Masonry and the act of building with masonry are today adopted only in constructions with monumental architectural characteristics. It is composed of stone blocks, usually with the external face worked, connected to each other with pins and clamps. The raw material is created by throwing pieces of stone and mortar haphazardly into specific formwork or foundation trenches and is constructed with squared or irregular stone pieces without the interposition of mortar.

In brick masonry, we can distinguish: knife masonry, used only for dividing walls, whose thickness is equal to the minimum thickness of the bricks; one or more head masonry, having the thickness of one or more brick heads; Gothic and Flemish masonry, with a load-bearing function, consisting of a masonry of bricks or blocks of cementitious conglomerate, generally hollow, made suitable to withstand significant bending and shear stresses from iron rods placed between the rows both horizontally and vertically; pre-compressed masonry, a masonry structure in which vertical steel bars are inserted, which, tensioned before the mortar hardens, cause the compression of the masonry making it suitable for bearing tensile and shear stresses.

Types of Masonry Constructions

This type of construction presents what is called abox behavior that differentiates a masonry construction, for example, from a frame one; this phenomenon forms because the various walls must actively collaborate with each other, ensuring the safety of the entire structure.

A wall to which a force is applied out of plane will resist much less than a wall to which a force is applied in its plane. In this case, the wall parallel to the direction of the force acts as a bracing element, i.e., it undergoes the action of horizontal forces in that sense. Thus, masonry sees a fusion of elements that collaborate together, ensuring the safety of the entire structure.

Besides bracing walls, there are so-called load-bearing walls that bear vertical loads. In any case, to ensure adequate static behavior, all walls must fulfill, as far as possible, both the load-bearing and bracing functions.

Masonry buildings, to ensure better cohesion between the walls, can be equipped with steel elements called "tie rods" that connect parallel walls at the floor level.

Masonry buildings must be constructed with attention, ensuring the collaboration of all architectural elements. It is necessary to ensure symmetry and structural compactness with more attention than for other materials. It is essential to avoid excessive distance between walls or excessive room height because regularity in elevation must also be ensured, for example, by ensuring the alignment between load-bearing masonry and openings.

Applications of Brick Masonry:

• Load-bearing or structural brick masonry;
• Non-load-bearing or infill brick masonry;
• Brick masonry for internal dividers.

Brick Masonry

For the durability of the construction for all multi-layer brick masonry, it is necessary to know the limits within which it is certain not to have interstitial condensation. Multi-layer brick masonry, in relation to the stratigraphy and the type of insulating material inserted in the cavity, may be more susceptible to this risk, which must therefore be prevented and eliminated by adopting appropriate measures.

Single-Layer Brick Masonry

Single-layer brick masonry is certainly the most used solution for the construction of porous brick masonry as it allows to fully exploit all its advantages. In this case, the thickness of the masonry varies from a minimum of 25 cm to a maximum of 45 cm, and single-layer load-bearing or infill walls can be realized.

Multi-Layer Brick Masonry with Cavity

With multi-layer constructions, it is possible to create double load-bearing or infill walls, with better thermal and not only performances, compared to those obtainable with traditional brick elements.

Multi-Layer Brick Masonry with Exposed External Masonry with or without Cavity

In such solutions, brick masonry generally has a thickness between 20 and 30 cm, but it is obviously possible to use even greater masonry thicknesses; the exposed layer can be mounted directly against the wall or by creating a cavity.

RA-MA's Interventions

RA-MA is dedicated to providing architectural masonry elements for your home. Working to the best from the beginning, using quality materials, ensuring professionalism and assistance, these are the characteristics that have immediately granted us the trust and esteem of many customers. Ancient bricks, special terracotta pieces terracotta, limestone, and strong stone for dry stone walls, cornices, curbs, and stone steps: these are the quality creations of our company for you. Contact us for a quote or visit our website to learn more!