Bracing for Masonry
Bracing for Masonry
(OP)
I have a three floor building with non-bearing exterior masonry walls serving as party walls for a building. The floor heights are 16', 12' and 12' with 8-inch cmu wall along three sides of the building. ACI-530 requires lateral and vertical bracing for a ratio (l/t or h/t) of 18. I can brace at columns but my columns are seperated by 20' to 24 feet apart. This requires bracing inbetween columns at least every 12'. There is on a 2"furring inside the building for the cmu walls. Is there a way to brace the cmu in other ways knowing these constraints?
The resisant virtues of the structure that we seek depend on their form; it is through their form that they are stable, not because of an awkward accumulation of material. There is nothing more noble and elegant from an intellectual viewpoint than this: to resist through form. Eladio Dieste






RE: Bracing for Masonry
DaveAtkins
RE: Bracing for Masonry
The resisant virtues of the structure that we seek depend on their form; it is through their form that they are stable, not because of an awkward accumulation of material. There is nothing more noble and elegant from an intellectual viewpoint than this: to resist through form. Eladio Dieste
RE: Bracing for Masonry
RE: Bracing for Masonry
The resisant virtues of the structure that we seek depend on their form; it is through their form that they are stable, not because of an awkward accumulation of material. There is nothing more noble and elegant from an intellectual viewpoint than this: to resist through form. Eladio Dieste
RE: Bracing for Masonry
Dick
Engineer and international traveler interested in construction techniques, problems and proper design.
RE: Bracing for Masonry
Let me ask you this. Can portions of a cmu be design to function as a column that can serve as a brace that is part of a wall? Using bond deep bond beams within the wall can serve as vertical support as long as they attach to the main structure?
The resisant virtues of the structure that we seek depend on their form; it is through their form that they are stable, not because of an awkward accumulation of material. There is nothing more noble and elegant from an intellectual viewpoint than this: to resist through form. Eladio Dieste
RE: Bracing for Masonry
Maybe this would be clearer to you if you just think of the wall as a slab, but vertically oriented rather than horizontally. None of us would have a problem with spanning an 8" reinforced slab 16', so a wall can do the same, provided it is adequately reinforced.
RE: Bracing for Masonry
I understand what they are saying, it just I think there needs to be a way to brace the wall. The concept is lost on me.
The resisant virtues of the structure that we seek depend on their form; it is through their form that they are stable, not because of an awkward accumulation of material. There is nothing more noble and elegant from an intellectual viewpoint than this: to resist through form. Eladio Dieste
RE: Bracing for Masonry
Those are empirical requirements that can be ignored if you properly engineer the masonry. Design the masonry for the 16' floor to floor height.
DaveAtkins