Mortarless Masonry_Symposium_2010-03-30

MCAA Chair in Masonry Systems | 2nd Masonry Mini Symposium | University of Alberta | March 30, 2010

“Design and Construction ofMortarless Interlocking Masonry”

Prepared by:

Jesse Edwards, Mina Gayed, Michael Pyra, & Tisbeth Rodriguez


Goals Part I

– Introduction: what is mortarless masonry?– Why was it introduced and what are its

benefits?– Currently available systems– Design example

Part II– Construction aspects

• Applications and limitations

– Productivity and cost comparisons– Case study


Introduction: What is mortarless masonry?

Eliminates the use of mortar in head and bed joints

Geometric interlocking mechanisms

Reinforced and grouted Post-tensioned and surface

bonded Manufactured with tighter

tolerances for alignment


Current Systems AvailableName of System (Country, Year)

Block Type (Material)

Interlocking Mechanism

Reinforcement Type

Haener (USA, 1975) Hollow (concrete)

Nibs in bed joint, T&G in head joint

Vertical & horizontal

Sparlock (Canada, 1986)

Hollow (concrete)

Geometric interlocking and

stackingVertical

Mecano (Peru, 1998) Hollow (concrete) No interlocking* Vertical &

horizontal

Sparfil (Canada, 1989)

Hollow (light- weight

concrete)No interlocking* None

Whelan-Hatzinikolas-Drexel

(USA, 1992)Hollow

(concrete)Rounded dovetail lug on head joint Vertical

Azar (Canada, 1997*)

Hollow (concrete)

3 mechanisms: web key, head and bed

joint face shell interlocking

Vertical & horizontal

Silblock (India, 1999) Solid (concrete) Geometric

interlocking Vertical


Masonry Statistics

60% of traditional masonry construction is skilled labour

Average age of a skilled mason in the U.S.A. and Canada is 56 years old. (National Concrete Masonry

Association)

– Influx of young skilled masons in industry is decreasing

Traditional crew consists of 3 masons and 1 labourer; the crew is reversed for mortarless masonry

Ex: Construction of house foundation– 3 unskilled labourers can construct a 1,200 block foundation in

4-5 hours Up to 10X faster than traditional masonry and cast in place concrete!


Some Benefits

Significant labour savings Contractors win owners win Multitude of applications: commercial,

industrial, and residential projects All weather construction Fuels masonry growth in

the building sector Establish masonry as

a competitive material!!


Design Aspects Given a shear wall:

– 200 mm block, fully grouted– 3.2 m long and 10.0 m high– Dead load: 300 kN– Shear: 200 kN & moment of 1200 kN-m

Given a flexure wall:– 200 mm block, fully grouted– 4.0 m high– Dead load: 150 kN/m– Live load: 100 kN/m

Design with 30 MPa blocks for both the traditional and Azar systems using vertical reinforcement of 15M bars @ 400 c/c


Design AspectsShear Wall Flexure Wall (per meter)

Traditional Mortarless Traditional Mortarless

Axial Resistance (kN) 3348 4315 1047 1348

Moment Strength (kN-m) 1660 1680 19.5 22.3

Shear Reinforcement Yes (15M at 600mm c/c) No N/A N/A

Diagonal Shear (kN) 270 480 N/A N/A

Sliding Shear (kN) 542 542 115 115

Mortarless masonry is equal to or exceeds traditional masonry strength!

Note: Mortarless values are based on Azar Block design.


PART II - Construction


“Traditional” Applications

The North American market: – Haener: individual consumer use (primarily

Los Angeles), variable commercial applications

– Sparlock: firewall construction– Azar: house foundations and firewall

construction The untapped potential of these systems is

huge Large industrial and commercial applications

of these systems have only become more common in the last decade


Integrated Systems

Integrated Masonry Systems Inc. (IMSI): cavities for insulation and electrical wires

Durisol and Faswall: Portland cement and mineralized wood fibre for high R-value and ease of handling

Primarily residential applications

IMSI

Faswall


Limitations

Regional building code restrictions– Ex: Azar Block review by the Canadian

Construction Materials Center (CCMC) for compliance with NBCC:

• Buildings up to 3 storeys and an area of 600 m²• Wall construction must be fully grouted• Basement walls cannot exceed 2.5 m in height• Exterior above-grade walls and interior load-

bearing walls are limited to 20 times the wall thickness

Challenges posed by high initial settlement and attaining plumb


Productivity and Cost Comparison

Two identical commercial buildings in Edmonton, AB; one built traditionally and the other with the Azar system: – 15 m (W) x 50 m (L) x 4 m (H)– 200 mm x 200 mm x 400 mm units– 20M vertical bars at 600 mm spacing– Grouted every third core (Azar fully grouted)– Traditional team: 3M-1L (30 blocks/hr)– Azar team: 1M-3L (300 blocks/hr)


Productivity and Cost Comparison

Time = 1377 hrs (34.4 wks) Time = 505 hrs (12.6 wks)

$141,174

$212,511

$888

MaterialLabourEquipment

$189,360

$76,073

$2,536

MaterialLabourEquipment

$141,174

$189,360 TraditionalAzar $212,511

$76,073

TraditionalAzar

Material Comparison Labour Comparison

Traditional Construction = $354,573 Azar Mortarless System = $267,969


2,952 sq. ft. residence

Built in 2006 FlexLock Wall

System Post-tensioned walls

Case Study: Magnolia, Texas



Laying the First Two Courses

Dry-Stacking the Walls



Pouring the Bond Beam Tensioning the Wall


Case Study: Magnolia, Texas FlexLock performed a comparative cost

analysis based on installed cost of standard 8" masonry in the region:– Total masonry costs declined by 24%– Productivity increased by 120%.


Condos in Bois-Franc Community, Montreal

Constructed using the Sparlock Interlocking Building System

Mortarless Construction in Canada


Besser Proneq machine shop in Quebec City

Sparlock blocks use for the building envelope

Mortarless Construction in Canada


Conclusion

The structural capacity of mortarless blocks is comparable to standard concrete masonry units

Not suitable for all applications Mortarless construction is more efficient and

cost-effective than conventional masonry Mortarless units are becoming more readily

available and have been implemented in many projects around the world


Questions?

Sacsahuaman, Peru -1423 A.D.

“ Arguably, the biggest change in the world of concrete masonry units is the mortarless system.”

(Masonry Magazine)

Documents

Mortarless Masonry_Symposium_2010-03-30