3.

Masonry
• Masonry can be defined as the construction of building
units bonded together with mortar.
• The building units (masonry units) are bricks, stones,
concrete blocks, or combination of bricks and stones.
• When bricks are used as the building units or building
blocks, we have brick masonry.
• Masonry is normally used for the construction of
foundations, walls, columns and other similar structural
components of buildings.
Masonry performs a variety of functions, such as:
 supporting loads
 sub-dividing space
 providing thermal and acoustic insulation
 affording fire and weather protections, etc.

The art of brick laying consists in arranging and

bedding bricks in such a manner as to form a well
united mass is known as brick work or brick masonry.
• Brick masonry is commonly used for construction
work of ordinary as well as important buildings.
• Brick masonry is preferred over other types of
masonry due to the following reasons:
i. All bricks are off uniform size and shape, and
hence they can be laid in any definite pattern.
ii. Brick units are light in weight and small in size.
Hence, they can be easily handled by brick layers
by hand.
iii. The art of brick laying can be understood very easily.
iv. Bricks are easily available at all sites.
v. Ornamental work can be easily done with bricks.
vi. Light partition walls and filler walls can be easily
constructed in brick masonry.
The strength of brick masonry chiefly depends upon:
a) Quality of bricks
b) Quality of mortar
c) Method of bonding used
 Very Important Terms In Brick Masonry
1. Course – Each horizontal layers of bricks laid between
bed or horizontal joints.
2. A stretcher and stretcher course – a brick when laid in
brick work with its side surface or length in elevation is
called stretcher. A course in which the face bricks are
stretcher is known as stretcher course.
3. A header and header course – these are bricks laid on
the faces of walls with their width parallel to the face is
called header. A course in which the face bricks are
4. Bed joints – the horizontal mortar joints between any
two consecutive courses of brick work. These joints
should be of uniform specified thickness.
5. Facing – the exposed or external face in wall is called
face and the material forming the face is known as
facing.
6. Bats – it is the portion of the standard brick cut across
the width. There are ¼, ½, ¾ bats.
7. Closer – it is a portion of a brick with the cut made
longitudinally (across) and is used to close up bond at the
end of the course (higher or lower) to come in a vertical
line.
8. Queen closer – a standard brick cut length wise into half
is known as queen closer. It is used next to quoin header to
get proper bond.
9. King closer – the portion of standard brick made by
cutting of the triangular piece between the centre of one
header face and the opposite corner of the stretcher face.
 Bonds in Brick Work
• The process of arranging bricks in different courses in
order to tie them together in unified mass of brick
work is called bonding in brick work.
• Bonding in brick work is done to ensure that vertical
joints don’t come over one another because a brick
work having continuous vertical joints will not act as
a unified mass but will consist of small portions
which act as columns.
For getting good bond, the following rules should be
observed.

i. The brick should be of uniform size. Good bond is

not possible if lap is non-uniform.
ii. The amount of lab should be minimum ¼ brick along
the length of the wall and ½ brick across the
thickness of the wall.
[Link] of brick bats should be discouraged, except in
special locations.
iv. In alternate course, the center line of header should
coincide with the center line of the stretcher, in the
course below or above it.
v. The vertical joints in the alternate courses should be
along the same perpend.
vi. The stretchers should be used only in the facing, they
should not be used in the hearting. Hearting should be
done in headers only.
 Types of Bonds in Brick Work
There are four main types of bonds in brick work.
1. Stretcher bond
2. Header bond
3. English bond
4. Flemish bon

5. Stretcher Bond
 The bond having all the bricks laid as stretchers in every
course is called stretching bond or stretcher bond.
 This pattern is used only for those walls which have
thickness of half brick .
 The length of the bricks are thus along the direction of
the wall.
 This type of bond is commonly used for partition walls
or chimney stacks.
 2. Header Bond

 The bond having all bricks laid as header in every

course of a wall is called header bond or heading bond.
 The width of the brick are thus along the direction of the
wall.
 The pattern is used only when the thickness of the wall
is one brick.
 The overlap is usually kept equal to half of the width of
brick.
 The overlap is achieved by using ¾ brick bats in each
alternate courses as quoins.
 This type of bond is commonly used for construction of
walls , footings, corbels, etc.
 3. English Bond
 The bond having headers and stretchers laid in alternate
courses is called English Bond.
 In this bond the vertical joints of the headers coursed
come over each other, similarly the vertical joints of the
stretcher courses also come over each other.
 In order to break the vertical joints in the successive
courses, it id essential to place queen closer after the first
header (quoin header) in each heading course.
Some Essential Features of English Bond
1. Headers and stretchers are laid in alternate courses.
2. Every alternate headers come centrally over the joints between
two stretchers in course below.
3. In the stretcher course, the stretchers have a minimum of ¼ th
their length over headers.
4. There is no continuous vertical joints.
5. The length of queen closer is usually kept equal to the thickness
of wall.
6. Walls of even multiples of half brick (i.e. 1, 2, 3 brick thick
wall) present the same appearance on both faces.
7. Wall of odd multiple of half brick (i.e. 1 ½ , 2 ½ , etc. ) will
show stretchers on the faces and headers on the other face.
4. Flemish Bond
 The bond having headers and stretchers laid alternately
in the same course is called Flemish Bond.
 The center of the header is always located over the
center of the stretcher , above or below.
 In this bond, a queen closer is provided after every
quoin header in the alternate courses to break the
continuity of vertical joints.
 Brick bats are to be used for forming this bond when the
thickness of wall is equal to an old multiple of half brick.
Some Essential Features of Flemish Bond

1. Headers and stretchers are laid alternately in the same

course.
2. Brick bats are to be used in walls having thickness
equal to an odd multiple of half brick.
3. Every header in each course lies centrally over every
stretcher of the underlying course.
Flemish bonds are of two types:-
i. Double Flemish Bond and ii. Single Flemish Bond