Masonry Magazine April 1976 Page. 11
BIA Technical Notes
on Brick Construction
Brick Institute of America 1750 Old Meadow Road, Mclean, Virginia 22101
PREFABRICATED BRICK MASONRY
RECOMMENDED SPECIFICATION
40A
Dec/Jan
1974
INTRODUCTION
This Technical Notes is the second of the series on Prefabricated Brick Masonry. It is a design and fabrication performance specification for masonry construction prefabricated in a location other than its final in-service location within the structure. For consistency, this and future Technical Notes will refer to such masonry as Prefabricated Brick Masonry. There are other terms, such as Preassembled Brick Masonry. Panelized Brick Masonry, Sectionalized Brick Masonry and others, which are also used to describe this practice. However, Prefabricated Brick Masonry more fully describes this process than do some of the other terms.
This suggested specification is offered to assist the architect, engineer and fabricator in the design and fabrication of prefabricated brick masonry for structural usage in loadbearing and non-loadbearing applications. It provides general design requirements, materials standards, workmanship, tolerances, quality control and testing procedures. It provides the architect and engineer with design methods which are generally accepted by the Model Codes and local code officials for conventional masonry, but are equally appropriate for prefabricated brick masonry design.
The specification is intended for use in developing contract specifications.
1. SCOPE
The specification covers the structural design and quality control of fabrication for loadbearing and non-loadbearing prefabricated brick masonry. It does not, however, cover the method of prefabrication or field erection and jointing.
2. MATERIALS
2.1 General. The type and grade of materials used shall meet the applicable standards and requirements set forth in Section 2. Materials of Building Code Requirements for Engineered Brick Masonry¹, together with the following additional requirement.
2.2 Hollow Brick. Hollow brick (cored in excess of 25 per cent, but not more than 40 per cent of the gross cross-sectional area) shall meet the requirements for the appropriate grade and type in the following specification:
Standard Specification for Hollow Brick, ASTM C 652.
3. DESIGN
3.1 General. The design shall consider all loading and restraint conditions from initial fabrication to in-service conditions in the completed structure, including storage, transportation and erection.
3.2 Structural Design. The structural design of the prefabricated brick masonry panels utilizing solid units shall be made in accordance with the provisions of Section 3, Non-Loadbearing Brick Masonry, and Section 4, Structural Design of Brick Masonry of Building Code Requirements for Engineered Brick Masonry.
Structural design of reinforced, prefabricated brick masonry panels utilizing hollow units shall be made in accordance with American National Standard Building Code Requirements for Reinforced Masonry, A41.22.
3.3 Design Loads. The design loads shall be of the type and magnitude required by applicable local building codes. Panels and connections required to resist wind and seismic loads shall be designed to resist specified positive and negative wind pressures and seismic design loads in all directions.
3.4 Lifting Devices. Lifting devices and their connections to the panels shall have an ultimate capacity of four times the dead weight of the appropriate portion of the panel. Inclination of the lifting forces shall be considered.
4. DIMENSIONS
4.1 Standard Dimensions. The standard nominal widths and heights of the panels shall be in multiples of nominal individual masonry unit heights and lengths. The actual specified dimensions may be less than the required nominal dimensions by the thickness of one mortar joint, but not by more than ½ in.
4.2 Custom Dimensions. For custom installations, all dimensions of panels shall be as shown on the drawings or as specified.
Structural Clay Products Institute (BIA), August 1969.
The structural design for prefabricated brick masonry panels utilizing thin section brick veneer and concrete backing shall be designed as concrete panels, in accordance with the American Concrete Institute's Building Code Requirements for Reinforced Concrete, ACI Standard 318-71.