Top joint of non-load bearing masonry walls

Abstract

Masonry is one of the main building materials used in the construction industry in Malta. Although masonry has load-bearing characteristics, locally partition panels in multi-storey structures are predominantly constructed of masonry blockwork. A non-load bearing masonry wall should have an adequate lateral resistance to carry the lateral loading imposed by the users. Simple restrains are normally designed at the top joint of the non-load bearing wall to enhance the lateral resistance of the wall. A method to simple support at the top joint of the non-load bearing wall is be metal rod anchors. This dissertation attempts to provide an alternative form to simple support at the top joint of a non-load bearing wall with the objective of increasing the economy of the construction of the restraining system. A filling material applied between the wall and on the underside of the roof structure is used to restrain the infill wall. The top joint should be flexible enough such as not to allow the transfer of stresses from the structure to the wall yet providing adequate lateral strength to resist the lateral forces imposed on the wall. A proprietary polyurethane expanding foam was used as the filling material. Tests on the masonry-polyurethane top joint specimens were carried out to investigate the shear resistance and axial compressibility of the joint. The adequacy of the polyurethane top joint of the non-load bearing masonry wall regarding the lateral shear strength and axial compressibility of the foam were analysed using test results.