CERAM publishes extended bond beams guidance

CERAM has published the Design Guide for Masonry Reinforced by Bond Beams and Columns to Resist Lateral Load, following the original which covered the use of bond beams only.

The Guide is the result of a four-year research and test programme to evaluate reinforced, full-size walls strengthened against lateral load and provides guidance and recommendations for the design of masonry walls incorporating bond beams and columns.

The Guide expands upon the guidance in BS 5628 and EC6, and was validated through the extensive testing and analysis performed at the CERAM laboratories; the results have been published internationally.

Traditionally, large span single leaf concrete blockwork walls that are subjected to significant wind loads are subdivided by the use of wind posts.

A new system has now been devised for masonry walls.

In the new system, the vertical span is split through the introduction of horizontal reinforced bond beams that span between the main structural columns at intervals up the wall height.

Shear transfer rods, a method of providing additional support for walls, ensure the courses above and below the bond beams act compositely.

Horizontal spans are similarly subdivided by vertically reinforced hollow blocks which are concreted to form bond columns.

As one of the leading testing facilities in the UK, CERAM provides testing of raw materials, finished products and full scale structures both in the laboratory and on-site.

CERAM's experts have developed new and bespoke testing solutions for the most intractable construction and materials problems.

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