TLB TechnicalNotes ClayBrickwork

technical notes
The
Expansion
of Clay
Brickwork
The
Expansion
of Clay
Brickwork
BRICK GROWTH
Clay bricks grow. Therefore clay brickwork increases in size with increasing time.
The locations and widths of the horizontal and vertical joints required to control this movement
should be considered in the architectural design of all brick buildings.
by Peter J. Taylor
Date of Issue: March, 2009
Level 6, 1 James Place, North Sydney NSW 2060
p. 02 9409 3300 f. 02 9929 6667 e. info@tlbengineers.com
Taylor Lauder Bersten Pty Ltd ABN 94 074 717 892
Level 6, 1 James Place, North Sydney NSW 2060 p. 02 9409 3300 f. 02 9929 6667 info@tlbengineers.com www.tlbengineers.com
1. Introduction
2. Causes of Expansion
3. Damage Caused by Expansion
4. Internal Walls
5. External Walls
6. Joint Sealants and Fillers
7. Conclusion
References
Fig. 1
Table 1
Table 2
Table 3
Table 4
Table 5
Contents
1. Introduction
The expansion of clay bricks commences as soon as the bricks leave the kiln,
and continues at a decreasing rate for some years.
It is therefore necessary to consider the requirement for vertical and horizontal
control joints in brick walls.
Each brick type has a different rate of expansion. Therefore the spacing and
width of control joints depends on the brick type selected for the project.
This paper describes the nature of expansion, gives typical values for the
expansion of several brick types, and presents tables for the selection of both
horizontal and vertical control joint spacings and widths.
2. Causes of Expansion
There is a three-dimensional time-dependent increase in the size of each
brick when it is exposed to the atmosphere after leaving the kiln. This causes
increasing length, height and width of brick walls with time. Measurements on
test bricks showed that there was a high early rate of expansion during the rst
month, followed by an almost constant rate, and that they were still expanding
at an average rate of 0.006 percent per annum after standing in air for nearly ve
years (Ref. 1).
The magnitude of the total expansion of a brick wall depends on:
the characteristic coeffcient of expansion of the bricks,
the length of time that the bricks were exposed to atmospheric moisture
before laying,
the degree of exposure after laying (exposure to the sun increases expansion,
and sealing with render and paint reduces expansion),
the elapsed time after laying,
the length and height of the brick wall between control joints.
Anderson (Ref. 2) reported that Australian clays are characteristically rich in
mica, that alkaline oxides are contained mostly in the mica, that the micas
are changed by ring at high temperatures into amorphous material which is
highly reactive, and when exposed to atmospheric moisture, is the cause of the
expansion. Exposure to high (sun) temperature accelerates this process, which
can be reversed only by re-ring the bricks.
The expansion process commences as soon as the bricks are taken from the
kiln and exposed to atmospheric moisture: typical expansion-age graphs are
shown in Fig. 1 for samples of bricks measured in the laboratory. The magnitude
of expansion depends on the nature of the raw materials (mica content of
the clay), the method of manufacture (by pressing or by extrusion), and the
temperature and duration of ring.
3. Damage Caused by
Expansion
Schubert (Ref. 3) reported the investigation of brickwork in 63 damaged
buildings. Movement was noticeable at the return ends of walls because:
a) The expanded wall causes a local length of the return wall to slide sideways.
b) The expanded wall causes a vertical crack in the return wall . . .
Table 1 indicates the frequency of occurrence of signicant movement and/
or cracking in walls with end returns and no control joints. Damage occurred
frequently in walls more than 9m long and in almost all walls more than 45m
long. Cracking at offsets (jogs) occurred in seven out of nine walls. In 35 cases
of parapet walls 230 thick and 10 courses high, most of the walls that were
more than 15m long exhibited expansion damage.
Many building walls without control joints that exhibited cracking, appeared to
have expanded only 2mm to 4mm; the maximum expansion measured was
16mm in a wall 40m long. The parapet wall damage was similar in that relatively
small measured expansions induced cracking in return walls: the maximum total
expansions were 35mm in a wall 44m long, and 50mm in a wall 78m long.
