lureau of Standarda

AUG 2*^ 193^

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
The program of research on building materials and structures, carried on by the

National Bureau of Standards, was undertaken with the assistance of the Central

Housing Committee, an informal organization of governmental agencies concerned

with housing construction and finance, which is cooperating in the investigations through

a subcommittee of principal technical assistants.

CENTEAL HOUSING COMMITTEE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON TECHNICAL EESEAECH

Waltee Junge, Chairman Aethur C. Shiee, Vice Chairman

Federal Housing Administration. United States Housing Authority.

Sterling R. March, Secretary

Albeet G. Beae,

Veterans' Administration.

Pieeeb Blouke,

Federal Home Loan Bank Board.

Caeeoll W. Chambeelain,

Procurement Division (Treasury).

Joseph M. DallaValle,

Public Health Service.

John Donovan,

Farm Seciu-ity Administration (Agricultm-e).

Geoege E. Knox,

Yards and Docks (Navy).

Vincent B. Phelan,

National Bureau of Standards (Commerce).

Edwaed a. Poynton,

Office of Indian Affairs (Interior).

Geoege W. Teayee,

Forest Service (Agriculture).

Elsmeee J. Waltees,

Construction Division (War).

CHAIRMEN OP SECTIONS

Specifications Materials Maintenance

Caeeoll W. Chambeelain Elsmeee J. Waltees John H. Schaefeb

Mechanical Equipment Methods and Practices

ROBEET K. ThULMAN

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

STAFF COMMITTEE ON ADMINISTRATION AND COORDINATION

Hugh L. Deyden, Chairman.

Mechanics and Sound

Phaon H. Bates, Gustav E. F. Lundell,

Clay and Silicate Products. Chemistry.

HoBART C. Dickinson, Addams S. McAllister,

Heat and Power. Codes and Specifications.

Waeeen E. Emley, Heney S. Rawdon,

Organic and Fibrous Materials. Metallurgy.

The Forest Products Laboratory of the United States Department of Agriculture

is cooperating with both committees on investigations of wood constructions.

[For list .of BMS publications and how to purchase, see cover page III.]
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE • Harry L. Hopkins, Secretar NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS • Lyman J. Briggs, Director

BUILDING MATERIALS

and STRUCTURES

REPORT BMS21

Structural Properties of a Concrete-Block Cavity-Wall

Construction Sponsored by the

National Concrete Masonry Association

by HERBERT L. WHITTEMORE, AMBROSE H. STANG,

and DOUGLAS e. parsons

ISSUED JULY 19, 1939

The National Bureau of Standards is a fact-finding organization;

it does not "approve" any particular material or method of construction. The technical findings in this series of reports are to be construed accordingly.

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE • WASHINGTON • 1939

FOR SALE BY THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS, WASHINGTON, D. C. • PRICE 10 CENTS
Foreword

This report is one of a series issued by the National Bureau of Standards on the

structural properties of constructions intended for low-cost houses and apartments.

Practically all of these constructions were sponsored by groups within the building

industry which advocate and promote the use of such constructions and wliich have

built and submitted representative specimens, as outlined in report BMS2, Methods of

Determining the Structural Properties of Low-Cost House Constructions. The sponsor

is responsible for the representative character of the specimens and for the description

given in each report. The Bureau is responsible for the test data.

This report covers only the load-deformation relations and strength of the wall of a house when subjected to compressive, transverse, concentrated, impact, and racldng

loads by standardized methods simulating the loads to which the wall would be subjected

in actual service. It may be feasible later to determine the heat transmission at ordinary

temperatures and the fire resistance of this construction and perhaps other properties.

The National Bureau of Standards does not "approve" a construction, nor does it express an opinion as to the merits of a construction for the reasons given in reports

BMSl and BMS2. The technical facts on this and other constructions provide the

basic data from which architects and engineers can determine whether a construction

meets desired performance requirements.

Lyman J. Briggs, Director.

