Masonry Magazine August 1995 Page. 14
Interior Masonry
Partition Walls
An examination of two options for interior partitioning... Post-tensioned and vertically reinforced interior walls.
By CHARLES W. OSTRANDER
Executive Director, Illinois Masonry Institute
Though often overlooked as a viable alternative to the design of interior partition walls, a market currently occupied by wood stud/gypsum and steel framed panel systems, masonry offers a cost competitive system with all the advantages traditionally associated with its exterior construction. Key attributes, such as durability, fire-resistance, sound absorption and limitless aesthetic possibilities, make interior masonry partitions an easy choice over gypsum or "erector set" partition systems.
What has allowed masonry to expand its market share of interior partition walls? Post-tensioning and reinforcing steel principles once used chiefly in concrete construction, have made a natural progression to use in both clay and concrete masonry construction. These methods have eliminated the major difficulties in specifying masonry for interior partition walls (the height limitations and bracing issues) while reacquainting both owners and architects with masonry's inherent quality and affordability.
Why aren't cantilevered masonry partitions in widespread use for interior partition walls? Primarily due to the fact that BOCA 2108.1.1 severely restricts the heights of empirically designed, unreinforced, cantilevered masonry walls.
But with the onset of vertical reinforcement and post-tensioning in masonry, it is now possible to reach previously unattainable heights, while using reasonably sized units. No longer constrained by empirical rules on height, engineered interior masonry systems can now compete on a level footing with all other partition wall systems.
The accompanying table and illustration provide the means to properly design an interior masonry partition wall.
Wall thickness and post-tensioning rod diameter are the governing fac-