johnson drennan 3501 fall 2008 web

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ARCH 3501 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

COLLEGE OF ARC

TEXAS TECH UNIVERSIT

STUDIOSTRUCTURAL MATERIALS RESEARCH CATALOGUECONTRIBUTORSMarshall Drennan and Cody Johnson

MASONRY


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History and Architects

MASONRYHistory - 00


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Masonry is one of if not the oldest style of construction. The pyramids and stone hendge are

thought to be the oldest existing structures in the world. Masonry has been used t hroughout time

for nearly every precident and has preformed many different uses.

History

Hisoryofmasonry

MASONRYHistory - 03


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Masonry has preformed many different uses throught history. its solidity has made it a form of

protection such as in the great wall of china, while its compressive force has made it used to

erect tall alters to gods.

History

Hisoryofmasonry

MASONRYHistory - 04


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The arch is a construction form that transitions forces outward through its form to its base while

in compression. the romans where one of the rst cultures to use and master the form of the

arch and its spanning capabilities. Traditionaly arches where always constructed out of masonry.

In order for masonry to span its greatest distance it must b built in the form of an arch.

The arch

Hisoryofmasonry:

thearch

MASONRYHistory - 05


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Antonio Gaudi was an architect and master mason in spain. His works are constructed entirely

out of masonry. Among his most famous works would be Sagrada Familia. Which is still under-

construction after 100 years.

Architects

Hisoryofmasonry:

architects

MASONRYHistory - 01


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Eladio Dieste was an architect and master mason in uraguay in the late 20th century. His design

for the tower of the obrero church is what gave us the design for the cantalivered stair. Dieste

has taken contemporary masonry to a new level with the works that he has created.

Architects

Hisoryofmasonry:

architects

MASONRYHistory - 02


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MASONRY

EQUIPMENT - 00

EQUIPMENT

StructuralResearc

hMaterialsCatalogue

Materials Necessary for Masonry Construcition


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MASONRY

EQUIPMENT - 01

There are many different kinds of bricks out in the world. All are good with compression but

some are stronger than others and some are even designed differently. The differences can be

caused by many different factors such as: the chemical composition of t he clay used ot make

the brick, how hot and long the bricks are red, and even how they are cooled. Also, some

bricks are made with holes in them to make them lighter or for a place for a tensional steel rod to

pass through the structure.

For our project we chose a simple paving brick that is smaller than normal brick which allowed

us to make smaller structures even though we were using real brick blocks. Being able to use

the real bricks was a very good learning experience.

Brick

MaterialsNecessaryforMasonryConstruction


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MASONRY

EQUIPMENT - 02

Mortar is the glue that holds the masonry material together. Just like bricks there are many

different kinds of mortar to choose from. The mortar that is used needs to be strong enough

for whatever kind of load that it will be used for. Some mortars are only good for small garden

walls while other mortars are specically designed for enormous loads. The mortar starts out in

a liquid state and has to dry to a state where it is expected to be just as compressively strong as

the bricks it holds together. Also, some mortars dont have any sand which must be added later

to the mixture. the ratios for the mortar sand ratio vary but in out test we found that 1:2 workedbest. When adding water to the mortar mixture one only wants to add just enough to where if

the mixture was stirred in the bucket it would be easy to stir but the mixture would not fall at

after the stirring.

Mortar



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MASONRY

EQUIPMENT - 03

Frame work could be made of a few other materials but wood is usually chosen. Wood is

the preferred framework because ti is quick and easy to work with, especially as a temporary

structure. The framework is what is required to hold up whatever one is building so that the

mortar has time to dry. In this case of an arch the framework is also necessary to hold all the

parts up until the structure is complete because an arch requires all parts to be in place before it

can be successful. Wood also comes in many shapes and sizes (refer to the wood chapter for

specics). For larger arches the solid wood support is not recommended and never really used.Instead the frame is made of wood trusses with an outer curved section to hold up the masonry

work. Once the masonry has been placed and the mortar has had time to dry then framework

can be taken away leaving a very strong compressive structure.

Framework

(Wood)



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MASONRY

EQUIPMENT - 04

Re-Bar is metal tubes that are used to give a compressive material such as mortar or concrete

tensile strength. Usually the Steel is concealed which gives an aesthetic quality to the com-

pressive form making it look as though it is defying its fundamental propertires. Re-bar is tied

together using small thin strips of metal and a special tool almost like a twist tie to seal the bread

wrapping. Re-Bar is denately not always necessary in masonry construction but is used at

times when needed.

