CONSTRUCTING

WITH CONCRETE
BLOCK CONFINED
MASONRY
12/2016
Presentation Outline

 Introduction to confined masonry

 General concepts
 Comparison with unreinforced masonry and RC frame with infill
 Review of confined masonry house designed by Build Change
Introduction to Confined Masonry
Why Confined Masonry?
 Poor performance of unreinforced masonry and non-ductile reinforced concrete (RC) frame
construction caused unacceptably high human and economic losses in past earthquakes
 This prompted a need for developing and/or promoting alternative building technologies
 Confined masonry is an opportunity for improved seismic performance both for unreinforced
masonry and reinforced concrete frame construction in low and medium rise buildings.
 The goal is to achieve enhanced seismic performance using technologies which require
similar level of construction skills and are economically viable
Development of Confined Masonry

 Evolved though an informal process based on its satisfactory

performance in past earthquakes
 The first reported use in the reconstruction after the 1908
Messina, Italy earthquake (M 7.2) - death toll 70,000
 Practiced in Chile and Columbia since 1930’s and in Mexico
since 1940’s
 Currently practiced in several countries/regions with high
seismic risk, including Latin America, Mediterranean Europe,
North Africa, Middle East, Southeast Asia, and the Far East
Development of Confined Masonry
 Large scale testing of confined masonry walls have been
conducted in Mexico (UNAM), Peru (PUCP), India (IIT Kanpur),
and other universities
 Tests have shown acceptable performance of properly
constructed confined masonry walls
 2009 study by Riahi, Elwood & Alcocer (published by ASCE)
reviewed 102 tests and develop a ductility curve that
confirmed that the confined masonry walls are a ductile
system
 Standards for Confined Masonry

 Provisions included in several

building codes
 Mexico, Chile, Peru, Eurocode,
Algeria, China
 EERI and IAEE published guidelines
for design and construction of 1-2
story CM buildings
 Engineering design guidelines are
currently being developed
 CM guidelines for India are currently
being developed
Performance of Confined Masonry

 Confined masonry buildings have been subjected to

large earthquakes, most recently in Chile and China
 For example, a six-storey confined masonry
building remained undamaged in the August 2007
Pisco, Peru earthquake (M 8.0) while many other
masonry buildings experienced severe damage or
collapse
 In the February 2010 Chile earthquake (M 8.8),
there were 521 deaths. Only 24 of those were due
to damage to confined masonry buildings
Performance of Confined Masonry
 Performance of confined masonry buildings in the
2008 Great Wenchuan, China earthquake (M 8.0):
 In areas of Intensity 7 (31-50% expected damage),
57.6% of CM buildings remained almost intact, 24.2%
lightly damaged (18% actual damage)
 In areas of Intensity 8 (51-70% expected damage),
24.3% of CM buildings remained almost intact, 43.6%
lightly damaged (32% actual damage)
 In areas of Intensities 10 & 11, there was extensive
damage to CM buildings but few reported collapses
Figures from the China institute of Engineering Mechanics
Key Components of a Confined Masonry Building
 Masonry walls made either of burnt clay brick or
concrete block units
 Tie-columns: vertical RC confining elements similar
to columns in reinforced concrete frame construction
 Tie-columns occur at wall intersections, ends of shear
walls, and wall openings
 Tie-columns are typically tied to the walls with
staggered joints (“toothing”) or dowels in the masonry
mortar joints
 Tie-beams: horizontal RC confining elements similar
to beams in reinforced concrete frame construction
 Tie-beams occur at each floor level and wall openings
Confined Masonry vs. RC Frame with Infill
 Both use concrete frames and unreinforced masonry walls. However, the
primary difference is the construction sequence:
 Confined Masonry = The masonry wall is built first, then the concrete beams and
columns are placed
 RC Frame with Infill = The concrete frame is built first, then the masonry infill is
placed
 Confined Masonry vs. RC Frame with Infill

 Because the concrete is poured on top of

the masonry wall and is tied to the columns
at the ends of the wall, a bond develops
between the concrete and masonry
 This bond transfers the lateral shear loads
from the concrete to the masonry, since no
gaps develop between the two elements
when loaded
 Thus confined masonry is a shear wall
system rather than a frame system
 Confined Masonry vs. RC Frame with Infill

 Because the concrete elements are not the primary

support system, the load on them is much lower &
the ductility requirements are much less
 Thus the size of the columns and the amount of
reinforcing steel required is much less than a
comparable RC frame
 Meanwhile, the size of the masonry wall is similar
to infill, primarily because the wall thickness is
often dictated by other factors common to both
systems (e.g. out-of-plane forces, insulation,
standard unit sizes)
Confined Masonry vs. Unreinforced Masonry
 Both use unreinforced masonry units that are built the same way. The difference
is what happens when the walls are loaded.
 When cracks develop in an unreinforced wall (either in-plane or out-of-plane),
the wall quickly loses its ability to resist loads and falls apart
 When cracks develop in a confined wall, the confining frame keeps the wall
together, allowing it to continue to resist loads
Confined Masonry vs. Unreinforced Masonry

