Brick Lintel
Brick Lintel
(OP)
I have a customer who wants to reinforce the brick above a garage door header with 3/16" wire as opposed to a big steel lintel or tying a regular lintel to the garage door header. It's a 16' door w/ approx 30" of brick above it. He's been doing this forever (as long as I've been alive if not longer) just now the building inspector has asked him to have it engineered. I've scoured all the books I have + the internet looking for resources. Any books, papers, direction? One that I can't find is the BIA Tech Notes 17h. Seems to be referenced in a lot of areas but I can't find it. Thanks.
RE: Brick Lintel
Not sure how you intend to use the 3/16" wire, but unless it is high strength and being used as pre-stressing or post-tensioning in some fashion, it isn't nearly enough.
Look as some of his other projects that have been in place for a while. I'd be surprised if they are all performing.
If you are doing the engineering on this, I can't imagine how you can get 3/16" wire to work with normal loading.
RE: Brick Lintel
Does your client have a detail of the proposed installation you caqn post that we can review?
I will have to admit though that I, too, am skeptical of the wire. I have used wire ties to hold the brick to the wall, resisting horizontal loads, but never vertical loads. That is the purpose of the steel lintel.
Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
RE: Brick Lintel
Please let us know if you find anything that even touches this tech only scanty. I would like to try it on my bay windows, which requires the lintel replaced.
RE: Brick Lintel
I'm very aware that because he's been doing it forever doesn't make it right - hence my research. His experience is that this performs much better than lagging the lintel to the garage door header and that it's much more economical than having a lintel sized appropriately.
He doesn't have a detail - what he does is take truss-type reinforcement and lay it in the mortar joint every-other course. The brick does sit on a 5x3-1/2x5/16" lintel and that is shored while the mortar cures.
Thanks for all comments. Jonathan
RE: Brick Lintel
RE: Brick Lintel
RE: Brick Lintel
RE: Brick Lintel
Client got this idea from a brick industry publication years ago. He's currently trying to find it so I can look at it.
RE: Brick Lintel
What he's proposing is common, provided the bricks are appropriately tied as Mike noted. For only the brick load, with ties, the angle picks up most of the load...not the bottom course of brick.
RE: Brick Lintel
Any references on how to design? I can't find any. He brought me the paper he's been using & it is for gable ends w/ a minimum height of the brick of at least 13" at the ends of the header. This seems to me that this design is relying on the arching of the brick much more than the reinforcing wire. This makes me a little concerned so I'd like to find a design reference so I can run the numbers on everything. Thanks. Jonathan
RE: Brick Lintel
RE: Brick Lintel
http://www.gobrick.com/html/frmset_thnt.htm
This isn't 17H but it does show the brick spanning vertically between supports (see the third paragraph under DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS). Also see the design example at the end of the page.
RE: Brick Lintel
RE: Brick Lintel
RE: Brick Lintel
It is not clear why he does not want to attach the steel angle to a header. Is that a big cost item? If it is, ask him to grout in #3 vertical ties, hooked top and bottom, through the holes in the brick at, say 24" centers. And, maybe a #3 bar horizontal top and bottom wouldn't hurt. The top bar should extend two feet beyond the edge of opening.
BA
RE: Brick Lintel
This is interesting... Maybe he doesn't want to tie the brick to the garage header because the deflection seen by the header is different than that seen by the brick/steel angle combination, if I understand the concept correctly. In other words, maybe the brick combination sees less deflection or movement with live load than the continuous dead load of the brick/steel lintel combo.
Am I making myself clear here? Maybe he has found less cracking of the brick veneer if this method is used. Just thinking out loud.
Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
RE: Brick Lintel
RE: Brick Lintel
We've detailed this connection many times but he doesn't like that due to experience.
Thanks again to everyone for your help.
RE: Brick Lintel
A positive connection to the steel angle would be a good start. Also, for wind pressure, wouldn't he need brick ties?
BA
RE: Brick Lintel
Not sure joint wire in a bed joint is permitted nor would I count on it as flexural reinforcement.
RE: Brick Lintel
It might be a good idea to cut a shallow channel in alternate bricks in the bottom course to improve the bond.
BA
RE: Brick Lintel
RE: Brick Lintel