Re-Bar



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MASONRY

EQUIPMENT - 05

On our rst attempts at masonry construction we tried the use of wooden sticks to stir and apply

the mortar. These worked okay at rst but then we began to mix larger batches and need better

application. The sticks often broke in the mixing of the mortar and worse yet when trying to ap-

ply mortar to the bricks it often prefered to stick to the wood. We then invested in a trowel. This

is a tool specically designed for masonry construction and mortar application. The trowel, even

though not a mixer, worked very well for mixing the mortar because it easily went to the bottom

of the bucket and would not break. But, best of all the trowel was perfect for applying mortar.We could gather a large amount of mortar on the trowel and it would slide right off like it was on

ice. The trowel made work much easier, quicker, and more efcient.

Tools

MaterialsNecessa

ryforMasonryConstruction


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MASONRY

EQUIPMENT - 06

There needs to be some kind of container that is used to mix the mortar on large scale projects

it isnt usually a bucket but a portable cement mixer that keeps the morter ready for use and

mixed easily by just pouring in the ingredients. However, we chose to go the hard way and use

a home depot ve gallon bucket and a trowel. there are also attachments to a drill that could be

used to mix the mortar in a bucket or wheel barrow for you.

The last tool necessary is the special tool designed to twist the re-bar ties. The re-bar ties have

a loop on each end and you thread the tool through both loops and then just spin it around until

it gets tight around the re-bar. We had to be careful through because the tool was so efcient

that we broke many of the ties by spinning them too tight.

Tools

(Cont.)

MaterialsNecessa

ryforMasonryConstruction


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MASONRY

CONSTRUCTION - 00

Process of

Construction

StructuralMaterialsResearchCatalogue

The Method Used in Masonry Construction


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MASONRY

CONSTRUCTION - 01

Construction materials seem cheap at rst but when you end up having to buy a whole lot of

them the cost really adds up. Home Depot and Lowes dont ever have any extra bricks to give

away. However, we found out from Fred that Acme and other brick supply stores around lub-

bock will practically give away there left overs or wrong color bricks, especially to needy archi-

tecture students. Anyway, nding leftovers and asking politely is a much cheaper way of getting

small amounts of construction material than going to a store such as home depot.

Buying

Materials

TheMethodUsed

inMasonryConstruction


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MASONRY

CONSTRUCTION - 02

The Frame work is a very important part of the construction process. we used plywood, two by

fours and re-bar in our framework. We cut the plywood with a jigsaw once we had drawn on the

catenary arch adn then connected the two sides with t wo by fours running through the center.

We then made stands for the cantilevered steps. Also, we had to cut our strips of re-bar to size

so they would t inside the steps without poking out.

Making

Formwork

TheMethodUsed



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MASONRY

CONSTRUCTION - 03

For our construction sites we chose open spaces that were relatively out of the ow of trafc,

clean, and especially that were at and level. We then cleared away all debree and put down

paper under our projects to protect the ground from falling mortar and so that we wouldnt actu-

ally attach our projects to the ground. Picking the site is very important because you dont want

the project to be t oo succeptable to the weather, or people who might intentionally knock it over.

Preparing

the Site

TheMethodUsed



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MASONRY

CONSTRUCTION - 04

The mortar was one of the most difcult parts to get right. First of all the sand mortar ratio had

to be right, but in the structural mortar which we used at the end luckily the sand was already

mixed in. To mix the mortar all was had were hand tools such as a trowel and wood sticks. This

really wore out our arms because of all the diicult mixing. However towards the end of the

projects it was almost insticnt on how much water to add and exaclty what would be the right

consistency for the type of brick laying we were doing.

Mixing

the Mortar

TheMethodUsed


i


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MASONRY

CONSTRUCTION - 05

Laying brick was more tricky than we though it would originally be. One key is to make sure that

there is plenty of mortar so that the brick actually pushes it out of the sides. This ensures that

the whole brick on the bottom is covered. The trowel also works best so that the mortar only

sticks to the bricks instead of what you are using to apply it, which can take the applied mortar

right back off the brick. we were trying to use our hands to make sure that the bricks stayed

clean but that is something that comes better with experience.

Laying

Brick

TheMethodUsed



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Failures

MASONRYFAILURES - 00

Attempt one MASONRY


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This was our rst attempt at an arch. This blind attempt ended in a failure of the arch due to the

construction technique. bricks where not allined in a fassion as to transition forces from the top

to the base, there where no pinicals to hold the base of the arch from expanding and no denant

keystone to contain the forces of compression.

