View source for Masonry

{{Short description|Building of structures from individual units of stone, bricks, or blocks}}
{{hatnote|This article refers to the building structure component. For the fraternal organization, see [[Freemasonry]].}}
[[Image:Bricklayer J4.jpg|thumb|A mason laying a [[brick]] on top of the [[Mortar (masonry)|mortar]]]]
[[File:Pont de Santa Maria d'Ovarra (Vall de l'Isàvena, Ribagorça).jpg|thumb|Bridge over the [[Isábena (river)|Isábena river]] in the [[Santa María de Obarra|Monastery of Santa María de Obarra]], masonry construction with stones]]

'''Masonry''' is the craft of building a structure with brick, stone, or similar material, including mortar [[plastering]] which are often laid in, bound, and pasted together by [[mortar (masonry)|mortar]]. The term ''masonry'' can also refer to the building units (stone, brick, etc.) themselves.

The common materials of masonry construction are [[brick]]s and [[building stone]], [[rock (geology)|rocks]] such as [[marble]], [[granite]], and [[limestone]], [[cast stone]], [[concrete masonry unit|concrete blocks]], [[glass brick|glass blocks]], and [[adobe]]. Masonry is generally a highly durable form of construction. However, the materials used, the quality of the mortar and workmanship, and the pattern in which the units are assembled can substantially affect the durability of the overall masonry construction.

A person who constructs masonry is called a mason or [[bricklayer]], or in some places colloquially a "brickie". These are both classified as [[construction worker|construction trades]].

== History ==
Masonry is one of the oldest building crafts, even predating written history. The construction of Egyptian pyramids, Roman aqueducts, and medieval cathedrals are all examples of masonry. Early structures used the weight of the masonry itself to stabilize the structure against lateral movements. The types and techniques of masonry used evolved with architectural needs and cultural norms. Since mid-20th century, masonry has often featured steel-reinforced elements to help carry the tension force present in modern thin, light, tall building systems.<ref name=":0">{{Citation |last=Kingsley |first=Gregory R. |title=Masonry |date=2003-01-01 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B0122274105004051 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Physical Science and Technology (Third Edition) |pages=133–143 |editor-last=Meyers |editor-first=Robert A. |place=New York |publisher=Academic Press |language=en |doi=10.1016/b0-12-227410-5/00405-1 |isbn=978-0-12-227410-7 |access-date=2023-01-13 |archive-date=2023-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113031606/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B0122274105004051 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==Applications==
Masonry has both structural and non-structural applications. Structural applications include walls, columns, beams, foundations, load-bearing arches, and others. On the other hand, masonry is also used in non-structural applications such as fireplaces chimneys and veneer systems.<ref name=":0" />

Brick and concrete block are the most common types of masonry in use in industrialized nations and may be either load-bearing or non-load-bearing. Concrete blocks, especially those with hollow cores, offer various possibilities in masonry construction. They generally provide great compressive strength and are best suited to structures with light transverse loading when the cores remain unfilled. Filling some or all of the cores with concrete or concrete with steel reinforcement (typically [[rebar]]) offers much greater tensile and lateral strength to structures.

===Advantages===
* The use of materials such as bricks and stones can increase the thermal mass of a building.
* Masonry is a non-combustible product and can protect the building from fire.
* Masonry walls are more resistant to projectiles, such as debris from hurricanes or tornadoes.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Holmes |first=Mike |date=2008-04-25 |title=A brick house isn't as solid as you think |language=en-CA |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-garden/a-brick-house-isnt-as-solid-as-you-think/article571941/ |access-date=2023-01-13 |archive-date=2023-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113033223/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-garden/a-brick-house-isnt-as-solid-as-you-think/article571941/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Disadvantages===
* Extreme weather, under certain circumstances, can cause degradation of masonry due to expansion and contraction forces associated with freeze-thaw cycles.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Common Problems with Brick Masonry (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/common-problems-with-brick-masonry.htm |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.nps.gov |language=en |archive-date=2023-01-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123145828/https://www.nps.gov/articles/common-problems-with-brick-masonry.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Masonry tends to be heavy and must be built on a stable ground made of either undisturbed or mechanically-compacted soil, otherwise cracking may occur.<ref>{{Cite web |last=House |first=This Old |date=2020-01-18 |title=The Basics of Masonry |url=https://www.thisoldhouse.com/masonry/21072473/the-basics-of-masonry |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=This Old House |language=en |archive-date=2023-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113033222/https://www.thisoldhouse.com/masonry/21072473/the-basics-of-masonry |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Unlike concrete, masonry construction does not lend itself well to mechanization, and requires more skilled labor.<ref name=":0" />

===Structural limitations===
One problem with masonry walls is that they rely mainly on their weight to keep them in place; each block or brick is only loosely connected to the next via a thin layer of mortar. This is why they do not perform well in earthquakes, when entire buildings are shaken horizontally. Many collapses during earthquakes occur in buildings that have load-bearing masonry walls. Besides, heavier buildings having masonry suffer more damage.

