar.
 For example, walls that subject to severe stress or
weathering must be laid with more durable, and stronger
mortar than walls for ordinary service.
 Mixing Mortar

There are two types of mixing mortar:

1. Machine mixing and
2. Hand mixing.
 Machine Mixing

 Machine mixing refers to mixing large quantities of

mortar in a drum type mixer.
 Place all dry ingredients in the mixer first and mix them
for 1 minute before adding the water.
 When adding water, you should always add it slowly.
 Minimum mixing time is 3 minutes.
 The mortar should be mixed until a completely uniform
mixture is obtained.
 Hand Mixing

 Hand mixing involves mixing small amounts of mortar

by hand in a mortar box, wheel barrow or on clean
ground surface.
 Take care to mix all ingredients thoroughly to obtain a
uniform mixture.
 As in machine mixing, mix all dry materials together
first before adding water.
 The mortar should be mixed until a completely uniform
mixture is obtained.
 Types of Masonry

 Concrete Block Masonry

 Brick Masonry
 Stone Masonry
 Concrete Block Masonry(CBM)

Concrete blocks are used for the construction of walls,

with or without plastering.
Concrete block masonry(CBM) which is also known as
concrete masonry unit (CMU) have advantages over
brick and stone masonry.
Concrete blocks are manufactured in required shape and
sizes and these may be solid or hollow blocks.
Cement, aggregate(fine and coarse) and water is used to
prepare concrete blocks.
Instead of aggregate, cinder or volcanic ash like
pozzolana, pumice, red ash can be used to produce block.
 Types of Concrete Blocks

Depending upon the structure, shape, size and

manufacturing processes concrete blocks are mainly
classified into two types and they are:
Solid concrete blocks (SCB)
Hollow concrete Blocks (HCB)
 Solid Concrete Blocks

 Solid concrete blocks are heavy in weight and

manufactured from dense aggregate.
 They are very strong and provides good stability to the
structures.
 So for large work of masonry like for load bearing walls
these solid blocks are preferable.
 They are available in large sizes compared to bricks.
 It takes less time to construct concrete masonry than
brick masonry.
Solid concrete block
 Hollow Concrete Blocks

Hollow concrete blocks contains void area greater than 25% of

gross area.
They are manufactured from light weight aggregates.
They are light weight blocks and easy to install.
Types of hollow concrete blocks(HCB):
 Stretcher block
 Corner block
 Pillar block
 Jamb block
 Partition block
 Lintel block
 Frogged brick block
 Bull nose block
Stretcher Block Corner Block
 Concrete stretcher blocks are used  Corner blocks are used at the ends
to join the corner in the masonry. or corners of masonry.
 Stretcher blocks are widely used  The ends may be window or door
HCB in construction. openings etc.
 They are laid with their length  They are arranged in a manner
parallel to the face of the wall that their plane end visible to the
outside and other end is locked
with the stretcher block.
Pillar Block Jamb Block
 Pillar block is also called as double  Jamb blocks are used when there is
corner block. an elaborated window opening in
 Generally these are used when two the wall.
ends of the corner are visible.  They are connected to stretcher
 Incase of piers or pillars these and corner blocks.
blocks are widely used.  For the provision of double hung
windows, jamb blocks are very
useful to provide space for the
casing members of window.
Partition Block Lintel Block
 Partition blocks are generally used  Lintel block or beam block is used
to build partition walls. for the purpose of provision of
 Partition blocks have larger height beam or lintel beam.
than its breadth.  Lintel beam is generally provided
 Hollow part is divided into two to on the top portion of doors and
three components in case of windows, which bears the load
partition blocks. coming from top.
 Concrete lintel blocks have deep
groove along the length of block as
shown in figure.
 After placing the blocks, this
groove is filled with concrete
along with reinforcement.
Frogged Brick Block Bull Nose Block
 Frogged brick block contains a  Bullnose blocks are similar to
frog on its top along with header corner blocks.
and stretcher like frogged brick.  Their duties also same but when
 This frog will helps the block to we want rounded edges at corner
hold mortar and to develop the bullnose bricks are preferred.
strong bond with top laying block.
 Popular sizes of concrete blocks in Ethiopia

B=20cm, D=20cm, L=40cm (external wall)

B=15cm, D=20cm, L=40cm (partition wall)
B=10cm, D=20cm, L=40cm (partition/toilet wall)
B

