What is a septic tank? Septic tank design: operating principle and basic organization diagrams. The principle of soil filtration when using three-stage septic tanks
Brick is a popular building material with good strength. It has excellent load-bearing capacity: a wall made of 1 brick (in construction terminology) can absolutely easily withstand significant loads. On such a structure you can safely support floors made of concrete, reinforced concrete, wood, and install several floors on it.
Brick walls are among the most reliable and durable.
Thicker walls, for example, 2 bricks, are usually built to increase thermal insulation characteristics buildings or to improve insulating qualities. This may be justified if the building is located near factories, highways, airports that produce a lot of noise, as well as under not the best climatic conditions in certain regions.
Good thermal conductivity of this building material allows you to use various options to improve the insulating qualities of the building. This is convenient because you can determine the optimal load that will be placed on the foundation. Materials that can be used for additional thermal insulation vary in weight. Due to the installation of insulation materials, the load on the base increases. This means that the foundation will require an increase in strength, which will increase the construction budget. For most buildings, installing a foundation costs a third of the budget.
What are the benefits of brick buildings?
Brick has many advantages over other materials used to build walls. Among their advantages, as mentioned above, are low thermal conductivity and good strength. But these excellent qualities are lost if the wall does not have the optimal thickness for operating conditions.
The thickness of the wall of a building is an important indicator that affects the quality factor of the constructed structure, its load-bearing capacity, and other characteristics of the structure, such as functionality, thermal insulation and vibration insulation, and the ability to protect against noise.
If necessary, you can use small calculations to determine which one should be chosen. According to the standards accepted in construction, the thickness of a wall made of ordinary brick is equal to half the product. The walls and the name are depending on this parameter - half a brick, 1 brick, 2 bricks.
Of these, a wall of half a brick is 12 cm thick, of 1 brick is 25 cm, of one and a half bricks is 38 cm, and the so-called wall of 2 bricks is 51 cm thick. The dissimilarity of these values with numbers that are multiples of 12 is due to the fact that between Concrete can be placed in brick layers.
Typically, all the walls of a building located outside, as well as load-bearing ones, are built with one and a half bricks or more. Partitions are built with half a brick or even a quarter - a design with 2 bricks will not work.
It is considered the most economically advantageous to make a wall with 1 brick. But it is not possible to build this way everywhere because of seasonal temperature fluctuations, which can be quite sharp. In such cases, you can make another masonry, arrange an additional layer of thermal insulation, an air cushion. Load-bearing walls are usually made with greater thickness, and in some cases additional reinforcement is created through reinforcement.
It is also permissible to erect walls whose thickness will vary. During construction high-rise building After laying out the walls of 5-6 floors, the width of subsequent floors is often “cut off” by half a brick. This is done in order to reduce the load that the building puts on the foundation and lower floors.
Return to contents
Calculation of wall thickness
- width 120 mm;
- length 250 mm;
- thickness 65 mm.
The weight of one cubic meter of brick is approximately 1800 kg. When making calculations, it is necessary to take into account the climatic features of the area where construction is being carried out. For example, if in winter time the temperature reaches -25 °C, the width of the external walls should be calculated as 51 cm (2 bricks) or 64 cm.
Given this feature of building materials, it is easy to perform calculations and find out what is expected to be built for the house. For example, construction is planned to be carried out in areas where severe frosts are common. It is planned to build the structure without installing an insulating layer. In this case, the thickness of the walls should be 51 cm. This means that the masonry should be made 2 bricks thick.
Knowing the length and height structural element buildings, it is not difficult to calculate the area for each individually. Next, we find out the area of the brick and calculate the amount of material that will be required to build a wall with specific parameters. Multiply the amount calculated for one of them by the weight of one brick - you get the weight of the wall.
1 m³ of brick weighs 1800 kg. If we take the weight of the wall as X, we can calculate the required amount of building material (Y): X/1800=Y (m³). If you find out the price of bricks, and it can vary depending on the suppliers, then you can very simply calculate the total amount that the construction of the building will cost.
Return to contents
How should bricklaying be done?
Brick is a standardized building material that has been used in construction for many years. The most popular is single, with dimensions 250x120x65 mm. During construction, thickened modular bricks are also used; their dimensions are slightly different and amount to 250X120X88 mm. Indicators such as length and width are for different types bricks are the same. The basic size is considered to be 250 mm long. In order to calculate the thickness of the masonry, you should start from it.
