In some cases, cracks of various sizes begin to appear on the surface of brick walls, from very small and inconspicuous to a serious “damage”. To avoid further destruction of the masonry, care must be taken to strengthen the brick walls. The sooner such a procedure is carried out, the longer the building will stand idle in the end. It is worth noting that such works are by no means single, but are complex and large-scale. But first, it’s worth clarifying which triggers cause the building to collapse.
Signs that should be alarming
Brick is very popular not only among professional builders, but also among home craftsmen. At all times, this material was considered strong and reliable, and the structures turned out to be durable. Nevertheless, under the influence of various factors, including banal human incompetence, even he is unable to withstand the loads exerted on him.
If signs of destruction are found, reinforce the brickwork as soon as possible to avoid serious consequences. The following signs are considered a reason to do repair:
- the presence of cracks on the wall;
- layering of masonry rows;
- loss of cement from slots;
- deviation of the wall surface from a given vertical, which is visually very clearly visible;
- the destruction affected individual masonry elements.
As a rule, such signs are not only associated with the wall, but their presence indicates the problems of the entire building as a whole. For example, the displacement of brickwork from brick clearly indicates that the foundation structure is violated due to exceeding the allowable load on the bearing parts of the structure.
In this regard, before engaging in wall repairs, it is advisable to get advice from specialists in the field of construction. In extreme cases, contact the local housing office.
Destructive factors
We got acquainted with the main symptoms, but what can cause such a terrible phenomenon? The main reason that prompts to engage in reinforcing a brick wall with metal plates (or other methods) lies in the use of materials of obviously low quality in construction, including cement mortar. In addition, the following reasons may be provoking factors:
- errors at the design stage of the house;
- incorrect calculation of the foundation;
- construction of neighboring facilities;
- savings on building materials, especially binders;
- poor-quality brickwork;
- Force Majeure.
As for reinforcing the brickwork of the walls, this operation can be performed using different technologies.
Some may find some of them innovative. At the same time, quite traditional methods can be used.
Masonry Reinforcement Methods
This event is held in order to increase the strength of the structure. And if you responsibly approach the technology of reinforcing brick walls, then you can restore the surface, in which the loss of strength is up to 50%. And so that the destruction does not occur at all, it is necessary to comply with all the rules and regulations at the construction stage of the facility.
At the same time, special attention is paid to the structural supporting elements, because if they lose their bearing capacity, the house will inevitably begin to crumble. Nevertheless, if signs of destruction are already visible, then appropriate measures should be taken immediately.
If the problem relates directly to the wall itself, then there are various ways to strengthen it. Among them, the most common technique is the injection procedure using special clips and composite materials. Consider how, in fact, it is possible to strengthen the external walls, in more detail. But for starters, we’ll touch on the issue of repairing the foundation.
Base reinforcement
If a crack in the brick wall of the house is observed to its entire height, then this is a clear sign of a gap in the foundation. In this case, there is a need to strengthen it, which is desirable to complete as soon as possible. Such work is performed according to the following algorithm:
- First, in front of the damaged area, you need to dig a trench. Moreover, its width should be identical to the size of the foundation, but its depth should be slightly larger.
- The damaged area of the base is twitching.
- Then this zone is drilled, and many times, after which anchors are placed in increments of 0.6 - 1 meter.
- These fasteners are connected using reinforcement by weaving and welding.
- Now it remains to make the formwork and fill in the reinforcing base. Thanks to protruding anchors and reinforcing rods, a bundle with the old foundation is created.
After the foundation is strengthened, it's time to start testing the work done. To do this, stick paper tapes to the wall (you can corner the house).
And if after some time they are still in their place, have not moved, then you can do stabilization of the masonry.
Opening reinforcement
In addition to reinforcing the brickwork, you can not ignore the doorways, because sometimes they can also be damaged. This may be due to different needs:
- Deformation can happen under the influence of various factors that we have already touched upon. In any case, without reinforcing the doorway, living in such a house is unsafe.
- Redevelopment. Sometimes it is necessary to mount additional window or doorways. In this case, you just can’t do without their strengthening.
Thanks to the work on strengthening the doorway, not only the appearance of the structure is improved, but it will allow the safe use of the structure in the future. Such a measure requires a responsible approach and certainly will not tolerate negligence.
Strengthening the opening in a brick wall can be performed using a metal profile of a U-shape (channel), corners, or both at once. In this case, the choice of a particular method will depend on the scale of the event and the wall that will be strengthened. If we are talking about a bearing surface, then it should be given special attention. Otherwise, collapse is inevitable.
Horizontal jumper installation
First you need to make shtrobes under the channels, which originate from the seam between the masonry. At the same time, the length of the metal profile is selected based on the height of the opening divided by 2 and add 15 cm. During installation, it is worth using a concrete solution to make the reinforcing structure monolithic. The support area of each channel should be at least 250 mm. As for the depth of niches, it will be equal to the thickness of the metal profile.
After the strobes are done, you should do the strengthening of the walls on the brick house with cords. To do this, a long drill is inserted into the extreme holes of the metal profile (on both sides) and through holes are made through the drill at the corners of the opening. After that, another channel is applied to the reverse side so that the holes in it and the wall coincide. Now it remains to connect the two reinforcing elements with anchor bolts along the previously made holes.
