Effect Of Material Properties On The Mechanical, Thermal And Acoustic Properties Of Hollow Blocks: A Review

Abstract

Masonry is one of the most commonly used constructions for the walls of buildings, retaining walls and monuments etc. At first, only clay blocks were used as masonry units, later on cement based concrete blocks were devloped. Hollow brick is defined as having greater than 25 percent and at most 60 percent void areas. Hollow unreinforced masonry walls have been popular for many applications including load-bearing construction, as long as lateral loads are small, thermal and acoustic applications. However, vertical loads, when applied eccentrically, have deleterious effects on member stability due to the flexural stresses they introduce and the associated tensile cracking that reduces effective cross-section depth. Though clay blocks are more efficient in case of thermal insulation but it is difficult to maintain the stability of hollow masonry walls..Composite blocks (like paper waste composite and compressed straw composite) are efficient for thermal and acoustic insulation but they have less compressive strength and higher moisture absorption property