The masonry, which builders call 1 brick, is 250 mm thick. Bricks in such a masonry will not be stacked next to each other. At this method laying the wall will not be stable. The individual elements in it will be retained only by the solution, whose binding force may not be enough. The masonry is carried out in accordance with certain rules. These include ensuring proper dressing for connecting sutures that are placed vertically. It is necessary to ensure that the bricks of the top row overlap the vertical connecting seams between the bricks in the bottom row. When bandaging, not only does the strength of the walls increase, but also the loads are distributed more evenly.
When laying 1 brick, you can turn both the butt and tongue sides of the bricks outward. Compared to half-brick or quarter-brick walls, they will not be as strong. Construction is not particularly economical; more material will be consumed, and a lot of mortar will be used.
This type of masonry is mainly used for load-bearing walls. For others, you can choose one and a half or two bricks. From the point of view of heat conservation, buildings made in this way have greater inertia.
Return to contents
To work you will need:
- bricks;
- building level;
- plumb line;
- binding solution;
- a nylon cord, the length of which should exceed the length of the wall being built by 40 cm;
- Master OK;
- device for cutting bricks;
- order;
- jointing
Can be used for masonry different types dressings:
- bandaging the transverse seams does not allow the bricks to move along the wall;
- ligation of vertical sutures;
- bandaging the transverse seams will prevent the wall from delaminating vertically. And the load along the length of the wall is more uniform.
Produced using a single-row or multi-row system.
When choosing a single-row system, one row of bricks is laid out so that the spoon surface “looks” outward. The next row is laid out with the butt part of the bricks. Transverse seams should be shifted by ¼ of the brick, longitudinal seams by 1/2.
With a multi-row dressing system, the alternation of rows laid with the spoon part outward with those laid with the butt part outward will take place not through one, but several spoons. For such a system there are certain rules of alternation. For single-type bricks, masonry is used in 6 uniform rows, which are tied with a bonded row.
With thicker products, the number of spoon rows changes to 5, then there is a row of tying arrangement. The system, called single-row, can be used when the thickness of the walls is less than the length of the brick. Multi-row is used for walls at least one brick thick. With this connection, you can ensure the strength of the wall and evenly distribute the load inside it.
Return to contents
Advantages and disadvantages of brick walls
A wall folded into 1 brick can withstand quite significant loads, provided they are evenly distributed over the surface.
Like others building materials, bricks have both advantages and disadvantages. For example, heat-protective qualities compared to wooden walls not particularly good. A wall 16-20 cm thick, built from wooden building materials, is capable of maintaining the same temperature in the building as 64 cm brick walls.
It turns out that to ensure normal conditions in the building temperature regime The walls should be laid out as thick as possible. But when they are made with a thickness of more than 1 brick, the consumption of expensive building materials is very large. An example would be laying 2 bricks. Therefore, to reduce costs, builders resort to various tricks: for example, they use hollow bricks. Another option is to make two masonry layers of 1 brick and arrange an air cushion between them, where the insulating material will be placed. In this case, the walls should be plastered special composition based on concrete, so-called warm plaster. That is, a thick brick wall will be economically unprofitable only if it is solid.
When laying bricks, it is necessary to monitor the thickness of the joints, the maximum thickness of which should not exceed 15 mm.
If the walls and foundation are thicker, a stronger one will be needed, which will lead to additional costs. Therefore, when building a house, they try to turn to the production of air cushions. The space between the masonry should be at least 5 cm. With this arrangement of the wall, even if its width is small, heat is well retained inside the house, and material consumption becomes 15-25% less.
Another way to reduce the width of brickwork is to insulate it using felt. At the same time, the efficiency of the walls in terms of retaining heat will be increased by 30%. If the felt is replaced with foam, the efficiency can be increased by 2 times or more. In order to retain heat, you can use other materials: sawdust, tuff, mortar with filler in the form of slag. The use of such materials will help increase the thermal protection characteristics of the building by 15%.
The most economical design for walls is considered to be masonry made in the form of a well. It consists of 2 half-brick walls, which are located at a short distance from each other and are connected to each other in a special way. The connections are made as horizontal and vertical brick bridges that form closed wells. They will need to be filled out. Expanded clay, slag, and lightweight concrete are suitable for this.
When choosing what the thickness of a brick wall should be, it should be taken into account that this material has a high degree of thermal inertia.
