Brick Industry Association

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Brick Bats
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Brick Bats: News
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Cracking veneer

Why aren’t brick veneers required to meet the allowable flexural strength requirements of brick masonry listed in the building code? In BIA Technical Note 28B, the stiffness of the backup wall is limited to L/600. Depending on the height of the wall, this figure can lead to stresses that greatly exceed the allowable flexural stresses in the masonry veneer. Won’t the masonry veneer crack under these conditions? More

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Pick the right mortar

Our company has been performing repairs on a sandstone colonnade. The repairs were to include repointing the sandstone cladding with a Type N portland cement lime mortar. Another part of the repair was to core holes in the colonnade to insert grouted pins.When coring was being performed on the colonnade, water from the process began to leak out of the pointed mortar joints between the stone blocks on the columns. The contractor ground out the Type N mortar joints and "temporarily" repointed them with Type S mortar. This action halted the leakage. The contractor and the office of historic preservation wanted to leave the Type S mortar in place to avoid regrinding the joints a third time. I want to make sure that we are not creating a condition for spalling of the stone blocks. The stone was tested in our lab and found to have compressive strength of 9700 psi. The Brick Industry Association Technical Note 8 states that Type S mortar has a compressive strength of 1800 psi. It doesn't appear that there will be a problem leaving the Type S in place. Am I missing something? More

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Why less cavity?

The Brick Industry Association recommends a cavity of 2 inches for commercial masonry walls. However, the cavity in residential construction is only required to be 1 inch by "Technical Note 28." What is the reason for this difference? More

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Different recommendations for corrugated ties

Corrugated ties are commonly used in residential construction and are recommended by The Brick Industry Association (BIA) in Technical Note 28. However, BIA Technical Note 28B does not recommend corrugated ties in brick veneer over steel stud backup, which is typically applied in commercial construction. What is the reason for these two different recommendations from BIA? More

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Installing end dams

How should you install end dams on flashing at loose laid lintels over windows? The Brick Industry Association recommends that end dams be provided at the discontinuous ends of flashing, such as those at window lintels. How should this placement be done? Should a weep hole be put at the end? Should the end dam extend out of the wall? If so, how can it be made less unsightly? More

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Using Steel Relief Angles in Masonry

I recently read a technical paper that provides exhaustive data for engineered design and detailing of "relief" angles. However, the article does not discuss when – if ever – it is a good idea to incorporate relief angles into a structure, except to acknowledge in the conclusion that states: "Severe damage can result from the improper design, construction, and maintenance of shelf angle details."Since maintenance, and to a large extent construction, are beyond the control of even the most conscientious engineer, I was wondering if you or any of your peers have written a paper with rational criteria for the incorporation of steel relief angles into masonry structures with, hopefully, some considerations for designing the veneer to resist wind loading at interruptions and discontinuities.I have BIA technical note 28B (1980) which recommends: "In order to alleviate the many problems associated with the use of shelf or relief angles at each floor, it is suggested that the brick veneer may be designed to support its own dead weight on the foundation, unless heights (in excess of 100 feet) or number and location of openings in the veneer make it mandatory that walls be vertically supported by the structural frame."We have been happily following this rule of thumb for many years by reinforcing the perimeter of veneer openings and providing lateral anchorage consistent with the UBC wind load requirements. Recently we discovered that our approach was considered "unorthodox" and "unconventional" in some engineering circles. We were shocked to discover the aesthetic, cost, and detailing implications of trying to inject relief angles at every floor of a four-story institutional buildings which we had previously been designing successfully without a single relief angle. I reviewed more recent BIA documents and found that the language I quoted had been deleted. Is something going on in academic and/or professional circles to squelch relief angle free veneers? More

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Salvaged Brick Requires Special Precautions

I know that the Brick Industry Association does not typically recommend using brick from older buildings in new masonry walls. For repairs to many older buildings, however, it is impossible to match the original brick. What problems do you see in reusing brick to perform isolated repairs? More

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Growing Block by Block
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