Maximum height of concrete masonry walls

[JAE]

Is there technically a maximum height limit somewhere? For empirical design there is but for engineered masonry can we go as high as the numbers take us?

For example, a 36 ft. high 8" thick reinforced CMU wall - interior - with only 5 psf on it laterally and no vertical loading except for self-weight.

The numbers work, even taking into account some "extra" out of plane second order effects. But it seems, well, too thin to me.

 

[ash060]

I have seen an interior 6" stud wall 30' feet high. I am guessing that a masonry wall can go a little higher.

 

[woodman88]

This is from my Standard Handbook for Civil Engineers 3th ed. (1983) section 15-11 Masonry Walls. “Stability... ... Nonbearing masonry partitions should be supported laterally at distances not exceeding 36 times the actual thickness of the partition, including plaster.”
This says it can not be done. But, I would look it a more current Standard before saying that it can not be done.

Garth Dreger PE - AZ Phoenix area
As EOR's we should take the responsibility to design our structures to support the components we allow in our design per that industry standards.

 

[dik]

Canadian code, kh/t for columns <= 30, and walls can be greater... as long as the numbers bear it out.

Dik

 

[JedClampett]

ACI 530 has taken out all the good common sense h/30 limits. It's been replaced by practical limits where you just can't reinforce a wall enough over a certain height. I try to stay pretty close to h/30, but have strayed to h/34 or h/36 on occasion. With the LRFD methods it can be done pretty easily.

 

[JAE]

Jed - aren't H/34 or H/36 shorter, tighter limits?

 

[woodman88]

H/30 = 8", H=240"; H/34 = 8", H = 272"; H/36 = 8", H = 288".

Garth Dreger PE - AZ Phoenix area
As EOR's we should take the responsibility to design our structures to support the components we allow in our design per that industry standards.

 

[JedClampett]

I meant h/t less than 30. I've went to 32 and 34 on occasion.
Garth translated well for me. We Arizona residents need to stick together.

 

[UcfSE]

I don't know of any max limits on engineered masonry, as long as the numbers work out. Construction maybe difficult on a wall that tall and slender, but I wouldn't know how to explicitly account for that.

 

[JAE]

Garth - sorry and thanks. Brain fart.