Try to find a structural masonry deputy special inspector? You’ve come to the right site! We at Riverside Deputy Special Inspection are qualified and licensed in this very area with the International Code Council. With years of field knowledge and familiarity, we are here to assist you for any commercial or residential project. Don’t delay in contacting us directly through our website, social media or phone number at (951) 900-1727 for a free Structural Masonry Deputy Special Inspection quote in Riverside California!
How does structural masonry work? Structural masonry is a building method in which the walls of the building are considered structural. These structural walls use CMU (concrete masonry units) placed together that are load bearing (not non-load bearing). The pressure or load put on these walls in whichever condition it is in will eventually be transferred to the foundation, and then to the earth.
Structural masonry can either be made with bricks, blocks, or stones which are usually bonded with mortar. Projecting mortar fins at the joints of these materials should be removed per approved plan in order to accomplish a clean appearance and acceptable outer surface. Also, a precaution overlooked many times is the prevention of excess mortar droppings in cells.
During the placement of these materials, it is imperative that all are being set and organized in a prearranged fashion per approved plans. Structural masonry walls are typically built with high lift grout placements. In this case, it is typical that cleanouts are constructed to safeguard that there is no surplus of mortar droppings or debris at the base of these masonry walls. As soon as our deputy special inspector confirms that the bottom of the walls have been cleared, the contractor then closes out the cleanouts prior to grout placement.
In structural masonry wall construction, reinforcing steel shall be placed in the middle of cells, whether they be vertical or horizontally installed. Clearance around the entire bar is to always be achieved with correct lap splices, spacings and bar sizes per approved plan. When slab dowels are installed at top of CMU walls, they are never to be wet set or installed after freshly placed grout has been placed as this could cause an exclusion of aggregates in mix.
At Riverside Deputy Special Inspection, we try our best in casting representative grout prisms in order to achieve what has been placed in a masonry wall. Whether it be using the pinwheel procedure or the block assembly technique, we ensure that your grout sample prisms represent exactly what was put in your structural masonry wall.
During grout placement, if deputy special inspection is necessary, we safeguard that grout is internally consolidated at each lift. Many times, vibrators are not fully placed into cells near the bottom section of a wall in order to achieve a proper consolidation. Incorrect consolidation in CMU walls can result in potential voids which can compromise the structural reliability. On the other hand, excessive consolidation can be unfavorable to a structural CMU wall because segregation of aggregate, sand or cement can take place resulting in an unequal distribution of the mix. We at Riverside Deputy Special Inspection are knowledgeable and informed in helping prevent this from happening.