11
Structural Properties of a Concrete-Block Cavity-Wall Construction Sponsored by the National Concrete Masonry Association

by Herbert L. Whittemore, Ambrose 11. Stang, and Douglas E. Parsons

C O N T E N T S

Foreword ii

I. Introduction 1 II. Sponsor and product 2

III. Specimens and tests 2 IV. Wall AX . 2

1. Sponsor's statement 2

(a) Materials 2

(b) Description 3

(1) Four-foot wall specimens- 3

(2) Eight-foot wall specimens, 4

ABSTRACT

For the program on the determination of the structural properties of low-cost house constructions, the National Concrete Masonry Association submitted 12 specimens representing a concrete-block cavity-wall

construction. The specimens were subjected to compressive, transverse, concentrated, impact, and racking loads. For

each of these loads, three like specimens were tested. The deformation under load and the set after the load was removed were measured for uniform increments of

load, e.xcept for concentrated loads, for which the set only was determined. The results are presented

graphically and in a table.

I. INTRODUCTION

In order to provide technical facts on the

performance of constructions which might be

used in low-cost houses, to discover promising

constructions, and ultimately to determine the

properties necessary for acceptable performance,

the National Bureau of Standards has invited

the building industry to cooperate in a program

of research on building materials and structures for use in low-cost houses and apartments.

The objectives of this program are described

in report BMSl, Research on Building Materials and Structures for Use in Low-Cost

Housing, and that part of the program relating

to the structural properties in report BMS2,

Methods of Determining the Structural Properties of Low-Cost House Constructions.

As a part of the research on structural propPage

IV. Wall ^X—Continued.

1. Sponsor's statement—Continued.

(c) Fabrication data 4

(d) Comments 4

2. Compressive load 4

3. Transverse load 6

4. Concentrated load 6

5. Impact load 6

6. Racking load 9

erties, six masonry wall constructions have

been subjected to a series of standardized

laboratory tests to provide data on the properties of some constructions for which the

behavior in service is generally known. These

data are given in report BMS5, Structural

Properties of Six Masonry Wall Constructions.

Similar tests have been made on wood-frame

constructions by the Forest Products Laboratory of the United States Department of

Agriculture, the results of which will be given

in a subsequent report in this series. The present report describes the structural

properties of a wall construction sponsored by

one of the groups in the building industry.

The specimens were subjected to compressive,

transverse, concentrated, impact, and racking

loads, simulating loads to which the walls of a house are subjected. In actual service, compressive loads on a wall are produced by the

weight of the roof, second floor and secondstory walls if any, furniture and occupants,

wind load on adjoining second-story walls, and snow and wind loads on the roof. Transverse

loads on a wall are produced by the wind,

concentrated and impact loads by furniture or

accidental contact with heavy objects, and

racking loads by the action of the wind on

adjoining walls. The deformation and set under each increment of load were measured because the

suitability of a wall construction depends in part on its resistance to deformation imder

[1]
load aPxd whether it returns to its original size and shape when the load is removed.

II. SPONSOR AND PRODUCT

The specimens were submitted by the National Concrete Masonry Association, Chicago,

111., and represented a concrete- block cavity-wall construction.

The concrete blocks were manufactured by Mahlstedt Materials,

Inc., New Rochelle, N. Y.

III. SPECIMENS AND TESTS

The wall construction was as- signed the symbol AX, and the

specimens were assigned the designations given in table 1. Table 1.

Specimen designations^

Specimen

designation Load Load applied

CI, ce. as T1,T2,TS

PI, P2, PS

11, It, IS Rl, R2, RS

Compressive. _ Transverse

Concentrated., Impact

Racking .

Upper end. Either face. Do.

Do. Near upper eod.

« These specimens were undamaged portions f f the transverse specimens. The specimens were tested in

accordance with BMS2, Methods

of Determining the Structural

Properties of Low-Cost House

Constructions, which also gives the requirements for the specimens and describes the pres- entation of the results of the tests, particularly

the load-deformation graphs.

For the transverse, concentrated, and impact

loads, only three specimens for each loading were

tested, because the wall was symmetrical about

a plane midway between the faces and the re- sults for loads applied to one face of the speci- mens should be the same as those obtained by

applying the loads to the other face. The tests were begun on June 1, 1938, and

completed June 8, 1938. The specimens were

tested 28 days after they were built. The

sponsor's representative witnessed the tests.

