WALL COLLAPSE

If a building or other structure collapses, it falls down very suddenly.

Causes a wall to Collapse:-

The reasons for these types of failures are lack of proper reinforcement, improper drainage
behind the wall (lack of weep holes or clogged holes), foundation footing problems, settlement
or expansion of the soil, overloading of the wall, construction errors, and/or other design errors.

Potential signs of collapse may include the following:

 Cracks in walls.
 Sagging floors or floors deflecting from wall.
 Displaced columns.
 Cracking or dropping arches.
 Bulging walls.
 Buckling columns or beams.
 Water or smoke that pushes through what appears to be a solid masonry wall.

Types of collapse:-

There are four major types of collapse patterns.

 Pancake collapse void.

Floors fall as a unit and fall in a stacking effect on top of each other.
 V-shaped collapse void.
 Supported lean-to collapse void.
 Unsupported lean-to collapse void.

Masonry Walls
Masonry walls are the most durable part of any building or structure. Masonry is the word
utilized for development with mortar as a coupling material with singular units of blocks, stones,
marbles, rocks, solid squares, tiles, and so forth. Mortar is a blend of restricting material with
sand. Restricting materials can be concrete, lime, soil, or any other constructing materials.
Professionals do the Masonry projects and the unit works for various purposes. Some works for
building constructions, some makes barriers for boundaries to separate property line and some
make house wall for structural used.

Types of Masonry Wall

Masonry walls render strengths, lastingness to the structure, and help to maintain indoor and
outdoor temperature as well as keeps protect the buildings from the outside world. Depending on
the motor mix materials, there are various types of Masonry Walls used in building
constructions.
Types or Categories:

1. Load-bearing masonry wall

2. Reinforced masonry wall
3. Hollow/Cavity masonry wall
4. Composite masonry wall
5. Post-tensioned masonry wall

Brief descriptions of these masonry wall types are given below.

1. Load-bearing Masonry Wall

Based on load-bearing walls could be Load Bearing and Non-load Bearing walls.
A load-bearing wall is a wall that bears a load reposing upon it, which depends on weight
construction and the work of foundation structure. Usually, this type of wall is used for large
buildings. e.g. housing or tall buildings construction work. It is mainly made with brick, concrete
blocks, or stone. The load-bearing wall helps to transfer weight from the root to the foundation.
This type of wall depends on the types of buildings and their number of stories that are assessed
to a suitable thickness to bear the weight above them. Without this wall, there is a chance for
instability in walls’ foundation works. Another, this type of wall can also be exterior and interior.
Load-bearing walls are flexible because it is easy to spend a little amount of money than
other types of walls, as it is the traditional framed structure of constructing buildings. The load-
bearing walls can be reinforced or unreinforced masonry walls.
Non-load bearing walls that are only intended to support themselves and the weight of the
cladding or sheathings attached. This kind of walls provides no structural support and maybe
interior or exterior walls

2. Reinforced Masonry Wall

A reinforced masonry wall is made with any type of brick, concrete, or other types of masonry
materials that strengthened the use of other building's materials to increase resistance to
deterioration due to weight-bearing or other forms of stress. This type of wall could be non-load-
bearing or load-bearing. One of the common examples of masonry involves exterior walls that
are created using concrete blocks or clay bricks. Along with these materials, steel rods are works
into the structure, often using some type of vertical framework that allows bearing the weight of
connecting walls and floors within the building. The use of this type of wall helps it to resist
pressure forces and heavy compression loads. During an earthquake or failure under heavy
compression loads, the unreinforced walls could be crack horizontally. The purpose of this type
of wall protects the walls from cracks and makes the strength to fight against unexpected
earthquakes or other kinds of natural disasters. To defeat these problems, reinforced walls are
used; and their quantity and spacing are based on walls and structure conditions. Reinforcement
can be used both in horizontal and vertical order at a required layoff.
Depending on which materials are used, and how they are located, reinforced masonry (RM)
walls can be divided into the following categories:

 Confined Masonry
 Reinforced Cavity Masonry
 Reinforced solid Masonry
 Reinforced hollow unit Masonry
 Reinforced grouted Masonry
 Reinforced pocket type Walls

3. Hollow/Cavity Masonry Wall

Hollow masonry walls are made with cement blocks. This type of masonry wall is used to stop
dampness from getting inside the building. It creates a hollow area between the outside and
inside of masonry walls. Cavity walls will also assist with climate control. Modern masonry
walls are constructed from hollow masonry units or combined hollow and solid masonry units.
Solid walls are systematically certified by metal ties, masonry investments, or collective
reinforcement.

4. Composite Masonry Walls

Composite Masonry walls are made with the combination of two or more building materials;
stones and bricks or hollow bricks and bricks. The purpose of this type of wall construction is –
reduce the overall cost of construction and make the structure durable by providing materials of
better quality and good workmanship in the faces. Composite masonry walls work to improve
the appearance of a structure by covering up the inferior works by the use of superior quality
material in the desired positions. This type of wall is better because it is cost-effective and
optically appealing.
Types of Composite Masonry walls:

 Brick Backed Ashlar

 Brick facing with Rubble or Concrete Backing
 Stone facing with Brick, Rubble, or concrete Backing

5. Post-tensioned Masonry Wall

Post-tensioning provides an additional axial load to masonry structures and thus increases
resistance to lateral force. This type of wall has over their conventionally reinforced equivalents,
such as increased in-plane strength and the absence of residual post-earthquake wall
displacements. Post-tensioning now is used extensively in bridges, elevated slabs (parking
structures and residential or commercial buildings), residential foundations, walls, and columns.
Designers commonly take advantage of this method to produce buildings and structures with
clear open spaces allowing more architectural freedom.
Causes a brick wall to fall
Exposure to harsh weather, poor construction, and lack of maintenance can all lead to the failure
of brick structures. The key to maintaining a healthy brick wall is being able to read the distress
signs and diagnose problem areas before they turn into a serious issue, says building restoration
expert K.
Life expectancy of a brick wall
Masonry is one of the most durable components of a home. Chimneys, fireplaces, and brick
veneers can last a lifetime, and brick walls have an average life expectancy of more than 100
years.
Weakest part of a brick wall
Unfortunately, the mortar is the weakest part of a brick wall. Years of erosion, weight,
temperature, and moisture can cause the mortar to deteriorate and crack. Lost mortar affects the
structural integrity of the wall and bricks no longer meet neatly.
Fire resistance of a brick wall
An individual brick offers high levels of heat resistance, with the ability to withstand a maximum
temperature of 1200°C. A commonly-cited reason as to why bricks have such a high fire-
resistance rating is because they are usually made in a fire kiln.

CONCRETE WALL

A concrete block wall is a wall made up of standard size concrete blocks. The standard
size is 8 inches, however, depending on the design parameters and standards set by an
engineer for the concrete structure, the block sizes may vary.

What type of concrete is used for walls?

Ready-mix concrete is preferred to concrete mixed on-site because the mixture has higher
precision and having the concrete ready to pour reduces confusion on the worksite. Ready-mix
concrete can be used for buildings, roadways, walls and more.

As a practical consideration, residential designers need to keep in mind that concrete

foundation walls are typically 6, 8 or 10 inches thick (nominal). The typical concrete
compressive strength used in residential construction is 2,500 or 3,000 psi, although
other strengths are available.