==Dry set masonry==
[[Image: Vallorcine bridge abutment 2003-12-13.jpg|thumb|Dry set masonry supports a rustic [[log bridge]], where it provides a well-drained support for the log (which will lengthen its service life).]]
{{See also|dry stone}}
The strength of a masonry wall is not entirely dependent on the bond between the building material and the mortar; the [[friction]] between the interlocking blocks of masonry is often strong enough to provide a great deal of strength on its own. The blocks sometimes have grooves or other surface features added to enhance this interlocking, and some ''dry set'' masonry structures forgo mortar altogether.

==Stonework==
[[File: Kélibia stone masonry.JPG|thumb|Stone masonry]]{{Main articles|Stonemasonry}}
Stone blocks used in masonry can be dressed or rough, though in both examples corners, door and window jambs, and similar areas are usually dressed.
Stonemasonry utilizing dressed stones is known as [[ashlar]] masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as [[rubble masonry]]. Both rubble and ashlar masonry can be laid in coursed rows of even height through the careful selection or cutting of stones, but a great deal of stone masonry is uncoursed.
* [[Slipform stonemasonry]] produces a hybrid wall of reinforced concrete with a rubble stone face.
* Natural [[stone veneer]]s over CMU, cast-in-place, or tilt-up concrete walls are widely used to give the appearance of stone masonry.
* Sometimes river rock of smooth oval-shaped stones is used as a veneer. This type of material is not favored for solid masonry as it requires a great amount of mortar and can lack intrinsic structural strength.
* Manufactured-stone, or cultured stone, veneers are popular alternatives to natural stones.
* Manufactured-stone veneers are typically made from concrete.
* Natural stones from quarries around the world are sampled and recreated using molds, aggregate, and colorfast pigments.
* To the casual observer there may be no visual difference between veneers of natural and manufactured stone.

==Brick==
{{main|Brickwork}}
[[File: Brick Work 2015-02-8 278.jpg|thumb|Brick work]]
Solid brickwork is made of two or more [[wythe]]s of bricks with the units running horizontally (called ''stretcher'' bricks) bound together with bricks running [[:wikt:transverse|transverse]] to the wall (called "header" bricks). Each row of bricks is known as a course. The pattern of headers and stretchers employed gives rise to different 'bonds' such as the common bond (with every sixth course composed of headers), the English bond, and the [[Flemish bond]] (with alternating stretcher and header bricks present on every course). Bonds can differ in strength and in insulating ability. Vertically staggered bonds tend to be somewhat stronger and less prone to major cracking than a non-staggered bond.

===Uniformity and rusticity===
[[Image:Athruzmasonry.jpg|thumb|Masonry repair work done to a brick wall]]
The wide selection of brick styles and types generally available in industrialized nations allow much variety in the appearance of the final product. In buildings built during the 1950s-1970s, a high degree of uniformity of brick and accuracy in masonry was typical. In the period since then this style was thought to be too sterile, so attempts were made to emulate older, rougher work. Some brick surfaces are made to look particularly rustic by including ''burnt'' bricks, which have a darker color or an irregular shape. Others may use antique salvage bricks, or new bricks may be artificially aged by applying various surface treatments, such as tumbling. The attempts at rusticity of the late 20th century have been carried forward by masons specializing in a free, artistic style, where the courses are intentionally ''not'' straight, instead weaving to form more organic impressions.

===Serpentine masonry===
{{main|Crinkle crankle walls}}
A crinkle-crankle wall is a brick wall that follows a serpentine path, rather than a straight line. This type of wall is more resistant to toppling than a straight wall; so much so that it may be made of a single wythe of unreinforced brick and so despite its longer length may be more economical than a straight wall.

==Concrete block==
[[Image:CMUs.jpg|thumb|Concrete masonry units (CMUs) or blocks in a basement wall before burial]]
Blocks of cinder concrete (''[[Concrete masonry unit|cinder blocks]]'' or ''breezeblocks''), ordinary concrete (''[[Concrete masonry unit|concrete blocks]]''), or hollow tile are generically known as Concrete Masonry Units (CMUs). They usually are much larger than ordinary bricks and so are much faster to lay for a wall of a given size. Furthermore, cinder and concrete blocks typically have much lower [[water]] absorption rates than brick. They often are used as the structural core for veneered brick masonry or are used alone for the walls of factories, garages, and other [[Industrial Style|industrial-style]] buildings where such appearance is acceptable or desirable. Such blocks often receive a [[stucco]] surface for decoration. Surface-bonding [[cement]], which contains synthetic fibers for reinforcement, is sometimes used in this application and can impart extra strength to a block wall. Surface-bonding cement is often pre-colored and can be stained or painted thus resulting in a finished stucco-like surface.