IV. WALL AX

1. Sponsor's Statement

(a) Materials

Blocks.—Hollow concrete blocks made from

1 part of cement and 6 parts of cinders (maximum size % in.), by volume. The average di- mensions were 4.00 by 23.75 by 7.73 in. (about

4 by 1 ft. 11% in. by 7% in.) for the full-sized

blocks and 4.00 by 11.83 by 7.78 (about 4 by

11% by 7% in.) for the half-sized blocks. The

full-sized block is shown in figure 1 . The halfFiGURE 1.

Concrete block.

sized blocks were obtained by cutting full-sized blocks through the center core. Mahlstedt

Materials, Inc. The physical properties of the blocks, determined by the Masonry Construction Section

of the National Bureau of Standards, are given

in table 2. Table 2. -Physical properties of the concrete blocks, wall AX

Thickness of

face

shell, mini- mum

Compressive

strength

Water absorption, 24-hr. cold immersion

Weight, dry

Size

Net

area Grossarea By

weight

Per

cubic

foot

of concrete

Per

block

Per

cubic

foot

of concrete

Full-sized Half-sized

in.

0. 50

.50

Iblin.^ 1,530Iblin.' 900Percent

14.4 15.0

lb

12. 7

13.

lb 22.7

11.5

lb88.1

87.3

Mortar.—The materials for the mortar were Medusa Cement Co.'s "Medusa" portland

cement, lime putty made by slaking Standard

[2]
Lime and Stone Co.'s "Washington" powdered

quicklime and Potomac Kiver building sand.

The mortar was 1 part of cement, 0.11 part of

hydrated lime, and 2.6 parts of dry sand, b.-y weight. The proportions by volume were 1 part of cement, 0.25 part of hydrated lime, and

3 parts of loose, damp sand, assuming that portland cement weighs 94 Ib/ft^, dry hydrated lime

40 Ib/ft^ and 80 lb of dry sand are equivalent to

1 ft^ of loose damp sand. The materials for each batch were measured by weight and mixed

in a batch mixer having a capacity of % W.

The amount of water added to the mortar was

adjusted to the satisfaction of the mason. The following properties of the mortar

materials and the mortar were determined by

the Masonry Construction Section. The

cement complied with the requirements of Federal Specification SS-C-191a for fineness,

soundness, time of setting, and tensile strength.

The lime putty contained 40 to 45 percent of

dry hydrate, by weight, and had a plasticity of over 600, measured in accordance with Federal

Specification SS-L-351. The sieve analysis of

the sand is given in table 3. The average water content of the mortar

Table 3.Sieve analysis of the sand, wall AX

U. S. standard

Sieve No.

Passing, by weight

Percent

8 100 16 96

30 81

50 25

100 2

Table 4.Physical properties of mortar, wall AX

Specimen

CIC2

CS.. TlTB

TS

II12

ISRlR2

R3

Average,

riow

Percent

109

105

119 122

120

125 112

124

124

119 116

109

112

115

111

Compressive strengtti

Air storage

lb/in.' 1,440

1,470

1,400

1,810

1, 570

2, 180

1, 330 1,240

1,590

1,780

1,550 1,600

1, 400

1,370

1,370 1,540

Water

storage

lb/in.'

3,

2,3,

240 880

300 950

150 leo

300 990

190 400

230 340

310

350 500

was 20 percent by woiglit of dry materials.

Samples were taken from at least one batch

of mortar for each wall specimen, the fiow

determined in accordance with Federal vSpccification SS-C-181b, and six 2-in. cubes made.

Three cubes were stored in water at 70° F and

three stored in air near each wall specimen.

The compressive strength of each cube was

determined on the day the corresponding wall

specimen was tested. The physical properties

of the mortar are given in table 4. Wall ties. —Basic-steel wire, 3/16-in. diam

bent to the shape of a rectangle, outside di- mensions 6 by 3 7/8 in., with ends butted (not

welded) at the center of a 3 7/8-in. side. Precast Concrete Joist Accessories Co.

