Aug 9 2012
Ceram, an international materials technology company, has published a revised and extended version of the 'Design Guide for Masonry Reinforced by Bond Beams and Columns to Resist Lateral Load'.
The Design Guide provides guidance and recommendations for the design of masonry walls incorporating bond beams and columns to strengthen walls against lateral load, without the extensive use of wind posts.
The supplemented Design Guide is based exclusively upon Eurocode 6 and therefore readily usable by designers throughout Europe; the previous editions were based on British Standard Code of Practice, BS 5628, which is now withdrawn. The updated version also provides limiting bending moments for 215mm columns; this enables designers to justify thicker and larger walls than previously possible.
The Design Guide's author, Dr Geoff Edgell, Principal Consultant, Construction, at Ceram, commented:
"The new Design Guide allows designers to make full use of the flexibility provided by the beams and columns - the ability to design large uninterrupted blockwork walls containing door, window and service openings, without recourse to wind posts or even separate window cills and lintels."
The revised and extended Design Guide is available as a free download from www.ceram.com/designguide.
In addition, Dr Geoff Edgell and Andrew Best, Group Director at Buro Happold, have co-authored a paper* detailing the system background, the bond beam and column test programmes, and the application of the system in the Aquatics Centre for the London 2012 Olympic Games. The paper is also available as a free download from www.ceram.com/designguide.
*The paper was presented at the 15th International Brick and Block Masonry Conference, Florianopolis, Brazil, 3 - 6 June 2012.
About Ceram
Ceram is an independent, international materials technology company that focuses on innovation, sustainability and quality assurance of materials.
Headquartered in Staffordshire, UK, and with approved laboratories around the world, Ceram solves product and process challenges across a range of materials to help clients improve performance, comply with regulations and develop their sustainability performance in order to gain a competitive advantage and increase profitability.
Ceram operates in a wide variety of sectors around the world.