That is, a wall made of ordinary material will heat up slowly, but will also cool down very slowly. Temperature changes in houses built from such bricks during the day will be insignificant. But if the wall is thick (for example, 2 bricks), a lot of fuel will be needed to warm it up, especially if the building was without heating for a long time in cold weather, as is the case with country houses.
The brick is made in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped with the following dimensions:
The brick has 6 surfaces: 2 pokes, 2 spoons and 2 beds.
Designation of brickwork elements
To this article has become more informative for you; you need to understand the simple terms inherent in brickwork, the definition of which is presented below.
Brick laying is done horizontal rows. The bricks are laid on the mortar with a wide edge - a bed (there are methods of laying on a spoon).
Horizontal seam- seam between adjacent horizontal rows.
Vertical seam- a seam separating the side edges of adjacent bricks. There are transverse and longitudinal.
Inner mile- a row of brickwork that extends to the inner surface.
Front or outer mile- a row of masonry that faces the outer (facade) side.
Zabutka- rows located between the inner and outer versts.
Spoon row- a row of bricks that are laid with spoons to the surface of the wall, i.e. long edges.
Bond row- a row of bricks that are laid with butts to the surface of the wall, i.e. short edges.
Suture ligation system- a certain order of alternating spoon and butt rows.
Spoon masonry- masonry in which the brick is laid with a spoon outward in relation to the front surface of the wall.
Bonded masonry- masonry in which the brick is laid with the butt facing outwards in relation to the front side of the wall.
The width of the brickwork must be a multiple of an odd or even number of halves (1/2) of bricks.
Brick thickness
Depending on climatic conditions, purpose of the structure and design loads brickwork can be the following thickness:
The thickness of the masonry = the total thickness of the bricks in the masonry + the thickness of the mortar between the bricks. Example of laying 2 bricks: 250 mm+10mm+250mm=510mm
When planning dimensions, the width of a vertical joint in brickwork is usually considered to be 10 mm, but in practice this number varies from 8 to 12 mm.
Quarter brick masonry (1/4) – 65 mm
Half-brick masonry (1/2) – 120 mm
Single brick laying – 250mm
Laying one and a half bricks (1.5) – 380mm (250+10+120mm)
Laying two bricks – 510 mm (250+10+250mm)
Laying two and a half bricks (2.5) – 640 mm (250+10+250+10+120mm)
Most often used in construction:
- single (ordinary, standard) brick, which has a height of 65 mm;
- thickened brick with a height of 88 mm.
When planning the size of a building, the height of a horizontal joint in brickwork is generally considered to be 12 mm, but in practice this number varies from 10 to 15 mm.
When electrically heating brickwork or reinforcing it, electrodes or a metal mesh are placed in the horizontal seams, respectively. In this case, the seam size should not be less than 12 mm.
Knowing what kind of brick (single or thickened) the structure is planned to be built from, you can easily calculate the height of the future structure:
| Number of masonry rows | Structure height, mm | |
|---|---|---|
| single brick | made of thickened brick | |
1 row (height of 1 brick + |
77 (65+12) | 100 (88+12) |
2 rows (height 2 bricks + |
154 (65+12+65+12) | 200 (88+12+88+12) |
3 rows (height 3 bricks + |
231 (65+12+65+12+65+12) | 300 (88+12+88+12+88+12) |
4 rows (height 4 bricks + |
308 | 400 |
5 rows (height 5 bricks + |
385 | 500 |
6 rows (height 6 bricks + |
462 and further through 77 mm | 600 and then every 100 mm |
Height of 10 rows of thickened brick = Height of 13 rows of single brick = 1000 mm
In order not to calculate and reduce the sketch dimensions to the constructive ones each time, the designer uses a table of brickwork dimensions. www.site
Dressing systems
In order to combine rows of brickwork into a single strong monolithic structure, seam dressing systems are used. For theory, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with basic rules brickwork.
The following vertical seams are ligated:
- transverse,
- longitudinal.
Strength and reliability of brickwork in to a greater extent depends on the quality of ligation of vertical longitudinal and transverse seams.
The ligation of vertical longitudinal seams is carried out by laying bonded rows and helps to avoid longitudinal destruction of the masonry.
