Selecting Bed-Joint Reinforcement
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Source: MASONRY CONSTRUCTION MAGAZINE
Publication date:
January 1, 1999
- I have heard that a ladder-type bed-joint reinforcement should be used when connecting clay masonry to concrete masonry. Can truss-type bed-joint reinforcement be used when both the outer wythe and the inner wythe are the same material? If not, when can truss-type bed-joint reinforcement be used?
- I would not recommend using truss-type bed-joint reinforcement in cavity walls, even where both wythes are either concrete masonry or clay masonry. This is because the outer wythe of a masonry wall will experience much greater temperature changes than the inner wythe, due to solar radiation and external temperatures. This difference is even greater in insulated cavity walls. The truss-type reinforcement can restrict movement between wythes and contribute to cracking problems.
I do not recommend truss-type bed-joint reinforcement in multiwythe grouted masonry walls either. The diagonal wires of the truss-type bed-joint reinforcement are more likely to collect mortar bridges, which interfere with proper wall grouting. Truss-type bed-joint reinforcement is appropriate in single-wythe concrete masonry walls.
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