Building Construction

Masonry

Masonry may be defined as the construction of building units bonded together with mortor. The building units commonly known as masonry units maybe stones, bricks or precast blocks of concrete. 

1. Stone Masonry - Stones are used as building blocks or building units

2. Brick Masonry - Bricks are used as building blocks or building units

3. Composite Masonry - It is a construction using more than one type of building units

Terms used in Masonry

1. Course - A course is a horizontal layer of masonry unit. In stone masonry, thickness of course will be equal to the height of stone plus the thickness of mortar. Similarly, in brick masonry, thickness of course will be equal to the thickness of modular brick plus thickness of  one mortar joint.

2. Header -  A header is a full stone unit or brick which is so laid that its length is perpendicular to the face of the wall. Ijn case of stone masonry, header is sometimes known as through stone.

3. Stretcher - A stretcher is a full stone unit or brick which is so laid that its length is along or parallel to the face of the wall. 

4. Header Course -  A course of brickwork showing only headers on the exposed face of the wall. It is also known as heading course.

5. Stretcher Course -  A course of brickwork showing only stretchers on the exposed face of the wall. It is also known as stretching course.

6. Bed - This is a lower surface of a brick or stone in each course. This is the surface of stone or brick perpendicular to the line of pressure.

Bed

7. Natural bed - Building stones are obtained from rocks with have distinct planes of divisions along which the stones can be easily split. This plane is known as natural bed. In stone masonry, the direction of natural bed should be perpendicular to the line of pressure.

Quoin

8. Bond - Bond is a term used in masonry applied to the overlapping of bricks or stones in alternate courses, so that no continuous vertical joints are formed and the individual units are tied together.

9. Quoins -  The exterior angle or corner of a wall is known as quoin. The stones or bricks forming the quoins are known as stone quoins or quoin bricks.
                 (1) Quoin Header - If the width is parallel to the face of the wall.
                 (2) Quoin Stretcher - If the length of the quoin is laid parallel to the                                                 face of the wall.

10. Face - It is the surface of the wall exposed to the weather.

11. Back - The inner surface of the wall which is not exposed to the weather.

12. Facing - The material used in the face of the wall.

13. Hearting - The inner portion of the wall between the facing and backing.

14. Backing - The material used in the back of the wall.

15. Side - It is the surface forming the boundary of bricks or stones in a direction transverse to the face and bed.

16. Joint - The junction of adjacent units of bricks or stones.
               (1) Bed joint - Joints parallel to the bed of bricks or stones.
               (2) Wall Joint - Joint which is parallel to the face of the wall.
               (3) Cross Joint or Vertical Joint - Joints perpendicular to the face of the wall.
                All joints are formed in cement mortar, lime mortar or mud mortar.

17. Closer - It is a portion of brick cut in such a manner that its one long face remains uncut.
                (1) Queen Closer - It is the portion of a brick obtained by cutting the brick lengthwise in two                                                       portions.
                (2) King Closer -   It is the portion of a brick which is so cut that width of one of its end is half                                                    that of a full width, while the width at the other end is equal to the full width.
                                             It is thus obtained by cutting of the triangular piece between the center of one                                                end and the center the other (long) side.
                (3) Bevelled Closer - \
                (4) Mitred Closer - it is brick whose one end is cut splayed or mitred for full width. the angle of                                                   splay may vary from 45 degree to 60 degree.

18. Bat - it is the portion of the brick cut across the width. Thus a bat is smaller in length than the full brick.
                 (1) Half Bat - If the length of bat is equal to half of the length of the original brick.
                 (2) Three quarter bat - If the length of bat is equal to three quarter of the length of the original                                                            brick.
                 (3) Bevelled Bat - If a bat has its widtth bevelled.

19. Perpend - It is that vertical joint on the face of the wall, which lies directly above the vertical joints in                              alternate courses.

20. Frog - It is an indentation or depression on the top face of the brick made with object of forming a key                    for the mortar. It prevents the displacement of the brick above.

21. Through Stone - A through stone is a stone header. They are placed across the wall at regular intervals.
                                If the thickness of the wall is small through stone may be of length equal to the full width                                 of the wall. If, however the wall is considerably thick two through stones with an                                           overlap are provided.

22. Sill - The bottom surface of a door or a window opening. Still is thus the member of the horizontal
              member of brick, stone, concrete or wood provided to give support for the vertical members of the               opening and also to shed off rainwater from the face of the wall immediately below the opening.

23. Lintel - It is a horizontal member of stone, brick, wood, steel or reinforced concrete used to support
                  the masonry and the superimposed load above an opening.

24. Plinth - It is a horizontal projecting course of stone or brick, provided at the base of the wall above the                    ground level. Plinth raises the level of ground floor above the natural ground level, thus protecting
                 the building from rain, water, frost and other weather effects.

25. Plinth Course - It is the uppermost course of the plinth masonry.

26. String Course - It is the continuous horizontal course of masonry, projecting from the face of the wall for shedding rain water off the face. It is generally provided at every floor and sill level. It breaks the monotony of a plane surface and thus imparts aesthetic appearance to the structure. A string course is sutiably weathered and throated so as to throw off rain water clear of the wall surface.

27. Jambs - Jambs are the vertical sides of a finished opening for the door, window or fire place etc. Jambs may be plain or slayed or may be provided with the resecc to recieve the frames of doors and windows.

28. Reveals - these are the exposed vertical surfaces left on the sides of an opening after the the door or window frame has been fitted in frame.

29. Corbel - Corbel is a projecting stone which is usually provided to serve as support for joist, truss, weather shed etc. Corbels are generally moulded and given ornamental treatment. Corbels should extend atleast tho-third of the length inrto the wall., so that they do not overturn or come out of the wall.

30. Cornice - It is a projecting ornamental course near the top of the wall or at the junction of the wall and the ceiling. It penetrates the full width of the wall. It is weathered and throated to dispose off rain water. in order to prevent  overturning of cornice, extra weight in the form of parapet wall should be provided. 

31. Coping - It is a covering of stone, concrete, brick of terracotta ,placed on the exposed top of the wall, to prevent seepage of water. It may be provided on the top of compound wall. A coping is suitably weathered and throated. 

32. Weathering - It is a termm used to denote the provision of the slope on the upper surface as sills, cornices, string courses, coping etc. 

33. Throating - it is a groove provided on the underside of a projecting elements such as sills, cornices, coping, etc., so that rain water can be discharged clear of the wall surface.

34. Parapet - It is the portion of low height wall constructed along the edge of the roof to protect the users.In the case pitched roofs parapet is constructed to coceal the gutter at the eaves level.   

35. Arch - It is a structural construction of masonry constucted my mechanical arrangement of wedge shaped blocks of stone or brick arranged in the form of a curve supporting wall or load above the opening.

36. Gable - It is a triangular shaped masonry work provided at ends of sloped roofs. 

37. Freeze - It is a course of stone placed immediately below the cornice along the external face of the wall, intended to improve the appearance of the wall.

38. Blocking Course - It is another course of stone placed immediately above the cornice. Apart from improving the appearance of the wall, it adds to the stability of the cornice against overturning.

39. Toothing - These are bricks left projecting in alternate courses for the purposes of bonding future masonry work.

40. Column - It is a vertical load bearing member of masonry, which is constructed in an isolation from the wall, and whose width doesn't exceed four times its thickness.