In addition, it is worth connecting both metal profiles with transverse plates by welding. Now, the entire load of floors and walls will be partially accepted by the completed crossbar.
Reinforced Concrete Belt
Now we will address the question of how to strengthen the masonry using a steel strip. This is a relatively budget option to restore the load-bearing properties of building elements. It does not take much time to work, but there is one drawback. It consists in increasing the load on the base.
In this case, it is necessary to take into account the following parameters:
- The thickness of the clip should be from 40 to 120 mm.
- For transverse reinforcement, A240 / AI rods are taken in increments of 150 mm (no more).
- For longitudinal reinforcement - class A240-A400 / AI, AII, AIII.
- The concrete mix must be at least class 10.
To create a reinforced concrete “shirt”, it is necessary to put a reinforcing mesh around the entire perimeter, fixing it on the masonry with clamps. The effectiveness of such repair of brick walls, in turn, will be determined by various factors:
- masonry condition;
- concrete strength;
- load intensity;
- percentage of reinforcement.
The resulting design will perceive part of the load on itself, while freeing the masonry itself (not completely, of course). If the planned layer of the cage is not more than 40 mm, then the filling is carried out by pneumatic concrete with subsequent solidification.
Otherwise (up to 120 mm), an inventory formwork is placed around the perimeter, and along the entire height of the surface to be strengthened. At the same time, holes for injection tubes should be left in it. Now it remains to turn on the supply of concrete mix.
Reinforcement Features
The strength of the damaged area can be restored not only with the help of steel strips, but also with the help of a reinforcing mesh or frame. This method of strengthening avoids the appearance of small defects. Consider how you can apply a reinforcing mesh. The procedure includes the following steps:
- Holes are made for anchor fasteners or through studs.
- The reinforcing cage is fastened using the selected fixture and welding.
- The damaged area is cemented with a solution of grade M100 (or more), after which the pouring should be allowed to dry.
- The area is plastered with a cement-sand mixture to improve physical and mechanical properties. Moreover, the layer thickness should not exceed 20-40 mm.
- To strengthen the corners, it is worth fixing auxiliary rods with a diameter of 6 mm along the height of the corners in increments of 250-300 mm.
As for the installation of the grid, it can be one-sided or two-sided. In the first case, anchors with a diameter of 6 to 8 mm are used as clamps, which are fastened every 500-800 mm. Otherwise, thicker fasteners (10-12 mm) will be required, the installation step, respectively, will also be large - from 1000 to 1200 mm.
Supporting structures
In the event that the brickwork of the house began to collapse (while losing verticality), then the way out of this situation will be the strengthening of brick walls by erecting a supporting structure. Perpendicular to the masonry, one support wall or several is attached, depending on the specific situation.
The supporting structure may have a different shape (triangle or trapezoid). As for the foundation of the additional reinforcing structure, it should correspond to the parameters of the main foundation. In this case, the bases themselves should be linked together by anchors.
Composite reinforcement
This can be considered an innovative way to strengthen brickwork. Canvases, ribbons, nets, which are made using high-strength materials based on fiberglass or carbon, are attached to the collapsing surface. As glue, epoxy or cement adhesive compositions are used.
The main feature of composite paintings is that they are many times lighter and stronger than steel! However, the use of such material in the Russian Federation is not as common as in Western countries. There such technology has long been held in high esteem.
The essence and role of composites in strengthening brick walls
Composite material does not just glue the damaged area - it is ringed. Thus, there is a need to ditch holes for carbon fiber. After that, the ends of the material are connected on the inside of the wall. Yes, such a technique is not so simple to implement. In addition, without attracting a special powerful construction shtorez simply can not do. This can be considered the main disadvantage of this method of reinforcing brickwork.
Another disadvantage of using carbon or fiberglass is the high cost of the material. In addition, the complexity of the method is quite large. Nevertheless, there is one significant argument in favor of putting it into practice with the goal of long-term restoration of a collapsing brick wall. When using carbon fiber, the maximum allowable compressive load increases by 2-2.5 times from the norms stipulated by SNiP.
In addition, it is worth noting one more equally important point, which for some reason is not taken seriously by many residents, and yet no one is safe from this. It's about earthquake resistance. By this parameter, composite materials are in no way inferior to other methods of reinforcing walls and are more likely to give them a head start.
Carrying out internal work
If there is a through gap, reinforcement of brick walls must also be carried out from the inside of the room. It is necessary to clean the crack, after which it needs to be expanded and moistened. Further, the entire volume of the defect must be filled with cement mixture.
If this is necessary (in the case of a risk of crack propagation), the wall should be strengthened from the inside with a cover plate (metal tape), or even more than one. They are mounted on the wall with anchors or dowels.
After the main front of restoration work is completed, it is worth plastering the surface.
Conclusion
The main goal pursued by work to strengthen the brickwork is the prevention of further wall deformation. It is important to take timely measures here, otherwise a part of the building will begin to sag over time, or even completely fall.
If cracks begin to appear, this is the first signal that strength has been lost. The same defect can be fixed in many ways.
- Thanks to reinforced concrete clips, the bearing capacity is significantly restored.
- Strengthening the opening can be performed with steel bands.
- The extension is easily carried out using reinforcement.
Which one to choose depends on each specific situation.