Ceram guide provides advice on masonry wall design

Ceram has published the 'Design Guide for Masonry Reinforced by Bond Beams and Columns to Resist Lateral Load', superseding the original, which covered the use of bond beams only.

The guide is the result of a four-year research and test programme to evaluate reinforced, full-size walls strengthened against lateral load and provides advice and recommendations for the design of masonry walls incorporating bond beams and columns.

The publication expands upon the guidance in BS 5628 and EC6 and was validated through the extensive testing and analysis performed at the Ceram laboratories; the results have been published internationally.

Traditionally, large-span single-leaf concrete blockwork walls that are subjected to significant wind loads are subdivided by the use of wind posts.

However, a new system has been devised for masonry walls.

In the new system, the vertical span is split through the introduction of horizontal reinforced bond beams that span between the main structural columns at intervals up the wall height.

Shear transfer rods, a method of providing additional support for walls, ensure that the courses above and below the bond beams act compositely.

Horizontal spans are similarly subdivided by vertically reinforced hollow blocks, which are concreted to form bond columns.

'The original guide provided a basis for the wall designs of the East London Goods Terminal at the Kings Cross Railway Station development, while the extended guide has supplied the basis for the walls of the 2012 Olympic Games Aquatics Centre,' said Dr Geoff Edgell, principal consultant of construction at Ceram.

To download the new guide, visit www.ceram.com/structures.

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