Ligament of vertical transverse seams is performed by alternating spoon and butt rows, and in adjacent rows it is necessary to move the bricks by a quarter or half. This dressing ensures: uniform distribution of the load on the nearest sections of the masonry and the longitudinal relationship of adjacent bricks, which in turn gives the brickwork solidity and strength under uneven temperature deformations and precipitation.
Suture dressing systems
The following suture dressing systems are most often used in construction:
- single-row or chain;
- multi-row;
- three-row.
Single row system (chain)
Single-row ligation of sutures is performed by sequential alternation of stitch and spoon rows in compliance with the following rules:
- The first (lower) and last (upper) rows are laid with pokes.
- Longitudinal seams in adjacent rows are shifted by 1/2 (half a brick) relative to each other, transverse seams by 1/4 (a quarter of a brick).
- The bricks of the overlying row must overlap the vertical joints of the underlying row.
For single-row dressing during the laying process you will need big number incomplete bricks (most often 3/4), the cutting of which will entail not only labor costs, but also serious losses of bricks, which will ultimately lead to significant financial investments.
It must be remembered that the chain ligation system is the most labor-intensive, but despite this, it is also more durable and reliable.
Multi-row system
Multi-row dressing of seams is a brickwork laid out in spoon rows, which are tied in height every 5-6 rows with one butted row. With this dressing system, the following rules must be observed:
- The first one, aka bottom row put with pokes.
- Second row - spoons.
- The third, fourth, fifth and sixth - with spoons with ligation of the seams in 1/2 (half a brick). This is done regardless of the thickness of the wall.
- Along the width of the wall, the vertical longitudinal seams of the masonry of five rows do not need to be bandaged.
- The pokes of the seventh row overlap the seams of the sixth row of spoons by 1/4 (a quarter of a brick).
Advantages of a multi-row dressing system:
- no need for large quantities incomplete brick;
- most productive;
- allows the use of brick halves for laying backfills;
- improves the thermal characteristics of the masonry (this occurs due to increased thermal resistance, located along the path of the heat flow, untied longitudinal seams of five rows).
Flaws:
- the third rule for cutting brickwork is not fully observed;
- strength is less than with single-row dressing;
- cannot be used for masonry brick pillars due to incomplete ligation of longitudinal seams.
Three-row system
The three-row seam dressing system is used for bricklaying narrow walls and pillars, the width of which does not exceed 1 m.
Main types of suture dressing
Laying 1 brick (cross) - option 1
| View from the facade
|
Dressing sutures
|
|
|
|
Laying 1 brick (cross) – option 2
| View from the facade
|
Dressing sutures
|
| View from the facade. Bandaging 2nd and 3rd rows of masonry
|
Inside view. Bandaging 2nd and 3rd rows of masonry
|
1-brick multi-row masonry
Laying 1.5 bricks option 1
View from the facade  |
Dressing sutures
|
View from the facade. Bandaging 2nd and 3rd rows of masonry  |
Inside view. Bandaging 2nd and 3rd rows of masonry
|
Masonry of 1.5 bricks. Option 2
| View from the facade
|
Dressing sutures
|
| View from the facade. Bandaging 2nd and 3rd rows of masonry
|
Inside view. Bandaging 2nd and 3rd rows of masonry
|
Laying 2 bricks
| View from the facade
|
Dressing sutures
|
| View from the facade. Bandaging 2nd and 3rd rows of masonry
|
Inside view. Bandaging 2nd and 3rd rows of masonry
|
Laying 2.5 bricks
| View from the facade
|
Dressing sutures
|
| View from the facade. Bandaging 2nd and 3rd rows of masonry
|
Inside view. Bandaging 2nd and 3rd rows of masonry
|
Masonry methods
Internal and external versts are laid in the following ways:
- end to end,
- end-to-end with cutting the mortar,
- press in.
The zabutka is placed in a half-stuffed position.
The choice of a specific method depends on:
- season,
- requirements for the cleanliness of the outer surface of the masonry,
- the state of the brick itself (wet or dry),
- plasticity of the solution.
Masonry technology
Before starting brickwork on the plinth, it is necessary to insulate it. To do this, a layer of roofing felt or other insulating material is laid around the perimeter of the masonry under the brick.
Using a level, several rows of bricks are laid in the corners of the plinth. The orders are attached to the corners using staples. The distance between the divisions in the order is 77 mm (65 mm height of a single brick + 12 mm height of the mortar). According to established procedures, mooring cords are pulled, which help maintain the straightness and horizontality of the erected rows of brickwork. It is advisable to place the cord every 5 m to prevent it from sagging (if the mooring is stretched by 10 m, then after 5 m a beacon is made in the form of bricks to tension the cord). The mooring cord for external walls is fastened in order, and for internal walls using staples.