(6) Description

(1) Four-foot vmU specimens.—The 4-ft wall

specimens were 8 ft 3 in. high, 4 ft 0 in. wide,

and 10 in. thick. The specimens were built

with a concrete-block facing, A, and backing,

B, as shown in figure 2, separated by an air space, C, and connected by steel wall ties, D.

3, 220 Figure 2.

Four-foot wall specimen AX.

A, facing; B, bacliing; C, air space; D, wall ties.

[3]
There were 12 courses in the facing and 12 in

the backing. The first course in the facing

had two full-sized blocks. The first course in

the backing had a full-sized block and two

half-sized blocks. There were two wall ties,

located as shown in figure 2, in each alternate

bed joint starting with the joint above the

first course. The bed joints were furrowed and only the

outer edges of the head joints were buttered

with mortar.

The price of this construction in Washington,

D. C, as of July 1937, was $0.46/ftl

(2) Eight-foot wall specimens.—The 8-ft wall

specimens were 8 ft 3 in. high, 8 ft 1/2 in. wide,

and 10 in. thick. The specimens were similar

to the 4-ft specimens. There were four wall

ties, spaced 2 ft 0 in. on centers, in each alter- nate bed joint, starting with the joint above

the fii'st course.

(c) Fabrication Data

The fabrication data, determined by the

Alasonry Construction Section, are given in

table 5.Table 5.

Fabrication data, wall AX

[The valves per square foot were computed, using the face area of the specimens]

Thickness of joints Masonry

units

Mortar materials Mason's

time Bed Head Cement Lime, dry

hydrate

Sand, dry

!7!. 0. 52in

0. 47 Number/ft^

1.45

Ib/ff

2. 71 Ib/ff

0. 30 ibim

7. 05 hrip0. 083

{d) Comments

Cavity walls have been used for several years

and there are many concrete houses with cavity

walls in the United States. On March 1, 1939,

there were about 40 houses having walls of

construction AX at Alden Estates, Port Chester,

N. Y., and more were being built. It is not necessary to apply a finish to either

face of the walls. However, the outside face is usually waterproofed with two coats cf cement

paint. Probably the best outside finish for this

and other types of concrete masonry walls is portland-cement stucco. A brick facing may

be used instead of the concrete-block facing.

The most economical inside finish is cement

paint. However, the usual inside finish is plaster applied directly to the concrete blocks.

The plaster may be decorated with paint or wallpaper.

2. Compressive Load

Wall specimen A.X—C1 under compressive

load is shown in figure 3. The results for wall

specimens AX-Cl, C2, and C3 are shown in

table 6 and in figures 4 and 5.

Table 6.

Structural properties, wall AX

[Weight, 44.1 lb/ft2]

Load Load applied

Speci- men

nation

Maxi- mum

height

of drop

Maxi- mum

load

- k ips lit 30.0

39. 5 37.9

Compressive^--

Transverse

Upper end, 3.33 in. from

inside face.

(C/_... {C2

[C3

-

ft

37.8

One face; span 7 ft 6 in

Average

[Tl

Ibtjt 2 50.5

52.3 46.5

Concentrated..

Impact

\r3.

49.8

One face (P7_._.

lb n.ooo

"..000 n.ooo Average

Ip.3 M.OOO

One face; span, 7 ft 6 in

Average

2.5

3, 0 3.5

3.0

Racking

u?.....

Near upper end . . _ {R2

'kipslft

5. 94

fi. 20 5.89

Average. .

[R3

6. 01

« A kip is 1,0001b.

» Specimen did not fail. Tost discontinued. The compressive loads were applied to both

the facing and the backing, 3.33 in. from the

inside face. The shortenings and sets shown in

figure 4 for a height of 8 ft were computed from

the values obtained from the compressometer

readings. The gage length of the compressometers was 6 ft 11 in. The lateral deflections

shown in figure 5 were measured on the backing.

The facing deflected the same amount as the

backing within 0.01 in., the estimated error of measurement.

Each of the specimens failed by crushing of blocks in the backing in one or more courses near the upper end of the specimen.

[4]
0 0.2 0.4 0.6

hferal defiedion in. Figure 5.