4. Internal Walls
Joints are not usually necessary in internal walls because of the shorter wall
lengths between restraints, and the lower potential expansion. Internal walls
are usually sealed by cement render and/or paint nishes, they usually do not
experience prolonged exposure to heat from the sun, and so their expansion
is relatively low. Because the external skin jointing is more important, and the
external skin relies on the internal skin and its xing to the structure for its
stability, the provision of effective internal joints would be both aesthetically
undesirable and expensive. Therefore, expansion joints are usually omitted from
internal walls. Anderson (Ref. 4) recommends that internal wall bricks should
have fteen-year unrestrained expansions of less than 1.1mm/m.
In unusual structures where long runs of unrestrained internal brickwork occur,
joints should be considered.
5. External Walls
It is usual to consider the use of both vertical and horizontal control joints in
external walls and parapets. The design of the joint width and spacings depends
on the coefcient of expansion, which is an estimate of the brick expansion
in the rst fteen years after manufacture, determined by a standard test
procedure.
Values of the coefcient of expansion (15 year e
m
) are available from the
manufacturers for each brick type they produce (see Table 5).
5.1 Vertical Control Joints
It is assumed that the brickwork between vertical control joints will expand
equally in both directions from its centre. To minimise interference with
associated elements, the maximum movement of brickwork into the
joint gap should be restricted to 6mm to 8mm, giving a total maximum
movement of, say, 15mm. Allowing 5mm for joint ller results in a maximum
joint width of 20mm (Ref. 4).
Recommended maximum spacings between vertical control joints are given
in Table 2, based on the fteen-year unrestrained expansion value obtained
from the brick supplier. These spacings take into account the restraint
afforded to normal walls by vertical load and friction, and the effects of
mortar shrinkage and creep. No such restraint has been considered for
parapet walls.
Vertical joints should be as close to corners as possible, but at no greater
distance than half the joint spacing.
5.2 Horizontal Control Joints
The vertical expansion of brickwork requires horizontal control joints to
avoid damage to lintels, corbels, windows and doors. Anderson (Ref. 4)
referred to the desirability of maintaining an outward slope on wall ties and
recommended a 10mm closure for a 15mm wide joint. Table 3 gives the
maximum spacings between horizontal joints for closures of 7mm and
10mm, taking into account the probable vertical shortening of the building
frame.
5.3 Design Assumptions (Ref. 7)
In most walls there are conditions of restraint which reduce the actual
long-term expansion of the brickwork to half that indicated by the
long-term (5-year) unrestrained expansion of the bricks themselves.
In parapets, however, such restraint appears not to exist and the full
amount of long-term unrestrained brick expansion is assumed to occur.
On the other hand, in base brickwork which is not more than about
600mm high between ground level and a sheet damp-proof course,
experience shows that the risk of damage is slight if expansion gaps are
omitted.
Vertical expansion gaps are spaced so that the maximum movement at
each gap is limited to 7 to 8mm from the wall section on each side of the
gap, that is, a total movement at the gap of 15mm.
Since corners and offsets are the places most vulnerable to damage, the
rst gap shall be located at a distance from each such corner or offset
of not more than half the calculated gap spacing for walls in general.
Hence, any wall or section of wall whose length between corners or
offsets is more than half the calculated gap spacing shall be protected
by the inclusion of a vertical control gap at approximately the centre of
its length.
The gap width shall be not less than 15mm plus the compressed
thickness of the joint ller plus a small margin for safety say 5mm
which gives an overall gap width of at least 20mm.
Gaps shall be cleaned to ensure that no hard materials such as mortar
droppings remain in the gaps to prevent their proper functioning.
Any joint fller used shall be of a highly compressible type. Rigid foam
polystyrene and impregnated softboards are both too rigid to be suitable
llers for a closing gap.
5.4 Design Procedure
A design procedure and an alternative series of recommendations for joint
spacings was recommended by McNeilly (Ref. 7) and is:
1. Determine the characteristic expansion the em value of the clay
bricks to be used. Information is available from the brick manufacturer or
BDRI or Table 5.
