Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
(OP)
Got a call from an architect earlier today about this situation with an existing clay tile wall from 1915. The contractor was removing and replacing the brick veneer because the veneer was bowing out, when they discovered that the clay tile was in really bad shape. The tile appears to be T-shaped, probably 10” deep (hard to tell). I have attached some picture to see if anyone has ever seen a tile like this.
I am trying to get a hold of some masonry restoration contractors to get some opinions, but also want to do my homework. So, in terms of fixes, short of demo and replacing what other options would we have?
I am trying to get a hold of some masonry restoration contractors to get some opinions, but also want to do my homework. So, in terms of fixes, short of demo and replacing what other options would we have?






RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
Another question is: what is the shape of the wall below grade? It may not be practical to preserve the clay tile.
One possibility is to use pneumatically placed concrete (shotcrete or gunite) to fill up all the voids in the clay tile with brick ties secured to the new concrete. Any soft clay tile would have to be removed first. There should be enough roughness in the clay tile to get a decent bond to the new concrete.
I would be sorely tempted to remove and replace the existing bearing wall. This could be done in small sections so that the entire wall does not have to come down at once.
BA
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
Structural clay tile was fine a hundred years ago, but we've learned a few things since then.
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
BTW, on the other side of the wall is a gym. So the bottom of the interior FF is probably 12' below the bottom of this wall. Without drawings its hard to tell what the below grade construction is but there is a brick layer along the entire height of the wall on the inside.
@ BARetired: grouting inside the cells would have to take place horizontally. I am not sure how easy would that be plus I am wondering if shrinkage of the grout within the cells would a problem.
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
If this is a brick building with concrete floors as I suspect, with that degree of degredation on a supposed bearing wall, I would expect to see at least two things:
1. Cracking in the top of the floor slab at the first interior support, and
2. Local diagonal cracking of the brick wall above the floor slab.
Did you not any distress like either of these things?
If you don't wee it, either it has not deteriorated far enough, which I seriously doubt, or the wall is nt a bearing wall, but an infill wall, perhaps with some intermittent black iron pipe columns intermittently cast into the wall, with a CIP concrete beam over.
Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
http://mmcengineering.tripod.com
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
Sorry, but I still think either the steel beam is cantilevered, or there is an embedded pipe column in the wall.
Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
http://mmcengineering.tripod.com
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
BA
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
BA
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
With that size of steel beam, I would also doubt that the clay tile could take such a load.
Clay tile like that traditionally was used as a basic infill wall material and not as a structural bearing wall unless the tile was laid upright with vertical cells and lots of vertical walls. In this case, being laid sideways, there was only the outer face shells to take any vertical load.
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
BTW - The properties of the Bethlehem 28 x 105 are listed on page 44 of "AISC Iron & Steel Beams, 1873 to 1952" which you can download from this page of my website:
http://www.slideruleera.net/contributions.html
www.SlideRuleEra.net
www.VacuumTubeEra.net
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
Despite the orientation, the clay block have been used for decades for moderate loads because of the multiple cells since they were normally laid in a full mortar bed. I have seen 4 story apartment buildings built using similar units in the last 15 years. The details are not the "canned" American details/concepts, but they do work well.
I owned a architecturally significant home that was built in 1917. The structural walls were very similar 10" thick clay block with horizontal tiles. One story flat roof with interior roof drains. The foundation as the old 12x6x24 concrete block. The ceiling heights were 9'+ plus the tile continued up about 3' to support the real roof (that carried the external snow loads) and was pitched to the center to the interior drains. The interior of the exterior walls was full 2x4s with horse hair insulation and then lath and plaster with a 1/8" "china coat". The exterior was stucco. No money was spared in construction and the pristine birch Greek 10" dental trim was never stained or varnished, but was painted from day one, just as all trim was. As an example, the 8'x10' sun room had 8 casement windows with copper weatherstripped interior windows that had to be changed seasonally.
As far as the original poster's subject property, it appears the recent modifications were not well carried out (an abortion?)and the clay was used as just an existing minor support material with little regard to drainage, which caused the deterioration. In the short term, a weatherproof cementitious coating combined with correction of water control with provide years of life until the ultimate use of the aging structure can be determined.
Dick
Engineer and international traveler interested in construction techniques, problems and proper design.
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
Sliderule: Thanks for both the links.
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
The area has been shored and I'll let the masonry restoration guy figure out how to replace the damaged tiles. Personally I want to replace the whole wall but that may be impractical. I do want to put a steel column under the beam, the idea of two point loads coming down on this "pier" bothers me, but then again it has been around for 97 years.
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
BA
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
Then, outside of the (almost useless wall), add a vertical column of good steel - well-anchored into a new concrete pad - to hold up the beam.
That is, you try to transfer the weight of the load + beam from the wall to the extended beam at both ends (both ends and the middle (if possible.) Yes, you'd have to jack "up" the beam 1/16 to 1/32 to actually transfer the load, but the small risk of excess cracking as the beam is lifted is balanced by the current "down" cracking settlement already has caused.
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
It would be incredible if the clay tile wall is carrying a large load without help.
BA
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
I don't understand how it worked for 97 years!
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
BA
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
RE: Load bearing clay tile wall-1915
Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
http://mmcengineering.tripod.com