Using a trowel, a mortar is placed on the brick, the thickness is 30 mm and the distance from the outer part of the wall is 20 mm. The first row of brickwork is bonded. The brick is laid using the “press” or “butt” method.
The end-to-end method
Using the “end-to-end” method, the brick is laid on a plastic mortar (cone draft 12-13 cm).
The sequence of actions when laying bricks “back to back”:
- At first:
- take the brick in your hands and tilt it a little,
- rake a little of the spread mortar onto the brick with the edge (with a spoon - for the butt row, with a poke - for the spoon row),
- move the brick with the raked mortar towards the brick that was laid earlier.
- Then the brick is laid on the mortar.
Press method
Using the “press” method, the brick is laid on a rigid mortar (cone draft 7...9 cm) with mandatory jointing and full filling of the seams.
The sequence of actions when laying bricks “pressed”:
- A portion of the mortar is raked and pressed against the vertical edge of the previously laid brick with a trowel.
- Then they lay a new brick, making sure to press it against the trowel.
- With a sharp upward movement, remove the trowel.
- They lay down the brick.
Joining seams
To obtain sufficient compaction of the mortar in the seams, as well as to give the brickwork a clear pattern on the outside, jointing is used. In this case, brick laying is carried out with cutting the mortar. When stitching, the seams are given the following shapes:
- triangular,
- concave,
- convex,
- rectangular,
- rounded.
For example, to obtain convex seams, concave joints are used.
To obtain better quality seams and reduce labor costs, the seams of the brickwork are unstitched until the mortar sets, following the following sequence:
- use a brush or rag to wipe the surface of the brickwork from mortar splashes adhering to it;
- embroider vertical seams (3-4 spoons or 6-8 stitches);
- unstitch the horizontal seams.
If in the future you plan to plaster the walls, then the bricklaying must be done empty, i.e. Do not bring the solution 10-15 mm to the wall surface. This method will allow the plaster to firmly adhere to the wall surface. © www.site
Undercut  |
Vpushoshovku  |
Convex seam  |
Concave seam  |
Single cut seam  |
Double cut seam  |
Masonry reinforcement
Before starting brick construction, you need to decide on the type of masonry and what type will be used for construction. Considering big choice bricks and various masonry methods, this question can confuse a novice builder.
What you should pay attention to when choosing the type of masonry and brick
When choosing the type of masonry, factors such as:
(this is primarily affected by the number of floors of the building).As for the wall thickness, it can vary from 12 to 64 cm:
- half-brick masonry (its thickness is 12 cm);
- 1 brick (25 cm);
- 1.5 bricks (38 cm);
- 2.0 bricks (51 cm);
- 2.5 bricks (64 cm).
With regard to load-bearing walls, it is worth noting that in temperate climates a thickness of 2.0 - 2.5 bricks is usually used. Since the brick itself conducts heat well, after construction it is recommended to additionally insulate it using, for example, mineral wool.
In terms of strength, in most cases a wall thickness of 38 cm is sufficient.
The thickness of external load-bearing brick walls usually ranges from 51 cm (2 bricks) to 64 cm (2.5 bricks). In multi-storey construction, it is allowed to reduce the thickness of load-bearing external walls in height. If at the level of the 1st floor the thickness of the wall is 2.5 bricks, then starting from the 5th - 6th floor its thickness decreases to 2.0 bricks. The increase in thermal conductivity is compensated by a larger layer of thermal insulation.
In low-rise construction, it is not recommended to install load-bearing walls less than 2.0 bricks thick. When constructing private one-story outbuildings, saving material and money comes to the fore, so the thickness of load-bearing external walls can be reduced to 1.5 bricks or less.
Regarding internal load-bearing walls and partitions, the following recommendations exist:
- for load-bearing walls inside the house, as a rule, masonry with a thickness of at least 1 brick (25 cm) is used;
- In addition to internal load-bearing walls, there are also partitions - they do not experience loads from load-bearing elements, the main purpose of such structures is simply to divide the room into separate zones. In this case, a masonry of 0.5 bricks (12 cm) is used. As a result, the wall is not rigid enough; in order to eliminate this drawback, it is reinforced with ordinary wire, placing it in mortar joints.