L
Construction way of HCB
 Brick Masonry

Brick is a construction material usually made of clay and

molded in a rectangular shapes.
Also it is building material used to make walls,
pavements and other elements in masonry construction.
 Brick has unique advantages like:
 Fire Resistance
 Size
 Durability
 Bricks are resistant to weather, do not rot, not affected by insects
and never need painting or maintenance.
 Basic Brickwork Terminology
 Header face: The short face of a brick
 Stretcher face: The long face of a brick
 A course of stretchers: A single row of laid bricks with the long face
towards you
 Mortar: The material used to bed and joint the bricks
 Mortar bed: The mortar placed underneath the bricks
 Mortar joint: The mortar placed between the bricks
 Arris: The corner edges of a brick
 Frog: The indent or holes often found in bricks
 Plumbing point: A point – usually at each end of a wall – which is
checked for plumb (straight up and down)
 Head
Bed
Joint
Joint

Course – horizontal layer of brick

Header - Bonds two wythes together
Wythe : Vertical layer 1 unit thick

Stretcher - Long dimension horizontal and

face parallel to the wall

Soldier - Laid on its end, face parallel

 The Functions of Mortars
Mortar provides a level and full bearing surface for
masonry units.
Mortar also provides a seal against water between the
masonry units.
It adheres(bonds) masonry units
It provide visual aesthetics on the masonry.
 Types of Bonds in Brick Masonry Construction

 Running Bond: All courses of brick made of stretchers,

with breaking of joints, from one course to the other
 English Bond: Made of alternate courses of stretchers
and headers, with breaking of joints
 Common Bond or American Bond : Made of stretchers
courses, with every sixth course being made completely
of headers, with breaking of joints
 Flemish Bond: In the same layer ( or course) stretchers
and headers are laid alternatively, with breaking of joints
 Tooling Joints
Tooling joint is required for giving beauty to mortar
joint.
Types of tooling joints:
 Concave joint: Joint concave inwards
 Vee joint: Mortar joint is in the form of a V
 Flush Joint: Mortar joint is flush with the brick surfaces
 Raked Joint: A large portion of the mortar joint is raked
out - Not a safe, impermeable joint
This worker is tooling the joint
Concave joints Vee joints

Racked joints Flush joints

 Tools in Masonry Construction

Brick layer’s trowel Line and pins Corner blocks

Measuring tape Pocket level

 Long straight edge

Mash hammer
Large spirit level and bolster
 Laying Brick Masonry
Step 1 : Read the plan of the drawing and get the
correct length of the wall to be built
Step 2 : Mark out a straight line on the concrete to this
exact length
Step 3 : Bed a brick at both ends of the wall
Step 4 : Check that these bricks are level to each other
Cont’d
Step 5: Dry bond the first course of brick between the
two set bricks
 Cont’d
Step 6 : Make any adjustments necessary in the bonding
Step 7: Fix a line and pins to the end bricks
Step 8 : Build the first course to the line, working from
both ends and meeting in the middle
Step 9 : Finally, check the first course carefully before
proceeding further
Cont’d
Cont’d
Cont’d
Cont’d
Standards in Brick Construction
 Stone Masonry

Dressing stones
The surface of stones obtained from quarry are rough.
The blocks are irregular in shape and non uniform in
size. Hence their dressing is essential.
It serves the following purposes: It gives desired
aesthetic appearance, It makes transport easy and
economical, It suits the desired requirements, It helps
taking advantage of locally available skilled labour,
etc…
Depending upon the arrangement of stones in the
construction, degree of refinement used in shaping the
stone and finishing adopted, stone masonry can be
classified as:
Ashlar masonry
Rubble masonry
 Ashlars Masonry

 The stone masonry in which stones are finely dressed.

 In this masonry, all the courses are of uniform height; all
the joints are regular, thin and uniform thickness.
 This type of masonry result in large cost in construction
since it involves cost of dressing.
 This masonry is used for heavy structures, architectural
buildings, piers and abutments of high bridges and
arches.
 Ashlars Masonry

Ashlars Fine Ashlars Chamfered

 Rubble Masonry

 In this types of stone masonry the stone used are either

undressed or roughly dressed having wider joints.
 The strength of rubble masonry depends on three factors
The quality of mortar
The use of long stones through the masonry at
frequent intervals and
The proper filling of mortar between the spaces of
the stones.
 Rubble Masonry

Random Rubble Masonry Coursed Rubble Masonry

END OF CHAPTER-1
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