The primary structural advantage of concrete blocks in comparison to smaller clay-based bricks is that a CMU wall can be reinforced by filling the block voids with [[concrete]] with or without steel [[rebar]]. Generally, certain voids are designated for filling and reinforcement, particularly at corners, wall-ends, and openings while other voids are left empty.  This increases wall strength and stability more economically than filling and reinforcing all voids. Typically, structures made of CMUs will have the top course of blocks in the walls filled with concrete and tied together with steel reinforcement to form a bond beam. [[Bond beam]]s are often a requirement of modern [[building code]]s and controls. Another type of steel reinforcement referred to as [[ladder-reinforcement]], can also be embedded in horizontal mortar joints of concrete block walls. The introduction of steel reinforcement generally results in a CMU wall having much greater lateral and tensile strength than unreinforced walls.

"Architectural masonry is the evolvement of standard concrete masonry blocks into aesthetically pleasing concrete masonry units (CMUs)".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Architectural Concrete Masonry Units |url=https://ncma.org/resource/architectural-concrete-masonry-units/|access-date=2020-06-18|website=NCMA|language=en-US|archive-date=2020-06-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621082615/https://ncma.org/resource/architectural-concrete-masonry-units/|url-status=live}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=January 2022}} CMUs can be manufactured to provide a variety of surface appearances. They can be colored during manufacturing or stained or painted after installation. They can be split as part of the manufacturing process, giving the blocks a rough face replicating the appearance of natural stone, such as [[brownstone]]. CMUs may also be scored, ribbed, sandblasted, polished, striated (raked or brushed), include decorative aggregates, be allowed to slump in a controlled fashion during curing, or include several of these techniques in their manufacture to provide a decorative appearance.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ncma.org/resources/productuse/products/concrete/Pages/GroundFaceUnits%28Burnished,Honed%29.aspx |title=Ground Face Units (Burnished, Honed) |access-date=2009-11-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090521200939/http://www.ncma.org/resources/productuse/products/concrete/Pages/GroundFaceUnits(Burnished,Honed).aspx |archive-date=2009-05-21 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

"Glazed concrete masonry units are manufactured by bonding a permanent colored facing (typically composed of polyester resins, silica sand and various other chemicals) to a concrete masonry unit, providing a smooth impervious surface."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ncma.org/resources/productuse/products/concrete/Pages/Glazed%28Prefaced%29Units.aspx |title=Glazed (Prefaced) Units |access-date=2009-11-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090521200923/http://www.ncma.org/resources/productuse/products/concrete/Pages/Glazed%28Prefaced%29Units.aspx |archive-date=2009-05-21 }}</ref>

==Glass block==
[[Glass block]] or glass brick are blocks made from glass and provide a translucent to clear vision through the block.

== Veneer masonry ==
A masonry veneer wall consists of masonry units, usually clay-based bricks, installed on one or both sides of a structurally independent wall usually constructed of wood or masonry. In this context, the brick masonry is primarily decorative, not structural. The brick veneer is generally connected to the structural wall by brick ties (metal strips that are attached to the structural wall, as well as the mortar joints of the brick veneer). There is typically an air gap between the brick veneer and the structural wall. As clay-based brick is usually not completely waterproof, the structural wall will often have a water-resistant surface (usually [[tar paper]]) and [[weep hole]]s can be left at the base of the brick veneer to drain moisture that accumulates inside the air gap. Concrete blocks, real and [[cultured stone]]s, and veneer [[adobe]] are sometimes used in a very similar veneer fashion.

Most insulated buildings that use concrete block, brick, adobe, stone, veneers or some combination thereof feature interior [[Thermal insulation|insulation]] in the form of [[Glass wool|fiberglass]] batts between wooden wall studs or in the form of rigid insulation boards covered with [[plaster]] or [[drywall]]. In most climates this insulation is much more effective on the exterior of the wall, allowing the building interior to take advantage of the aforementioned thermal mass of the masonry. This technique does, however, require some sort of weather-resistant exterior surface over the insulation and, consequently, is generally more expensive.