Gas or foam concrete is often used for partitions in order to save money.
Brick thickness, which brick should be chosen for construction
In modern brick construction, single, one-and-a-half and double bricks are distinguished. The dimensions of a single ordinary brick are 250x12x65 mm; it was introduced into use back in the 1st half of the last century (in 1925 this standard size was fixed in regulatory documentation). A little later, one-and-a-half and double bricks began to be used; their sizes are 250x120x88 and 250x120x138. From a cost point of view, it is much more efficient to use double or one-and-a-half bricks for external walls.
For example, when laying 2.5 bricks, the optimal option would be to use double bricks for laying a wall of 2.0 bricks and facing bricks for laying the remaining 0.5 bricks. If you use ordinary single brick for the same volume of construction, the costs will be 25–35% higher.
Another important factor influencing the choice of brick type is its thermal conductivity. In this parameter, brick is inferior to many building materials, for example, wood.
The thermal conductivity of ordinary solid brick is about 0.6 - 0.7 W/m°C, this figure can be reduced by 2.5 - 3 times through the use hollow brick. In this case, the brick conducts heat much worse, but at the same time its strength decreases. Therefore, the use of hollow bricks for load-bearing walls is not possible in all cases.
Economically justified thickness of external brick wall
It is considered economically unfeasible to build walls more than 38 cm thick from solid brick. To keep the house warm they use various ways insulation.
Quite often (especially in low-rise construction) lightweight masonry (like a well) is used. With this method of construction, 2 are built at a short distance from each other. brick walls 0.5 bricks. Air gap between them plays the role of an excellent heat insulator, because air does not conduct heat well. The rigidity of such a structure is ensured by diaphragms connecting the walls.
With this method of construction, the walls must be connected with diaphragms.
The resulting cavity between the walls can be filled with foam concrete, expanded clay and other heat-insulating materials.
If such a design solution is combined with external and internal insulation walls, then brick construction becomes economically profitable.
When choosing the thickness of brick walls, you should remember that this material has excellent strength properties, but has great inertia. This means that brick is best suited for the construction of residential buildings; only minor daily temperature fluctuations will be observed during the day. If you plan to build from brick country house, in which periodic residence is planned in winter, it will warm up slowly.
Despite the intensive development construction technologies and the emergence of new building materials, brick still remains the most popular and in demand. The explanation is simple: it has unsurpassed performance and durability. A brick wall built according to all the rules, the thickness of which is calculated taking into account the type and purpose of the building, can last for tens or even hundreds of years.
Advantages of brick
First of all, brick is a very reliable material. If it has the required thickness and is made in compliance with technology, it can easily withstand significant loads from floors and roofing structures. In addition, this building material has such qualities as low thermal conductivity, good sound insulation, high resistance to deformation and bending.
Brickwork designed in accordance with established standards does not require a massive foundation, and it will have excellent load-bearing capacity.
Standard brick wall thickness
The thickness of the walls of a building can vary over a fairly significant range - from 12 to 64 cm. The masonry thickness of two bricks is the most common in low-rise construction, as it can ensure high stability and reliability of the structure. In addition, such walls can guarantee maximum strength even for residential structures up to 5 floors high. Thickness brick walls, according to GOST, for buildings within this number of storeys, located in temperate climate zones, is a minimum of 51 cm, and this is two-brick masonry.
Selecting masonry type
When choosing the thickness of the masonry, the following factors must be taken into account:
. In addition to the number of floors of the building, the functional significance of the masonry plays an important role, that is, you need to decide whether it will be an external brick wall, or internal load-bearing or non-load-bearing partitions.
Types and functional purpose of various masonry
- Internal load-bearing brick walls must have a thickness of at least 25 cm. This corresponds to the length of one brick.
- Partitions used to divide a room into zones, according to established standards, can have a thickness of 12 cm (half-brick masonry). Additional rigidity is given to such structures by reinforcing the seams using ordinary wire.
- In regions with cold winters, maintaining heat in living spaces is a priority. In such cases, the optimal thickness of the brick wall is 64 cm. It should be noted that total weight the structure increases, so the foundation must be more powerful.
- When constructing structures in the southern regions, a masonry scheme of 1.5 bricks is quite applicable.
- For the construction of sheds and other utility rooms, the sufficient thickness of the masonry is one brick.