Analogous to a stack of books on a table:

A stack of books that are not tied together falls apart when the table is shaken.
But when the books are tied together by a string, the stack stays together unless
the string breaks or the pages rip apart
Confined Masonry House Design
Minimum Criteria for Building a Confined Masonry Building

A building shall not be constructed if the site is:

Geological fault or Ruptured Area
Area susceptible to landslide
1 Site Selection
Steep slope > 20%
Filled Area
River bank ad water logged area
Maximum
number of
stories Two
Span of wall Largest span of the room should not be more than 3.5 metres
2 Shape of house
Height of
wall Maximum height of wall should not be more than 2.5 metres
The house shall be planned in square, rectangular. External length to
Proportion
width ratio of the building should not exceed 3

General The foundation trench shall be of uniform width. The foundation bed
shall be on the same level troughout the foundation in the flat area
3 Foundation The depth of footing should not be less than 900mm depending on
Depth
the soil sub strata
The width of footing should not be less than 900 mm in medium soil
Width
condition.
Minimum Criteria for Building a Confined Masonry Building

General Provide a reinforced concrete band at plinth level, as shown in detail drawings. The plinth
height should not be less than 300mm from existing ground level.
Depth of beam Depth of plinth beam shall be greater than or equal to 150mm
4 Plinth
Width of beam Width of plinth beam shall be greater than or equal to 200mm
Main reinforcement should be 4-10mm dia. Bars. Use 7mm diameter rings at 150mm center to
Reinforcement
center. Hook length should be 50mm. Bars shall have a clear cover of 25mm concrete

General Masonry should be laid staggered in order to avoid continuous vertical joints. The wall should
have toothing at the wall-tiecolumn interface to facilitate good connection
The hollow blocks used shall be of good quality and shall adhere to the Nepal Standards of
Hollow Block units
block production
Mortar joints and Mortar joints should be between 20mm to 10mm in thickness. The mortar shall be 1: 5
5 Walls
ratio (cement:sand) or richer
The length of wall shall be less than or equal to 3.5 metres. The length of wall between
Span of wall vertical reinforcing members (tie column or vertical grouted reinforcement) shall be less than
or equal to 1.5 metres.
Width The thickness of wall shall be greater than or equal to 150mm

Location Openings are to be located away from inside corners by a clear distance of at least 600mm.
Only one opening is allowed in a pannel
Area of the opening shall not exceed 10% of the area of confined wall panel including the
6 Openings Size
confining tie columns and beams.
Distance The horizontal distance between two openings shall not be less than 600mm
Lintel level The lintel level should be kept same for all doors and windows
Minimum Criteria for Building a Confined Masonry Building
Tie columns should be placed at each corner and intersection of the walls as
Location
well as on either side of the door.
Vertical Tie Size The size of the tie-column shall be equal to the width of the wall
7 columns and
Spacing The spacing of tie-column shall be less than or equal to 3.5 metres.
reinforcements
The minimum reinforcement to be used is 4-12mm dia. Longitudnal bars and
Reinforcement
7mm dia. Stirrups at 150mm c/c
Vertical Location
reinforcement Vertical reinforcement in the blocks is placed on either side of the window
8
grouted in Minimum 12mm dia. Bar centred in the Hollow block cell and grouted with
Reinforcement
blocks cement mortar
General Horizontal bands should be provided throughout the entire wall

Sill band A continuous sill band shall be provided throughout the entire wall at the
bottom level of the openings. The minimum depth of the band shall be 75mm

Lintel band A continuous lintel band shall be provided throughout the entire wall at the
Horizontal top level of the openings. The minimum depth of the band shall be 75mm
9
band A continuous floor/roof band shall be provided throughout the entire wall at
Floor/Roof band the top of the walls at floor/roof level. The minimum depth of the band shall
be 200mm. The minimum width of the band shall be 200mm.
Main reinforcement should be 4-10mm dia. Bars. Use 7mm diameter rings at
Reinforcement 150mm. Hook length should be 50mm. Bars shall have a clear cover of 25mm
concrete
Minimum Criteria for Building a Confined Masonry Building
Light roof Use light roof comprising wooden or steel truss covered with CGI sheets
All members of the timber truss or joints should be properly connected as
Connection
shown in detail drawings
Trusses should be properly cross tiesd with wooden braces as shown in detail
10 Roof Cross-tie
drawings
Well seasoned Khote salla wood without knots should be used for roofing,
Timber timber treatment such as use of coal tar or any other preservative can
prevent timber from being decayed and attacked by insects
Cement sand mortar should not be leaner than 1:5 (cement:sand) for masonry
Mortar
and 1:6 for plaster
11 Materials Concrete mix for seismic bands should not be leaner than 1:1.5:3
Concrete
(cement:sand:aggregates)
Reinforcement High strength deformed bars - Fe415
12 Roof Span The center to center span of the truss shall not be greater than 3.5m
The size of the rafters shall be greater than 50mm x 100mm and shall be
Rafters
provided at a spacing of 1138mm or lesser
The size of the purlins shall be greater than 50mm x 50mm and shall be
Purlins provided at a spacing of 350mm center to center at the porch and at a
spacing of 500mm center to center at the roof
Blocks available in the market and their corresponding strengths

