Brick Masonry – Comprehensive Guide

Brick masonry is a construction technique that involves building structures with bricks bonded together using mortar. Bricks are rectangular blocks made from clay, concrete, or other materials, and mortar is a paste made from sand, cement, and water.

Brick masonry is a versatile and durable building material that has been used for centuries. It is strong, fire-resistant, and weatherproof, and it can be used to create a wide variety of architectural styles. Some of the benefits of brick masonry include:

• Strength: Brick walls are very strong and can support heavy loads.
• Durability: Brick is a very durable material that can withstand the elements for centuries.
• Fire resistance: Brick is fire-resistant and can help to protect a building from fire damage.
• Weatherproof: Brick is weatherproof and can withstand rain, snow, and wind.
• Versatility: Brick can be used to create a wide variety of architectural styles.
• Aesthetics: Brick can add a unique and attractive look to a building.

There are many different types of brick masonry, each with its own unique properties and applications. Some of the most common types of brick masonry include:

• Common bond: This is the most basic type of brick masonry, in which the bricks are laid in a running bond pattern.
• English bond: This type of bond is more complex than common bond and uses alternating courses of headers and stretchers.
• Flemish bond: This type of bond is similar to English bond, but it uses alternating headers and stretchers in every course.
• Basketweave bond: This type of bond is created by laying the bricks in a diagonal pattern.

Brick masonry is a skilled trade that requires experience and training. Masons must be able to accurately lay bricks, mix mortar, and create strong and attractive walls. If you are considering using brick masonry in your next construction project, be sure to hire a qualified and experienced mason.

Brick Masonry Definition

The art of laying bricks in mortar in a proper systematic manner gives homogeneous mass which can withstand forces without disintegration, called brick masonry.

The bond in brick masonry, which adheres bricks together, is produced by filling joints between bricks with suitable mortar. Special cautions shall be practised while the mortar is mixed and placed since it greatly affects the performance and durability of the masonry structure.

The coordinating dimensions are a measure of the physical space taken up by a brick together with the mortar required on one bed , one header face and one stretcher face.

The working dimensions are the sizes to which manufacturers will try to make the bricks.

# Methods of manufacture for many units and components are such that the final piece is not quite the size expected but it can fall within the defined limits.

# This can be due to the things like shrinkage, distortion when drying out, firing etc. The difference between the working and coordinating dimensions of a brick is 10mm (0.5“) and this difference is taken up with the layer of mortar into which the bricks are pressed when laying.

Types of Brick Masonry Work

1. Brick Work in Mud

• The mud is used to fill up various joints brick masonry work.
• The thickness of the mortar joint is 12 mm.
• it is the cheapest type of brick masonry
• employed for the construction of walls with a maximum height of 4 m.

2. Brick Work in Cement
This type of brick masonry is the construction by laying bricks in cement mortar rather than mud which is used in brickwork in the mud. There are three major classes of brickwork in cement which are summarized in Table.

 Different classes of brickwork in cement and their descriptions