Attempt one

Failureattemptoneatarchconstruction



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Corner detail MASONRY


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The corner detail failed due to the type of morter uses. After the bricks had dryed they where

able to be pulled apart easily. From this initial test and rst construction with bricks we learned

the importance of morter strenght in masonry construction.

Corner detail

Failurecornerde

tailofbrick


MASONRYSuccess


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MASONRY

SUCCESSES - 00Models

StructuralMaterialsResearchCatalogue

The Succesful Models that Led to our Final Project

MASONRYArch


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SUCCESSES - 01

We nally had success on our arch. we were able to achieve this success by waiting 2 hours

before we removed the formwork which allowed the mortar to have time to set up while still

allowing it to dry under pressure. the other secret that we learned was to build it standing up

with formwork instead of trying to cheat the system by building it on its side on the ground then

standing it up.

(Construction)

TheSuccesfulModelsthatledtotheFinalProject

MASONRYArch


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SUCCESSES - 02

The arch was able to hold one of our classmates, Jasmine, with no problem at all. It could not,

however, hold Marshall (230 lbs). The point at which it faled was the single layer on the top

where it bowed at and broke at the mortar seems. We concluded that our nal project woudl

have pleant of strength with the better mortar and the thinest point being 5 layers of brick thick.

(Weight Held)

TheSuccesfulModelsthatledtotheFinalProject

MASONRYCantilevered


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SUCCESSES - 03

To test the cantilevered step idea we built a model and used rebar in between to layers of brick

running diganollay through the steps. we chose this patter because it gave each step two

pieces of re-bar going into them and then the re-bar would travel all the way to the other side to

help balance out the forces from side to side.

Step

(Construction)

TheSuccesfulM

odelsthatledtotheFinalProject

MASONRY

SUCCESSES 04

Cantilevered

St


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SUCCESSES - 04

The step was able to hold Marshall (230 lbs) standing on the ver edge of one of the steps no

problem. Then i tried to jump on it and thats when it broke. We deduced that it would still be

very structurally sound for our nal project because the mortar was not as strong as the struc-

tural mortar and it had to dry during a day that saw eight inches of rain. the new steps are still

standing even with people jumping on them.

Step

(Weight Held)

TheSuccesfulM

odelsthatledtotheFinalProject

MASONRYFINAL PROJECT - 00


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The Arch Final Project

FINAL PROJECT - 00

Design MFINAL PRO


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The origional design for the nal structure came from this origional sketch of a cantalivered stair

spanning by use of an arch. The cantaliver came f rom a design by Eladio Dieste ( reference ar-

chitects page) in which a cantalivered spiral stair case lines a tower. As we progressed in design

the model progressed into an eight foot span at 4 feet above the ground. with stair steps up the

sides and cantalivered stairs at the top.

Finalprojectdes

ignofthestructure

FINAL PRO

Materials MFINAL PRO


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For materials for the nal project we used garden brick, plywood sheets to make the frame, two

by fours to create a brase for the cantalivers, rebar, and 80 pound bags of type S construction

morter.

Finalprojectmaterialsusedinconstruction

FINAL PRO

Preparation MFINAL PRO


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Prior to construction wooden framework had to be prepaired. Using the catnary arch we cut t he

main framework. Then four braces where constructed to hold the cantalivered stairs in place

while their morter dried.

FinalprojectPre

perationpriortoconstruction

Construction MFINAL PRO


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After the initial framwork was erected construction began by laying one brick at a time and ap-

plying morter. The design called for a double layered arch with a emish bond of bricks on the

outside pinicals.

FinalprojectConstruction



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As the arch approched the keystone a single brick was too thin and two bricks where too thick.

to properly have a keystone we had to cut bricks to the proper size using a hammer. Above the

keystone the emish bond continues from the pinicals above the arch to provide extra support.

FinalprojectConstructionofthekeystone



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The support braces where cut to exactly the height of the base of the cantalivered stair. Each

step had rebar inbetween the morter and extruded away from the arch. Four butraces where

placed at the base of the arch so that when weight is applyed to the cantalivers the arch would

not fall to that side.

FinalprojectConstructionofthecantaliveredstair

Testing MFINAL PRO


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After letting the morter dry for two days we removed the framework, to test we placed controled

weight with our hands on different locations on the arch to make sure there is no structural fail-

ure. We then proceded to walk on the arch and it proved that it could hold the wight of a person.

Finalprojecttes

tingforstability


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johnson drennan 3501 fall 2008 web

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