In some cases, cracks of various sizes begin to appear on the surface of brick walls, from very small and hardly noticeable to a serious “defeat”. 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 in the end. It is worth noting that such works are by no means isolated, but are of a complex and large-scale nature. But first it is worth clarifying what provoking factors cause the destruction of the building.
Signs to watch out for
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 were durable. However, under the influence of various factors, including banal human incompetence, even he is unable to withstand the pressures placed on him.
If signs of destruction are found, reinforce the brickwork as soon as possible to avoid serious consequences. The following signs are considered the reason for doing repairs:
- presence of cracks on the wall;
- layering rows of masonry;
- fallout of cement mortar from cracks;
- deviation of the wall surface from the given vertical, which is visually very visible;
- 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 clearly indicates that the structure of the foundation is broken due to the excess of the permissible load on the bearing parts of the structure.
In this regard, before repairing the wall, it is advisable to get advice from specialists in the field of construction. As a last resort, contact the employees of 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 encourages the strengthening of a brick wall with metal plates (or in other ways) lies in the use of materials of obviously low quality during construction, including cement mortar. In addition, the following reasons may be provoking factors:
- errors at the design stage of a house;
- incorrect foundation calculation;
- construction of neighboring objects;
- savings on building materials, especially binders;
- poor quality brickwork;
- force majeure.
As for strengthening the brickwork of the walls, this operation can be performed using different technologies.
Some of them may seem innovative. At the same time, quite traditional methods can be used.
Methods of reinforcing brickwork
This event is held to increase the strength of the structure. And if you responsibly approach the technology of strengthening brick walls, then you can restore the surface, in which the loss of strength is up to 50%. And so that destruction does not occur at all, it is necessary to comply with all norms and rules at the stage of construction of the facility.
At the same time, increased attention is paid to the supporting elements of structures, because if they lose their bearing capacity, the house will inevitably begin to collapse. However, if signs of deterioration are already visible, then appropriate action should be taken immediately.
If the problem is directly related to the wall itself, then there are different ways to strengthen it. Among them, the most common technique is the injection procedure using special clips and composite materials. Consider how, in fact, you can strengthen the external walls, in more detail. But first, let's touch on the issue of repairing the foundation.
Strengthening the foundation
If a crack in the brick wall of a house is observed at its entire height, then this is a clear sign of a gapfoundation. In this case, it becomes necessary to strengthen it, which is desirable to do as soon as possible. Such work is performed according to the following algorithm:
- To begin with, it is necessary to dig a trench opposite the damaged area. At the same time, its width should be identical to the dimensions of the foundation, but its depth should be slightly larger.
- The damaged section of the base is twitching with the stitching.
- Further, this zone is drilled, and repeatedly, 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 pour the reinforcing base. Thanks to protruding anchors and reinforcing bars, a bond is created with the old foundation.
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 at the corner of the house).
And if after a while they are still in place, have not moved, then you can start stabilizing the masonry.
Reinforce opening
In addition to strengthening brickwork, doorways cannot be ignored, because sometimes they can also be damaged. This can be caused by different needs:
- Deformation can happen under the influence of various factors that we have already touched upon. In any case, without strengthening the doorway, living in such a house is not safe.
- Remodelling. Sometimes you have toinstall additional window or door openings. In this case, strengthening them is simply indispensable.
Thanks to the work to strengthen the doorway, not only the appearance of the structure is improved, but this 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 done using a U-shaped metal profile (channel), corners, or both. At the same time, the choice of one or another method will depend on the scale of the event and the wall that will be strengthened. If we are talking about the bearing surface, then it should be given increased attention. Otherwise, collapse is inevitable.
Mounting the horizontal jumper
First you need to make strobes for 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 laying, it is worth using a concrete solution to give solidity to the reinforcing structure. The support area of each channel must be at least 250 mm. As for the depth of the niches, it will be equal to the thickness of the metal profile.