District Gross compressive strength (Mpa)

Sindupalchowk 1.97
Kavrepalanchowk 1.66
Gwarko (Kathmandu) 1.75
United Cements (Kathmandu) 5.01
Prefab (Bhaktapur) 7.20

The table shows the gross compressive strength of random block samples collected
from different districts.
 Description of the building
Building type: Residential
Number of storeys: 2
Ground floor storey height: 2.475m
First floor storey height: 2.475 m
Wall thickness: 150 mm (without plaster)

Length of the building: 9.66 m

Width of the building: 3.5 m
Height of the building: 6.043m

Hollow Concrete Block (HCB) size:

400 mm x 200mm x 150mm
Plan of the Building
Elevation of the Building
Elevation of the Building
Section of the Building
Roof Framing Plan
Graphical View of the Building
Material Properties

The Hollow block must be compliant to NS Standard.

Design Methodology
- Dead loads were taken as per IS 875 Part I
- Imposed loads were taken as per IS 875 Part II
- The lateral load demand was calculated based on IS 1893:2002 Part I
• Lump mass calculation
• Seismic load calculation based on seismic coefficient method: Z = 0.36; I = 1; R = 2.5
• Calculation of center of mass and center of stiffness
- Check for torsion by calculation of eccentricity due to difference in center of mass and center of stiffness: should be less than 30% of the
length for corresponding direction
- In-Plane Pier analysis was done by manual calculation
• Calculation of Net stress = bending stress + overturning stress + Vertical stress
• Calculation of length of tension zone
• Calculation of rebar for tension
- Out of Plane Pier analysis
• Check height/thickness ratio of the wall
• Stress check of beams at floor and lintel levels:
o Calculation of bending moment due to lateral loads
o Calculation of required depth and reinforcement for the above moment
Design Methodology
- The following stress checks were made based on IITK GSDMA and IS 1905:
1987
• Shear Stress Check:
o Calculation of shear stress due to lateral load demand
o Calculation of permissible shear stress as per IS 1905: 1987
• Compressive stress check
o Calculation of compressive stress based on dead load and live load
o Calculation of permissible compressive stress as per IS 1905: 1987
- To match the demand with the capacity of the masonry, addition of confining
reinforced concrete ties were provided as deemed necessary to meet the
above stress demands
 Quantity and Cost Estimation

Nepal Housing Reconstruction Programme

MODEL HOLLOW CONCRETEBLOCK
SUMMARY OF QUANTITY
Manpower Material
Local
Hollow Aggregate Ply Wood Wood for Binding CGI
Skilled Unskilled Stone Bricks Block Cement Sand Wood form work Glass Bar Wire Soil Water Sheet
Unit Md Md Cum. Nos. Nos. Bags Cum. Cum. Cum. Sq.m Cum. Sq.m kg Kg Cum. lit. Bundle

Upto Plinth Level 39.00 74.00 21.12 0.00 0.00 72.00 9.20 1.14 0.00 2.97 0.07 0.00 274.37 2.74 13.09 2227.93 0.00
Super Structure 220.00 263.00 6.78 0.00 1330.00 160.00 15.14 11.81 2.11 38.31 0.57 3.28 1487.42 14.87 0.00 3597.77 0.00
Roof 36.00 12.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.67 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.00
Total 295.00 349.00 27.90 0.00 1330.00 232.00 24.34 12.95 3.78 41.28 0.64 3.28 1761.79 17.62 13.09 5825.69 5.00

From the District Rate of Sindhupalchowk the Total Building Cost

1,436,345.00
15% overhead 215,451.75
Total 1,651,796.75
Structural Detail of toothing and mortar grouting

The toothing length is one third of the length of the block.

The window opening is grouted with cement mortar with a

single rebar.
Section showing wall section with toothing
Roof Truss Detail
Roof Truss Detail
Roof Truss Detail
Connection Detail
Questions?