References, Bibliography and Glossary

Glossary

ACCESSORY UNT

Unit which is shaped to provide a particular function, e.g. to complete the geometry of the masonry.

actual size
Size of a unit as measured.
aggregate concrete masonry unitMasonry unit manufactured from cementitious binder,
aggregates and water which may contain admixtures, additions,
colouring pigments and other materials incorporated or applied during or subsequent to unit manufacture.

BAND COURSE

Plain contrasting course, that may be one of a number of courses, flush, projecting or recessed, carried horizontally along the face of a building or other structure.

BED JOINT

Horizontal joint in masonry.

BOND[of materials] adhesion between materials.bond1[of masonry units] arrangement of masonry units.

BURNISHED FINISH

A ground, satin finish.

CAPPING

Construction that protects the top of a wall, but does not shed rainwater clear of the surfaces of the wall beneath.

CATEGORY I MASONRY UNITS

Units with a declared compressive strength with a probability of failure to reach it not exceeding 5%. This may be determined via the mean or characteristic value.

CATEGORY II MASONRY UNITS

Units not intended to comply with the level of confidence of Category I units.

CAVITY TRAY

Damp proof course that bridges a wall cavity to lead moisture to the external face of a wall.

CAVITY WALL 2

Wall of two leaves effectively tied together and with a space between them.

CAVITY WALL INSULATION

Thermal insulation material positioned in a cavity.

CAVITY WALL TIE

Preformed component built into the two leaves of a cavity wall to link them.

CHARACTERISTIC COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH OF MASONRY UNITS

Compressive strength corresponding to a 5% lower fractile of the compressive strength of masonry units.

CLOSER

Portion of a masonry unit used to maintain bond.

COLLAR JOINT

Wall joint within a wall or vertical joint between walls built in parallel, continuous throughout height and length.

COLLAR WALL JOINT3

Wall of two leaves (not more than 25mm apart and effectively tied together) that enable both exposed faces to be built fair faced.

COMMON MASONRY UNIT

Masonry unit normally intended for use with no faces left visible.

CO-ORDINATING SIZE

Size of a co-ordinating space allocated to a masonry unit including allowances for joints.

COPING

Construction that protects the top of a wall, balustrade or parapet and sheds rainwater clear of the surfaces beneath.

COURSE

Single layer of masonry units of uniform height, including the bed joint.

CROSS JOINT

Joint, other than a bed joint, usually at right angles to the face of the wall.

DAMP-PROOF COURSE (D.P.C.)

Device, usually comprising a layer or strip of material, placed within a wall, chimney or similar construction to prevent passage of moisture.

DECLARED VALUE

Value that a manufacturer is confident of achieving, bearing in mind the precision of the test and the variability of the manufacturing process.

DIAPHRAGM WALL

Wall of two leaves of masonry, separated by a wide cavity, but connected by vertical webs of masonry to improve structural performance.

DRIP

Projection below a horizontal surface that prevents water flowing back to a wall.

EFFLORESCENCE

Crystalline deposit of salts on a surface as a result of the evaporation of water from a salt solution.

EXPOSED MASONRY UNIT

Facing masonry unit exposed to external climatic conditions without render or other equivalent protection.

FACING MASONRY UNIT

Masonry unit intended for use with one or more faces left visible and which may or may not be exposed to external climatic conditions.

FACTORY-MADE MASONRY MORTAR4

Mortar that is batched and mixed in a factory.

FAIR FACED

Surface built neatly and evenly without applied finish.

FIXED SUPPORT

Support to the edge of a wall that restrains the wall against lateral movement and also substantially against rotation.

FREE-STANDING WALL

Wall or part of a wall, exposed on both faces, that stands above any horizontal lateral support.

HEADER

Shorter face of a masonry unit showing on the face of a wall.

HOLE

Formed void which may or may not pass completely through a masonry unit.

HYDRAULICALLY WET PRESSED MANUFACTURING PROCESS

Method of manufacture resulting in high density and durability, and superior strength.