2. Select appropriate vertical gap spacings for walls and parapets from
Table 4 noting the maximum distances allowance between salient
corners and the rst gap in each direction. Provide slip-joints at re-
entrant corners.
3. Check that the vertical spacings of horizontal gaps do not exceed the
maximum given in Table 4.
4. Check to ensure that the gaps do not make the walls unstable.
5. Select appropriate construction details and use ashings, wall-ties and
gap sealants with the correct properties.
6. Joint Sealants and Fillers
The movement of clay bricks at horizontal or vertical brickwork expansion control
joints tends to close the joint, and the joint ller must therefore be compressible.
Alternative construction methods are to either build the brickwork leaving a gap
which is subsequently cleaned out and lled, or to build the brickwork against
the ller. Common llers are either polystyrene, polyurethane or polyethylene
foam, which are all very compressible. For aesthetic reasons, the ller is often
covered with a sealant, which must also be compressible.
Elastomeric llers may offer considerable resistance to compression, and so oil
or butyl based mastic materials are considered to be more effective (Ref. 2). If a
gap is built into the brickwork, a fller such as Compreband may be used.
The sealing material should generally be a low modulus polysulphide: this should
only be applied over a polyethylene foam and not over a bitumen-impregnated
foam.
A simple means of sealing gaps is rst to clean them out and then insert
either a bitumen impregnated plastic-foam strip as the complete seal or a
closed-cell polyethylene foam circular rod as a backing for a gun-applied butyl
caulking compound. In either case the nished seal should be kept well back
(approximately 25mm) from the face of the wall to avoid an unsightly squeezing
out of the compressed seal brought about by the closing of the gap.
For horizontal gaps under shelf angles or haunches, the seal will usually have
to be located close to the face to reduce the risk of water penetration into the
brickwork below. (Ref. 5).
7. Conclusion
The need for vertical and horizontal expansion control joints should be
considered by the Architect for most brick buildings. The 15 year expansion
value for the selected brick should be used in conjunction with Tables 2, 3 and
4 to determine appropriate joint locations and widths. If these joint locations are
found to be unacceptable, it may be necessary to select a brick with a lower
coefcient of expansion.
References
1. Hosking, J.S., Hueber, H.V., Waters, E.H. and Lewis, R.E., The Permanent
Moisture Expansion of Clay Products, CSIRO Division of Building Research,
Tech, Paper No. 6, 1959.
2. Anderson, G.W., Permanent Moisture Expansion of Clay Bricks, ACSE
Seminar on Brick Growth and Brickwork/Concrete Interaction, August 1978.
3. Schubert, T.J., Long-Term Expansion of Brickwork, Dept of Works, CEBS,
Technical Records 52/75/383.
4. The Design of Brickwork for Differential Movement, Brick Development
Research Institute, Techniques 6, Jan 1979.
5. Detailing of Clay Masonry Walls, Clay Brick Paving Institute, 2000.
6. Taylor, P.J., Expansion in Clay Brickwork, Building Materials and Equipment,
No. 135, Feb-Mar, 1981.
7. McNeilly, T., Moisture Expansion of Clay Bricks: An Appraisal of Past
Experience and Current Knowledge, CBPI Research Paper 9, Feb. 1985,
and May 2002.
Figure 1. Typical Long-Term Expansion of Bricks (Ref 2.)