Compressive load on wall AX.

Load-lateral deflection (open circles) and load-lateral set

(solid circles) results for specimens AX-Cl, C2, and C3. The load was applied 3.33 in. from the inside face. The

loads are in kips per foot of actual width of specimen. The

deflections and sets arc for a gage length of 7 ft 1 in., the gage length of the dellectometers.

[5]
3. Transverse Load

Wall specimen AX-Tl under transverse load

is shown in figure 6. The results for wall

specimens AX-Tl, T2, and T3 are shown in

table 6 and in figure 7. The lateral deflections shown in figure 7 were measured on the backing. The facing deflected

the same amount as the backing within 0.01 in., the estimated error of measurement.

Each of the specimens failed by rupture of the bond between the blocks and the mortar in

both the facing and the backing at bed joints

Figure 6.— 1 1 </// specimen AX-Tl under transverse load.

at or between the loading rollers. For speci- mens Tl and T3 the faflure occurred at joints

having no ties and the ruptured joints in the

facing and backing were at the same height.

For specimen T2 the failure in the facing

occurred at a joint having no ties, whereas the

failure in the backing occurred at a joint having

ties. 4. Concentrated Load

Wall specimen AX-P3 under concentrated

load is shown in figure 8. The results for wall

specimens AX-Pl, P2, and PS are shown in

table 6 and in figure 9. The concentrated loads were applied to one face of each specimen at midwidth. For

specimen PI the load was applied on a head

joint, for specimen P2 at the intersection of a head joint and a bed joint having no ties, and

for specimen PS at the center of a concrete

block.

The indentations shown in figure 9 to the left of the vertical axis and the decrease in the in- dentation for one specimen for loads greater

than 700 lb were caused by the difficulty of obtaining readings on the rough surfaces of the

specimens. The indentations after a load of

I, 000 lb had been applied were less than 0.015

in. for each of the specimens, and no other effect was observed.

5. Impact Load

Wall specimen AX-I2 during the impact test

is shown in figure 10. The results for wall

specimens AX-Il, 12, and IS are shown in

table 6 and in figure 11. The impact loads were applied to the center

of one face of each specimen, the sandbag strik- ing the face about midway, between wall ties. At drops of 1.5, 2.5, and 2 ft for specimens

II, 12, and IS, respectively, a bed joint near midheight in both the facing and the bacldng

cracked. At the maximum drop each specimen

failed by rupture of the bond between the

blocks and the mortar at the cracked bed joints.

For specimens 12 and IS the failures occurred

at joints having ties.

[6]
:\

<\4

60

50

^40

\50

I

10

0

KDAX 0 0.2 0.4 0.6

defleciion in. Figure 7.—Transverse load on wall AX.

Load-deflection (open circles) and load-set (solid circles) results for specimens AX-Tl, T2, and T3 on the span 7 ft 6 in. The deflections and sets are for the gage lengths of the deflectometers. For specimen

Tl the gage length was 7 ft 1 in., and for specimens Ti and T3 the gage

length was 7 ft 6 in.

^-/OOO*

^800'

600*^.

200

0

0 0.02 0.04 0.06

indenhHon in. Figure 9.

Concentrated load on wall AX.

Load-indentation results for specimens AX~P1, P2, and PS.

Figure 8.

Wall specimen AX-P3 under concentrated

load. A, loading disk.

7]
4

2

0

Figure 10.

Wall specimen

AX~I2 during the impact

test.

—( )

—

7

—a> h

-O-y

o

-o

— U

tf

V

Q 0.2 0.4 0.6

deflecfion in.

Figure 11.Impact load on wall AX.

Height otdrop-defleotion (open circles ) and height

of drop-set (solid circles)

re-sults for specimens

. 1 X-Il, 12, and IS on the span 7 ft. 6 in.

.1;o

6

5

4

5

2

I

0

•I

Figure 13.

Racking load on wall AX.

Load-deformation (open circles) and

load-set (solid circles) results for spec- imens AX-Rl, R2, and RS. The

loads are in kips per foot of actual width of specimen.