INTERLOCKING FEATURES

Shaped matched projections and indentations on masonry units, e.g. tongue and groove systems.

INSULATION BOARD

Rigid rectangular unit of thermal insulation material of uniform thickness, typically of cellular plastic material.

INSULATION SLAB5

Resilient, semi-rigid, rectangular unit of thermal insulation material of uniform thickness, usually of mineral wool.

JAMB

Vertical part of a wall at an opening.

JOINTING

Forming and finishing mortar joints as work proceeds without pointing.

LIME BLOOM

Film of calcium carbonate formed by carbonation of calcium hydroxide leached to the surface of masonry.

LINTEL

Beam supporting loads over an opening.

MANUFACTURED STONE MASONRY UNIT

Facing masonry unit having at least one exposed face with a close structure formed from either one or two homogeneous mixtures of aggregate, cementitious binder and other materials moulded under pressure and/or vibration and with or without further processing, intended to resemble and be used as an alternative to natural stone.

MASONRY

Construction of concrete blocks.

MASONRY UNIT

Preformed component intended for use in masonry construction.

MEAN COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH OF MASONRY UNITS

Arithmetic mean of the compressive strengths of masonry units.

MORTAR

Mix of one or more inorganic binders, aggregates, water, and sometimes additives and/or admixtures.

MORTAR JOINT

Joint between masonry units filled with mortar.

MOVEMENT JOINT6

Joint designed and located in masonry to accommodate movement.

NORMALISED COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH OF MASONRY UNITS

Compressive strength of masonry units converted to the air dry compressive strength of an equivalent 100mm wide x 100mm high masonry unit.

PANEL WALL

Wall that forms an in filling between structural members.

PERFORMATION

Void which passes through a masonry unit.

PERPEND JOINT

Vertical cross joint that appears in the face of a wall between two masonry units.

PISTOL UNIT7

Block with accurately sized rebate, manufactured or sawn from a whole block. pointingFilling a partly raked back mortar joint to provide a finish.

PROFILED SURFACE

Surface with a pronounced relief.

QUOIN

Block of a special shape for the construction of a corner.

RECESS

Depression or indentation in one or more surfaces of a masonry unit (e.g. mortar pocket, rendering keyway, grooves to provide a discontinuity in the mortar joint, grip hole).

REFERENCE PANEL

Panel of masonry erected and retained on a building site, used to establish the visual acceptability of materials and workmanship to be maintained during construction work.

REGULAR SHAPED MASONRY UNIT

Masonry unit with an overall rectangular parallelepiped shape.

RETAINING WALL

Wall designed to resist lateral pressure from a mass of material.

SAMPLE PANEL

Panel of masonry erected on a building site as a means of comparing materials with an established reference panel.

SEMI-DRY MANUFACTURING PROCESS

Method of manufacture using a Columbia block making machine resulting in a consistent, cost effective product.

SEMI-FINISHED, FACTORY-MADE MASONRY MORTAR

Premixed lime sand mortar, batched and mixed in a factory requiring only the addition of cement and water on site, or prebatched masonry mortar supplied in a multi compartment silo for gauging and water addition on site.

SHELL BEDDING

Bedding consisting of two separate strips of mortar at the outer and inner faces of blocks in horizontal joints.

SHELL

Peripheral solid material between the hole(s) and the face or the header of a unit.

SIMPLE SUPPORT

Support to the edge of a wall that may permit rotation but restrains the wall against lateral movement.

SINGLE-LEAF WALL

Solid wall of blocks laid to overlap in one or more directions.

SLEEPER WALL

Low load bearing wall to provide intermediate support to a suspended ground floor.

SLIP

Block specially manufactured or cut to a thickness of between 20mm and 50mm.

SLIP TIE (general purpose)

Wall tie, usually a straight metal rod or flat metal strip, fitted across a movement joint in masonry to transmit shear forces, but with one end debonded to allow for the joint to close or open.

