Rebar in CMU walls 1946 building? 3

[androvers]

What are the chances that a building constructed in 1946 has rebar or other reinforcement in the CMU walls?

 

[concretemasonry]

Where are you located and what kind of structure? That may provide a clue. There is a wide range of code standards and traditions.

Dick

Engineer and international traveler interested in construction techniques, problems and proper design.

 

[androvers]

Portland Oregon, the building is a commercial warehouse with CMU exterior walls and a bowstring truss roof structure.

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Go rent an X-ray machine to find out...

Or cut out a small section

 

[concretemasonry]

If you can isolate the critical area, an site exploration may be the most reliable and best course.

I there are many possibly critical area, an X-ray or metal detector may give a better idea of the range of construction differences.

Just after WWII, the banks started looking closely at the codes since they had a lot of money lent out and this instigated many code changes and requirements.

Dick

Engineer and international traveler interested in construction techniques, problems and proper design.

 

[msquared48]

Maybe horizontal K-web, but if the cells are not grouted, then no vertical steel.

Government warehose structures of this era that I have examined have had none.

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering

 

[androvers]

Thank you all for the help, i am off to rent the x-ray machine.

 

[hokie66]

10-1 there is no reinforcement.

 

[JLNJ]

Ground penetrating radar is a fairly inexpensive method which will help confirm that hokie is right.

 

[msquared48]

A hammer is a lot less expensive.

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering

 

[RockEngineer]

At the naval base in Western Washington State where I work they let a contract out about 20 years ago to tear down an old pre WWII masonry building. Everyone assumed it was unreinforced due to the time period and there was no mention of reinforcement in the building drawings. The contractor went bankrupt trying to tear down the building because there was so much reinforcement in the walls and the job was much bigger than planned. It was easier to fix than tear down. Some of the building is still in use today.

The moral of the story. Don't assume. Today there are good methods of assuring you have what you think.