After the strobes are made, you should start strengthening the walls on the brick house with strands. To do this, a long drill is inserted into the extreme holes of the metal profile (on both sides) and through holes are made with a drill at the corners of the opening. After that, another channel is applied to the reverse side in order tothe holes in it and the wall coincided. Now it remains to connect both reinforcing elements with anchor bolts along pre-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 taken by the completed crossbar.
Reinforced Concrete Belt
Now let's touch on the question of how to reinforce the masonry using a steel strip. This is a relatively budget option for restoring 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.
The following parameters must be taken into account:
- Clip thickness should be between 40mm and 120mm.
- For transverse reinforcement, A240 / AI bars are taken with a pitch of 150 mm (no more).
- For longitudinal reinforcement - class A240-A400/AI, AII, AIII.
- Concrete mixture 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 a repair of brick walls, in turn, will be determined by various factors:
- masonry condition;
- concrete strength;
- load intensity;
- reinforcement percentage.
The resulting structure will take part of the load on itself, while freeing the masonry itself (not completely, of course). If the planned layer of the casing is not more than 40 mm, then the filling is carried outpneumoconcrete followed by curing.
Otherwise (up to 120 mm), an inventory formwork is placed along 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.
Features of reinforcement
You can restore the strength of the damaged area 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 fastening or through studs.
- The reinforcing cage is being fixed using the selected retainer and welding.
- The damaged area is cemented with a mortar grade M100 (or more), after which the pour should be allowed to dry.
- The area is plastered with a cement-sand mixture to improve physical and mechanical properties. In this case, the layer thickness should not exceed 20-40 mm.
- To reinforce 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 fixators, which are fastened every 500-800 mm. Otherwise, you will need thicker fasteners (10-12 mm), the installation step, respectively, will also be large - from 1000 to1200 mm.
Support 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 to strengthen the brick walls by erecting a supporting structure. Perpendicular to the masonry, one supporting wall or several are attached, depending on the specific situation.
The support structure can have a different shape (triangle or trapezoid). As for the base of the additional reinforcing structure, it must correspond to the parameters of the main foundation. In this case, the bases themselves should be tied together with anchors.
Composite reinforcement
This can be considered an innovative way to reinforce brickwork. On the collapsing surface, canvases, tapes, nets are attached, which are made using high-strength materials based on fiberglass or carbon. Epoxy or cement adhesive compounds are used as glue.
The main feature of composite sheets is that they are many times lighter and stronger than steel! However, on the territory of the Russian Federation, the use of such material 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 destroyed area - it is ringed. Thus, it becomes necessary to punch holes for carbon fiber. After that, the ends of the material are connected tothe inside of the wall. Yes, this technique is not so easy to implement. In addition, it is simply impossible to do without the involvement of a special powerful construction wall chaser. 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 high. However, there is one significant reason to put it into practice for the long-term restoration of a crumbling brick wall. When using carbon fiber, the maximum allowable compressive load increases by 2-2.5 times from the norms provided for by SNiP.
Besides this, it is worth noting another equally important point, which for some reason is not taken seriously by many residents, but meanwhile no one is immune from this. It's about seismic stability. In this parameter, composite materials are in no way inferior to other methods of reinforcing walls and are more likely to even give them a head start.
Internal work
If there is a through gap, the reinforcement of brick walls must also be carried out from the inside of the room. You should start cleaning the crack, after which it needs to be expanded and moistened. Next, the entire volume of the defect must be filled with a cement mixture.
If this is necessary (in case of a risk of crack spreading), the wall should be strengthened from the inside with an overlay (metal tape), or even more than one. They are attached to the wall with anchors or dowels.
After the main frontrestoration work is completed, it is worth plastering the surface.
Conclusion
The main goal pursued by the work to strengthen the brickwork is to prevent further deformation of the walls. It is important to take timely measures here, otherwise part of the building will begin to sag over time, or even fall.
If cracks begin to appear, this is the first signal that strength has been lost. The same defect can be corrected in different ways.
- Thanks to reinforced concrete clips, the bearing capacity is significantly restored.
- Strengthening the opening can be done with steel bands.
- The extension is easily done with reinforcement.
Which one to choose depends on each specific situation.
