Masonry is among the oldest building technologies still in continuous professional use, yet the discipline as practiced today is an engineered material system - and a mason laying block on a job site and a structural engineer sizing a reinforced masonry shear wall are working within the same field, even though the knowledge each needs to do that work well is not identical.
Few single resources attempt to serve both of these audiences, and the readers caught in between often go underserved. Apprentices and contractors moving toward supervisory or estimating roles frequently lack the design literacy those roles require. Construction-technology and engineering students often meet masonry as one chapter inside a broader survey, without ever developing the allowable-stress and strength-design methods an actual project demands. And practicing engineers can find code-based references dense and difficult to apply without seeing the underlying material behavior explained from first principles and demonstrated through complete, checkable calculations.
This comprehensive volume treats masonry as a complete subject in its own right, moving systematically from material properties through structural design method, whole-building wall-system detailing, field construction practice, and long-term performance - with every design equation developed from stated assumptions and every worked example carrying full unit tracking to a boxed, verified answer.
Readers will be able to:
- Understand the physical and mechanical properties of clay brick, concrete masonry units, natural stone, mortar, and grout, and how those properties govern the specified compressive strength used in design.
- Apply both allowable-stress and strength-design methods to check axial, flexural, and shear adequacy of unreinforced and reinforced masonry elements.
- Recognize the height, seismic-hazard, and loading conditions that require a design to transition from plain to reinforced masonry, and apply the corresponding ductility and maximum-reinforcement provisions.
- Select and detail load-bearing, cavity-wall, anchored-veneer, or adhered-veneer systems appropriate to a given building type, height, and exposure.
- Calculate lateral force distribution, movement-joint spacing, and moisture-control detailing including flashing and weep systems.
- Apply field construction tolerances, seasonal protection measures, and inspection and quality-assurance test methods that confirm a completed wall performs as designed.
- Evaluate deterioration in existing masonry and apply appropriate restoration, repair, and retrofit techniques.
Key topics covered include: masonry material properties; unreinforced masonry design including lintel arching action; reinforced masonry flexural and shear design by working-stress and strength methods; wall-system selection and veneer anchor design; seismic and wind lateral-force design; movement and moisture control; specialty elements such as fireplaces, chimneys, and arches; site construction methods; inspection and quality assurance; and restoration of existing masonry - supported by a symbols table, glossary, checklists, and index that let each chapter also function as a standalone reference.
Written for masonry apprentices and contractors building toward supervisory or estimating responsibility; construction-technology, civil-engineering, and architectural-engineering students developing a foundation in masonry design; and practicing engineers, inspectors, and specifiers who need a working, first-principles command of current masonry design and construction practice.
Open this comprehensive book and begin working through the materials science, design methods, and field practices that define masonry as a modern engineered discipline - from the first material property to the last restoration detail.