---e- —o—

> O (

1 • « ooic -I1

) pc

• •

1 T1 od

1 oib

+-

J—

opo

• •

1

o

uo o If AX

0.02 0.04

deformafion

0.06

in/Sff

[8]
FiuuKE 12. —Wall specimen AX Rl under racking load.

6. Racking Load

Wall specimen AX-Rl under racking load

is shown in figure 12. The results for wall

specimens AX-Rl, R2, and R3 are shown in

table 6 and in figure 13. The racking loads were applied near the upper

end of each specimen to a bearing plate covering both the facing and the backing and the

stop was also in contact with both. The deformations and sets shown in figure 13 for a height

of 8 ft were computed from the values obtained

by the measuring-device readings. The gage

length of the vertical measuring device was

6 ft 6 in. for specimen Rl and 6 ft 1 in. for

specimens R2 and R3. The gage length of the

horizontal measuring device was 5 ft 0 in. for

all three specimens.

Specimen Rl failed by crushing of blocks in

both the facing and the backing at the loaded

corner. Specimens R2 and R3, faded by

rupture of both the facing and the backing

approximately along a diagonal between the

point of application of load and the stop. The

cracks did not follow the mortar joints

but went directly through the blocks. In addition, for specimen R3 two blocks at the stop

crushed.

[9]
The sponsor supplied the information con- tained in the sponsor's statement. The drawings of the specimens were prepared by E. J. Schell and G. W. Shaw of the Bureau's Building

Practice and Specifications Section, under the

supervision of V. B. Phelan.

The structural properties were determined by

the Engineering Mechanics Section, under the

supervision of H. L. Wliittemore and A. H.

Stang, and the Masonry Construction Section,

under the supervision of D. E. Parsons, with

the assistance of the following members of the

professional stafi^: C. C. Fishburn, F. Cardile,

R. C. Carter, H. Dollar, M. Dubin, A. H.

Easton, A. S. Endler, C. D. Johnson, P. H.

Petersen, A. J. Sussman, and L. R. Sweetman.

Washington, March 27, 1939.

[10]
BUILDING MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES REPORTS

The following publications in this series are now available by purchase from the

Superintendent of Documents at the prices indicated:

BMSl Research on Building Materials and Structures for Use in Low-Cost Housing lOfi BMS2 Methods of Determining the Structural Properties of Low-Cost House Constructions. _ 10^ BMS3 Suitability of Fiber Insulating Lath as a Plaster Base 10^ BMS4 Accelerated Aging of Fiber Building Boards 10^ BMS5 Structural Properties of Six Masonry Wall Constructions 15^ BMS6 Survey of Roofing Materials in the Southeastern States 15^ BMS7 Water PermeabiUty of Masonry Walls 10^ BMS8 Methods of Investigation of Surface Treatment for Corrosion Protection of Steel 10^ BMS9 Structural Properties of the Insulated Steel Construction Company's "Frameless-Steel"

Constructions for Walls, Partitions, Floors, and Roofs 10(4 BMSIO Structural Properties of One of the "Keystone Beam Steel Floor" Constructions Sponsored by the H. H. Robertson Company 10j5 BMSll Structural Properties of the Curren Fabrihome Corporation's "Fabrihome" Constructions for Walls and Partitions 10(4 BMS12 Structural Properties of "Steelox" Constructions for Walls, Partitions, Floors, and Roofs

Sponsored by Steel Buildings, Inc 15f5 BMS13 Properties of Some Fiber BuQding Boards of Current Manufacture 10(i BMS14 Indentation and Recovery of Low-Cost Floor Coverings 10^ BMS15 Structural Properties of "Wheeling Long-Span Steel Floor" Construction Sponsored by

the Wheeling Corrugating Company lOji BMS16 Structural Properties of a "Tilecrete" Floor Construction Sponsored by Tilecrete

Floors, Inc 10(4 BMS17 Sound Insulation of Wall and Floor Constructions lOji BMS18 Structural Properties of "Pre-Fab" Constructions for Walls, Partitions, and Floors,

Sponsored by the Harnischfeger Corporation 10(4 BMS19 Preparation and Revision of Building Codes 15^

How to Purchase

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