The advantages of reinforced masonry: not only seismic safety

Reinforced masonry has known development and diffusion thanks to its excellent mechanical characteristics which make it suitable for the construction of safe constructions in seismic areas. But this system, which derives from the brick tradition typical of our country, has many other advantages Dallas-Fort Worth Masonry.

the strong brick construction tradition continues, so much so that brick is still used for the construction of many new buildings. Over time, this material has evolved and today particular construction solutions characterized by specific performance have now been developed, an example of which is reinforced masonry .

The masonry buildings

Brick is certainly familiar to everyone. Today there are different types, different for drilling and dimensions of the single block and on the basis of their characteristics and the way in which they are arranged determine the mechanical performance of the masonry . The type of mortar and the thickness of this layer also affect. The buildings made with this technique are composed of load-bearing walls and act as bracing, conceived as three-dimensional structures thanks to the connections with the floors. The methods of execution are simple and fairly fast, factors that have favored the consolidation of this technique in Europe over time.

The NTCs contain various indications relating to this construction system , both to calculate its performance and to meet certain requirements in terms of seismic safety.

The reinforced masonry

The reinforced masonry is composed of blocks of different sizes and holes, in which vertical and horizontal metal reinforcements are inserted in the mortar, so as to obtain greater resistance compared to traditional masonry. The reinforcement allows for better flexibility and increases the tensile strength , which is critical in the case of non-reinforced masonry. To build these structures it is not necessary to resort to specialized labor other than that required for traditional constructions.

This technique is not new, but recent earthquakes have certainly favored a greater development of reinforced masonry. Right after the Messina earthquake, in the first decade of the 1900s, people began to look for solutions that guaranteed the properties offered by both brick and iron.

The advantages of reinforced masonry and anti-seismic design

Reinforced masonry offers some advantages over traditional masonry. From a structural point of view, the resistance and flexibility of the system allow to obtain septa of greater height but with lower thicknesses and their construction is simpler than other solutions with the same performance.