Brick dimensions
The modern building materials market offers various types of bricks:
- Single. Standard sizes: length - 25 cm, width - 12 cm and height - 6.5 cm.
- One and a half - 25 x 12 x 0.88 cm.
- Double - 25 x 12 x 13.8 cm.
From an economic point of view, the most effective options are one-and-a-half and double bricks. Their dimensions make it possible to construct load-bearing walls or the basement of buildings of great thickness using less mortar than is required when constructing similar structures from a single brick. It is advisable to build internal non-load-bearing partitions from half or single bricks. According to current standards, the minimum thickness of internal brick walls should be 1/20-1/25 of the height of one floor. For example, with a floor height of 3 meters, the internal walls must have a thickness of at least 15 cm.
Parameters depending on the correct calculation of the thickness of brick walls
- Strength, stability and reliability of the structure. It should be noted that when a load-bearing internal or load-bearing brick wall is built, its thickness must be sufficient to ensure the stability of the house. At the same time, the walls must withstand not only the weight of all floors and ceilings, but also negative external influences natural phenomena such as rain, snow and wind.
- Durability of the structure. This parameter is ensured by many factors, including the correct selection of materials, compliance with construction technologies taking into account the characteristics of the soil and climate, etc. However, the thickness and strength of the walls come first on this list.
- Thermal and sound insulation. When a brick wall is erected, its thickness must be calculated in such a way that it can optimally provide insulation from external sounds and cold. Thus, the thicker the walls, the more effectively they protect against these factors. However, taking into account the cost of building materials, it is simply irrational to build walls thicker than the standards for certain climatic zones.
Types of bricks
Based on their structure, bricks are divided into hollow and solid.
Hollow brick has air pockets. Less material is used for its production, so the cost of such products is lower. At the same time, the strength of hollow bricks is no worse than that of solid bricks, and the heat-saving properties are even higher due to the presence of air voids.
Solid brick is a more expensive option compared to hollow brick. It is characterized by high strength characteristics and low thermal conductivity.
Selection of optimal masonry thickness
It would seem that it is enough to make the walls thicker, and the issues of sound insulation and heat preservation in the future home will be resolved. However, it should be taken into account that in addition to external brick walls in large buildings, internal load-bearing walls, as well as non-load-bearing partitions, must also be erected. The thickness of these structures must be in a certain ratio with the parameters of the external load-bearing walls. Thus, the calculation of the thickness of all planned walls should be made at the design stage of the house, and not during the construction process.
When choosing the optimal thickness of external walls, the following factors are taken into account:
- features of the climate zone;
- characteristics of the location of the future building;
- size and layout of the house;
- construction budget.
It should be understood that the thickness of the external walls cannot be less than 38 cm, which corresponds to a masonry of one and a half bricks. In cold climate zones, the recommended masonry thickness is 51-64 cm.
Ways to reduce the thickness of load-bearing walls while improving thermal insulation
Any person planning to build their own home is concerned about the price of the issue. The natural desire is to reduce the cost of this process, but do it in such a way that the savings do not affect the durability, reliability and thermal insulation properties the buildings.
There is such a method. This technology is called well-shaped masonry. Its principle is to build load-bearing walls in two rows, between which there is an empty space of 25 cm, which is then filled with a certain porous material. The following filler is used:
- light concrete mixture;
- slag;
- organic insulation;
- expanded clay;
- expanded polystyrene.
This design of load-bearing walls allows you to reduce the amount of brick required, reduce the overall weight of the building, and increase the level of noise and heat insulation. The walls are thick, strong and reliable.
Additional thermal insulation
To create an insurmountable barrier to cold, it is recommended to build a ventilated façade using special thermal insulation panels, various facing materials or plaster.
When finishing outer wall facing bricks it needs to be insulated from the inside. This operation is performed according to the following scheme:
- The internal surfaces of load-bearing external walls are sheathed with insulation.
- A vapor barrier film is installed on the insulation layer.
- The resulting structure is covered with reinforcing metal mesh and plastered (plasterboard can be used as an excellent alternative to plaster).
- The final step is decorative finishing internal walls. Choice finishing materials due only to the taste preferences of the home owners.
This technology provides the home with high performance characteristics and at the same time reduces construction costs. Using well-shaped masonry of external load-bearing walls, followed by additional insulation, it is possible to reduce the initial cost of the object by an average of 20%.