Brick Ties
Of course we aren’t talking about an article of clothing. 🙂
We’re talking about an important part of masonry wall construction!
Take a look a the video below.
Study the short tutorial after you watch
Then check your understanding with a Min-Quiz at the end!
Don’t worry if you don’t understand all the words- just pay attention to the main ideas and images.
Review
In the cavity wall lesson, the relief angle is shown attached to the concrete slab edge with a wedge anchor.
The relief angle (shelf angle) supports the weight of the brick veneer at each floor. It’s called a relief angle because it relieves the the weight from the brick courses below and transfers it to the structure.
Basically, the brick is hanging off of the structure at each relief angle or shelf angle.
As mentioned above, relief angles (shelf angles), support the gravity load or weight of the brick on multi-story buildings.
To prevent the brick veneer from falling off the building, we use masonry ties. Masonry ties fit in the horizontal mortar joints and are attached to the backup wall or structure. They tie the brick back to the structure and support it laterally.
Here’s a dovetail masonry anchor that fits in a dovetail insert. It fits in the horizontal masonry joint and ties the brick veneer to the backup wall or structure.
Dovetail refers to the shape.
See our lesson about dovetails.
If the backup wall is concrete block, there are ladder-type systems that fit in the concrete block mortar joints. Wire anchors are then attached to the ladder system. Here’s a video:
Here’s a list of key words and expressions from the lesson.
relief angle
wedge anchor
brick courses
supports
transfers
hanging off (of)
tie (something) back to
gravity load
multi-story
laterally
masonry ties
horizontal mortar joints
backup wall
dovetail insert
ladder-type systems
concrete block
Construction English Mini-Quiz
1. Which of the following is NOT masonry?
A. brick
B. concrete slab
C. concrete block
B. concrete slab
Masonry is a general term. Masonry are materials that are units (blocks) that are assembled together using mortar.
2. Concrete block is also called CMU. CMU is an abbreviation for Concrete Masonry U_ _ _. What is the missing word?
Unit
Masonry are units (pieces) of brick or concrete.
3. A relief angle helps:
A. resist lateral forces
B. keep water out of the wall
C. support the weight of the wall
C. support the weight of the wall
4. Which of the following is NOT a multi-story building:
A. A skyscraper in Beijing
B. A restroom building in a park
C. An apartment complex
B. A restroom building in a park
This is usually a one-story facility.
5. Which of the following transfers loads?
A. A relief angle
B. A beam attached to a girder.
C. A spread footing.
D. All of the above.
D. All of the above
These structural elements transfer loads to other parts of the structure or soil.
6. Where can masonry ties be placed?
A. In a dovetail insert
B. In the horizontal mortar joints
C. In the backup wall
D. All of the above.
D. All of the above
Ties are set in the horizontal masonry joints, and attached to the building in dovetail inserts, or set in the backup wall if it’s concrete block.
7. What is something that is usually NOT hung off (past for hang) of the structure?
A. A column
B. A sign
C. A brick cavity wall
D. A sprinkler pipe
A. A column
Columns are vertical elements supported by the structure. Things that ‘hang’ are not supported from below, but rather from the side or top. Here’s a pipe hanger.
8. Lateral support or bracing prevents _______ movement.
A. diagonal
B. vertical
C. sideways
D. upward
C. Side-to-side (sideways)
Lateral means side. Lateral movement is sideways movement away from the face of the building. Earthquakes and wind cause lateral movement or story drift in buildings.