==Gabions==
[[File:A Vörös és a Kék kápolnák közötti sétány kerti lugassal, gabion támfalrendszerrel, 2018 Balatonboglár.jpg|thumb|Gabion Wall]]
[[Gabion]]s are baskets, usually now of [[zinc]]-protected [[steel]] ([[Hot-dip galvanizing|galvanized steel]]) that are filled with fractured stone of medium size. These will act as a single unit and are stacked with setbacks to form a revetment or [[retaining wall]]. They have the advantage of being well drained, flexible, and resistant to flood, water flow from above, frost damage, and soil flow. Their expected useful life is only as long as the wire they are composed of and if used in severe climates (such as shore-side in a salt water environment) must be made of appropriate corrosion-resistant wire.  Most modern gabions are rectangular. Earlier gabions were often cylindrical wicker baskets, open at both ends, used usually for temporary, often military, construction.

Similar work can be done with finer aggregates using [[cellular confinement]].

==Passive fire protection (PFP)==
{{see|Passive fire protection}}
Masonry walls have an [[endothermic]] effect of its [[hydrate]]s, as in chemically bound [[water]], unbound moisture from the concrete block, and the poured concrete if the hollow cores inside the blocks are filled. Masonry can withstand temperatures up to {{convert|1000|F|C}} and it can withstand direct exposure to fire for up to 4 hours.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}} In addition to that, concrete masonry keeps fires contained to their room of origin 93% of the time.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}} For those reasons, concrete and masonry units hold the highest flame spread index classification, Class A.<ref name="AD">{{cite book |author1=Allen, Edward |author2=Rand, Patrick |title=Architectural Detailing: Function, Constructibility, Aesthetics |date=2016 |publisher=Wiley |location=Hoboken, NJ |isbn=978-1118881996 |page=137 |edition=3rd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HBYWCgAAQBAJ |access-date=18 October 2022 |archive-date=1 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101152932/https://books.google.com/books?id=HBYWCgAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Fire cut]]s can be used to increase safety and reduce fire damage to masonry buildings.

==Mechanical modeling of masonry structures==

[[Image:Comparison masonry.jpg|thumb|A comparison (using transmission [[photoelasticity]]) between the stress diffusion in an elastic body (on the left) and a model of masonry (on the right). A highly localized stress percolation is visible on the right.]]

From the point of view of material modeling, masonry is a special material of extreme mechanical properties (with a very high ratio between strength in compression and in tension), so that the applied loads do not diffuse as they do in elastic bodies, but tend to percolate along lines of high stiffness.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://www.ing.unitn.it/~bigoni|title=Davide Bigoni|publisher=Solid and Structural Mechanics Group – University of Trento|website=www.ing.unitn.it|access-date=2011-11-27|archive-date=2020-08-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818112658/http://www.ing.unitn.it/~bigoni/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ing.unitn.it/dims/ssmg/masonry.html |title=video |access-date=2011-11-27 |archive-date=2012-05-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501102925/http://www.ing.unitn.it/dims/ssmg/masonry.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==See also==
{|
|- valign=top
|
* {{annotated link|Castle}}
* {{annotated link|Clay panel}}
* {{annotated link|Concrete finisher}}
* {{annotated link|CEN/TC 125}}
* {{annotated link|Defensive wall}}
| width=80|
|
* {{annotated link|Dry-stone wall}}
* {{annotated link|Fire protection}}
* {{annotated link|Galleting}}
* {{annotated link|List of decorative stones}}
* {{annotated link|NIST stone test wall}}
|}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

===General references===
* {{cite journal | doi=10.1002/tal.577 | volume=21 | issue=2 | title=Finite element model correlation and calibration of historic masonry monuments: review | journal=The Structural Design of Tall and Special Buildings | pages=96–113|year = 2012|last1 = Atamturktur|first1 = Sezer| last2=Laman | first2=Jeffrey A. | s2cid=111060455 }}
* {{cite journal | last1 = Sarhosis | first1 = V. | last2 = Sheng | first2 = Y. | year = 2014 | title = Identification of material parameters for low bond strength masonry | url =https://eprint.ncl.ac.uk/fulltext.aspx?url=219088/C04BAA53-190F-4809-8D94-98FF7B83C1F3.pdf&pub_id=219088 | journal = Engineering Structures | volume = 60 | pages = 100–110 | doi = 10.1016/j.engstruct.2013.12.013 | bibcode = 2014EngSt..60..100S }}

==External links==
{{commons category|Masonry (craft)}}
* [http://www.masoncontractors.org Mason Contractors Association of America]
* [http://www.imiweb.org International Masonry Institute]
* [http://www.ncma.org National Concrete Masonry Association]
* [http://www.masonryinstitute.org/ Masonry Institute of America]
* [http://pubs.marble-institute.com/pub/2f97b746-008e-67cc-2372-24f98cc0fdfb Illustrated Glossary of Stone Industry Terms]

{{Stonemasonry}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Masonry| ]]
[[Category:Building materials]]
[[Category:Building stone]]
[[Category:Stonemasonry| ]]