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It is a particular challenge to all-masonry structures, resulting in fractured foundations and vertical cracks in walls. It is not uncommon to see older buildings with walls braced with railway iron or having long steel rods at ceiling level, holding opposite walls together. [1]
The damp proof course may be horizontal or vertical. [4] A DPC layer is usually laid below all masonry walls, regardless if the wall is a load bearing wall or a partition wall. A damp-proof membrane (DPM) is a membrane material applied to prevent moisture transmission.
Cracked walls: Cracks may be horizontal, vertical, diagonal or stair-stepped. Severe pressure or structural damage is evident by widening cracks. Buckling walls: Usually caused by hydrostatic pressure. Walls appear to be bowed inward. Peeling paint: Water seeping through walls may lead to bubbling or peeling paint along basement walls. [4]
Cracks caused by vertical loads leave parts of buildings vulnerable to corrosion, such as eaves and gable walls above purlin positions, or placed directly beneath openings, where the weight on brickwork is light. Over the time, cracks appear from the top of the wall and extend downward.
Masonry walls have an endothermic effect of its hydrates, as in chemically bound water, unbound moisture from the concrete block, and the poured concrete if the hollow cores inside the blocks are filled. Masonry can withstand temperatures up to 1,000 °F (538 °C) and it can withstand direct exposure to fire for up to 4 hours.
Shallow foundations of a house versus the deep foundations of a skyscraper. Foundation with pipe fixtures coming through the sleeves. In engineering, a foundation is the element of a structure which connects it to the ground or more rarely, water (as with floating structures), transferring loads from the structure to the ground.
Roof defects such as faulty flashing, cracked or missing slates or tiles. Faults in the brickwork or masonry such as missing or cracked pointing. Porous bricks or stones. Missing or defective mastic around windows and doors. Blocked weep holes. Missing or defective trays in cavity walls.
German masons repointing a wall in 1948. Repointing is the process of renewing the pointing, which is the external part of mortar joints, in masonry construction. Over time, weathering and decay cause voids in the joints between masonry units, usually in bricks, allowing the undesirable entrance of water.