SOLDIER COURSE

Course of masonry units set on their ends with their stretcher faces visible.

SPECIALLY SHAPED MASONRY UNIT

Masonry unit which is not a rectangular parallelepiped.

STRETCHER

Longer face of a masonry unit showing on the face of a wall.

STRING COURSE

Moulded course, that may be one of a number of courses, that projects from a wall.

TEXTURED SURFACE

Surface which, either during or after manufacture, is subjected to mechanical, physical or chemical processing.

TWO-PART MASONRY UNIT

Masonry unit manufactured with different facing and backing concretes.

WEATHERED

Having an upper surface sloped to throw off water.

WEATHERING

Sloped surface to throw off water.

WEEPHOLE

Hole through a wall that drains water to its outer face.

WORK SIZE

Size of a unit specified for its manufacture, to which the actual size conforms within permissible deviations.

References,Bibliography

Mandatory Requirements

  • The Building Regulations 2006
  • The Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations 1990 (Amended 2001)
  • Construction Design & Management (CDM) Regulations 1994
  • Construction - (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulations 1996
  • Environmental Waste Act 1997

Official Documents

Manual to the Building Regulations 2000

Approved Documents:

  • A General Including – Definitions, References
  • B Fitness of Materials & Workmanship
  • C Structure
  • D Structure Fire precautions
  • H Resistance to the transmission of Sound
  • J Conservation of Fuel and Power
  • K Ventilation of buildings

British Standards References

  • DD140: Wall ties
  • BS 476: Fire tests on building materials and structures
  • BS 1243: Specification for metal ties for cavity wall construction
  • BS 5250: Code of practice for control of condensation in buildings
  • BS 5262: Code of practice for external renderings
  • BS 5492: Code of practice for internal plastering
  • BS 5606: Guide to accuracy in building
  • BS 5628: Code of practice for use of masonry (Parts 1,2 and 3)
  • BS 5642: Cills and copings
  • BS 5977: Lintels
  • BS 6399: Loading for buildings
  • BS 8000: Workmanship on Building sites (Part 3)
  • BS 8103 - Structural design of low rise buildings – Part 2: Code of practice for masonry walls for housing

EUROPEAN Standards References

  • BS EN 771-3 –Specification for masonry units – Part 3: Aggregate concrete masonry units (Dense and Lightweight Aggregates)
  • BS EN 771-5 –Specification for masonry units – Part 5: Manufactured stone masonry units
  • BS EN 772 - Parts 1-20 - Methods of tests for masonry units
  • BS EN 998-1 – Specification for mortar for masonry – Part 1: Rendering and plastering mortar
  • BS EN 998–2 - Specification for mortar for masonry - Part 2: Masonry mortar
  • BS EN 1992-1-1 & 2: Design of concrete structures
  • BS EN 1996-1–1–Eurocode 6 - Design of masonry structures – Part 1–1: General rules for reinforced and unreinforced masonry structures
  • BS EN 1996–1-1-Eurocode 6 - Design of masonry structures – Part 1–1: General rules for reinforced and unreinforced masonry structures
  • BS EN ISO 9000: Quality management and quality assurance standards
  • BS EN ISO 9001:2000: Quality systems. Model for quality assurance in production, installation and servicing
  • BS EN 12350: Testing fresh concrete
  • BS EN 12620: Aggregates for concrete
  • BS EN 12878: Pigments for the colouring of buiding materials based on cement and lime. Specifications and methods of test
  • BS EN 13055–1: Lightweight aggregates

Other Publications

  • Chartered Institute of Building and Services Engineers - CIBSE Guide A
  • Construction Fixings Association - Fixings for brickwork and blockwork
  • Concrete Block Association - Safe Handling and Use of Concrete Blocks
  • Concrete Block Association - Aggregate Concrete Blocks for Use in Sulphate Soil Conditions
  • Health and Safety Committee - HSE Construction Sheet No 37 (Handling of Building Blocks)

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