1. Stiff-plastic-pressed cream 2. Extruded
3. Stiff-plastic-pressed red 4. Semi-dry-pressed face (downdraft Kiln)
5. Semi-dry-pressed common (Hoffman Kiln)
U
n
r
e
s
t
r
a
i
n
e
d

E
x
p
a
n
s
i
o
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-

m
m
/
m
Age from Kiln - years
TABLE 1 FREQUENCY OF OCCURRENCE OF VISIBLE
DAMAGE DUE TO BRICK WORK EXPANSION (REF 3)
Wall
Length*
(m)
Number of Walls Exhibiting
Visible Damage No Visible Damage
No Joints Joints No Joints Joints
3 to 6 1 - 23 5
6 to 9 3 - 33 3
9 to 12 3 - 5 10
12 to 15 1 - 3 -
15 to 18 6 1 8 1
18 to 30 9 5 12 17
30 to 45 9 1 11 -
Over 45 12 - 2 -
* Total length, or length between joints
TABLE 2 RECOMMENDED MAXIMUM SPACINGS
BETWEEN VERTICAL JOINTS (REF 4)
Unrestrained
15-year
Expansion (e
m
)
(mm/m)
Recommended Maximum Spacing (m) for 15mm Closure*
Walls Parapets
Spacing
Distance to
Corner
Spacing
Distance to
Corner
0.6 26 8 19 4
0.7 25 8 16 4
0.8 23 8 16 4
0.9 22 8 15 4
1.0 21 8 14 4
1.1 20 8 13 4
1.2 19 8 12 4
1.3 18 8 11 4
1.4 17 8 11 4
1.5 17 8 10 4
2.0 14 7 8 4
* 20mm wide joint
TABLE 3 RECOMMENDED MAXIMUM VERTICAL
SPACINGS BETWEEN HORIZONTAL JOINTS (REF 4)
Unrestrained
15-year
Expansion (e
m
)
(mm/m)
Maximum Joint Spacing (m) for Joint Closures of 7mm and 10mm*
Reinforced Concrete
Frame Construction
Steel Frame Construction or Load
Bearing Clay Brickwork
7 10 7 10
0.6 3.5 5 5.5 7.9
0.7 3.4 4.9 5.2 7.4
0.8 3.3 4.7 4.9 7.1
0.9 3.2 4.6 4.7 6.7
1.0 3.1 4.4 4.5 6.4
1.1 3.0 4.3 4.3 6.1
1.2 2.9 .1 4. 5.9
1.3 2.8 1.0 3.9 5.6
1.4 2.7 3.9 3.8 5.4
1.5 2.7 3.8 3.6 5.2
2.0 2.3 3.3 3.1 4.4
*12mm and 15mm wide joints
TABLE 4 MAXIMUM EXPANSION JOINT SPACINGS
FOR CLAY BRICKWORK (REF 7)
Characteristic
Expansion
of Bricks e
m

mm/m
Maximum Spacings of
Vertical Gaps
Maximum Spacings of
Horizontal Gaps
Walls Spacing
(m)
Parapets
Spacing (m)
Reinforced
concrete
frames (m)
Steel frames
& load bearing
brickwork (m)
Low (up to 0.3)
(0.311 to 0.6)
30.0
23.0
23.0
16.0
4.4
4.0
10.0
7.8
Medium
(0.61 to 0.9)
(0.91 to 1.2)
18.8
15.8
12.0
9.7
3.7
3.2
6.3
5.3
High
(1.21 to 1.8)
(1.81 to 2.4)
12.0
9.7
7.0
5.5
2.7
2.3
4.2
3.2
Notes:
1. Minimum vertical gap width: 15mm movement + gap width = around 25mm
2. Minimum horizontal gap width: 10mm movement + gap width = around 20mm
TABLE 5 SCHEDULE OF EXPANSION (15 YEAR e
m
)
Manufacturer Brick Type
Characteristic Expansion
e
m
(mm/m) *
Austral Common Maxi
Standard
Dry Pressed
< 1.2
< 1.2
< 0.5
Austral Bowral Bowral Brown
Capitol Red
Murray Grey
Simmental Silver
< 0.5
< 0.5
< 0.5
< 1.0
Boral: Escura
Boral: Velour
Boral: Pressed
Smooth Face Red
Salmon Pink
Victorian Pink
Cream
Cream
Victorian Blue
Red
Cream
< 1.1
< 1.1
< 1.4
< 1.1
< 1.1
< 1.4
< 1.4
< 1.4
Midland Brick Georgian
Sandstock
Utility Range
Classic
Colonial
Standard
< 0.8
< 0.8
< 0.8
< 0.8
< 0.8
< 0.8
PGH Edwardian
Schooner CP
Schooner SC
Vanilla
Cadman
< 2.0
< 2.0
< 1.0
< 2.0
< 1.0
*Approximate values given by the manufacturers for the 15 year coefcient of expansion.

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