The reinforcement of a semi-framed brick building has its own style and method due to the subtle differences of this type of structure with more modern buildings. In this article, we try to deal with ways to strengthen it after learning about this design and structure.
This type of building and construction methods, Which was more common in the past decades and was common in major cities before compliance with earthquake and architectural protocols and regulations.
Brick semi-framed buildings, According to the definition of seismic optimization guidelines, They are buildings made of traditional building materials and in general, Buildings that are built in a traditional way without engineering calculations. The roof of these buildings is made of arched bricks, and the arched vault, and wood, etc., Its function can be rigid or flexible.
This type of building is one of the unreinforced buildings. That is, it is distinguished from other types of buildings by the central metal columns. Brick walls have load-bearing wall status and are structurally composed of two long parallel walls.
In terms of supply, Due to the direction of the arched ceiling beams, It does not need so-called load-bearing walls. The facade of these buildings, naturally , It has its own image with square and rectangular doors and windows. The material of this type of doors and windows is usually metal.
Two types of general arrangement of load-bearing walls can be observed in semi-structural buildings. In the first type there are walls or load-bearing walls in the transverse direction of the building, It is usually located at the end of the building, The behavior of this type of building is affected by torsion. In the second type, In the transverse direction, There is no acceptable load-bearing wall and the building is very weak in the transverse direction.
Reinforcement of a semi-framed brick building by strengthening the load-bearing wall
In general and rationally, With the strength of the load-bearing walls, Which in some way bears the main weight of the building, The strength of this type of structure can be greatly helped. below, We will first define the difference between load-bearing walls and non-load-bearing walls, We then discuss the issues surrounding strengthening load-bearing walls.
A wall designed to support the slab above or other building elements in a structure is called a load-bearing wall. The main features of load-bearing walls are as follows:
• It is a structural element.
• It supports the weight of the house from the roof and upper floors.
• Load-bearing walls transfer loads to the end of the foundation or other suitable framing members.
• It can support structural elements such as beams (solid pieces of wood or metal), The tiles and walls are in the floors above the upper level.
• A wall directly above the beam is called a load-bearing wall if it is designed to bear a vertical load.
• Load-bearing walls have their own weight.
• There is usually more than one wall on each floor.
• Load-bearing walls can be used as an interior or exterior wall.
• Load-bearing walls can be used as an interior or exterior wall.
• Concrete is an ideal material to support these loads.
Non-bearing walls
A wall that does not support the framing niche and only supports it is defined as a non-load-bearing wall. This wall is also called the “curtain wall”. On the other hand , There are non-load-bearing or non-load-bearing walls inside the house that do not support any of the weight of the building structure. There are non-load-bearing or non-load-bearing walls inside the house that do not support any of the weight of the building structure.
These walls are mainly used as a room divider and have no other purpose. Just by looking at the joists in your attic or basement, You can quickly identify those walls. If the beams and bridges are parallel to the wall, They are often considered non-load-bearing walls. You can remove these walls without compromising the integrity of the building, Because they are not responsible for supporting your property.
Non-load bearing wall applications
• A non-load-bearing wall cannot support the extra weight of the roof.
• Non-load-bearing walls can be removed without losing the security of the home
• It bears the weight of beams and walls that do not bear a load.
• They are not responsible for gravity assist.
• These are often interior walls designed to separate the floor from additional spaces.
• These types of walls are designed to reduce the dead load of the lighter structure.
Strengthening the load-bearing wall and strengthening of a semi-framed brick building
Among the methods of strengthening load-bearing walls and finally semi-framed brick construction, The following two methods can be mentioned:
Reinforce the interior of the arch’s roof sheet by converting it to a double-sided slab
Since the force is transmitted in two directions, The tensions generated in a double-sided slab are much lower than in a single-sided slab. Also, the bearing load of brick arches is much less than that of single-sided slab. In this way , The bearing capacity of the weaker and brittle element decreases, i.e. brick arch, The share of the stronger and more flexible element increases, That is, the steel network.
in general , It can be said that with the use of double-sided tiles, Brick arches will mostly be in the middle of the framing or infill, The main loads will be transported by the steel grid. Existing non-engineered (conventional) and semi-engineered (reinforced) slabs can easily be converted to double-sided engineered slabs with minimal modifications.
Reinforcing the slab for level cuts with crossed reinforcement bars
In the national building regulations of Iran, Topic eight, In addition to the cross bars, The use of cross beams is mandatory. as a result , If transverse beams are used to increase the integrity of the transverse arch roof, The shear capacity within the roof sheet (perpendicular to the beam direction) will increase significantly.
In this case , Cross bars are required. At the same time , The use of cross beams will require extensive roof destruction and high cost, This is why using this method of strengthening does not seem to be a general solution.
In the Guide to Seismic Vulnerability Analysis and Improvement of Existing Unreinforced Buildings, It is assumed that the use of diagonal and horizontal reinforcement (perpendicular to the beam direction) and without the use of cross beams is sufficient to strengthen vaulted ceilings.