Abstract
Prefabrication has been shown to be an effective way of construction in the modern-day context. Although much progress has been made in developing reinforced concrete (RC), timber and steel prefabricated elements/structures, prefabrication of masonry walling systems has received limited attention in the past. Conventional masonry construction is labour-intensive and time-consuming; therefore, prefabrication can be an effective solution to accelerate the masonry construction to make it more cost-effective. Therefore, in this paper, an attempt has been made to evaluate the effectiveness of prefabricated masonry systems (PMS) in terms of their structural characteristics and sustainability perspectives in an Australian context. Subsequently, the available studies related to PMS and the prospects of developing prefabricated masonry walling systems were appraised and reported. In order to assess the applicability of PMS, a case study was carried out by designing four types of prospective prefabricated masonry walling systems for a typical housing unit in Australia. It was shown that the reinforced (RM), post-tensioned (PT) and thin layered mortared (TLM) masonry systems are better suited for prefabrication. Later, in order to assess the sustainability of the considered masonry walling systems, life cycle energy analyses were carried using the Environmental Performance in Construction (EPIC) database. It was found that there can be nearly 30% and 15% savings, respectively, in terms of energy saving and CO2 emissions in prefabricated construction than the conventional masonry construction. Finally, the prospects of developing PMS and the need for future research studies on these systems are highlighted.
Highlights
Masonry is one of the oldest construction materials in the world; it is still a preferred material for construction due to its simple construction method, relatively good loadbearing capacity, better fire and acoustic properties and aesthetic appeal
Outline thin layer mortaring (TLM) mortar application with only Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) blocks. It was concluded in the previous studies that some of the proprietary mortars used in TLM masonry provided relatively higher bond strength than the conventional mortar [69,70], which could provide better resistance against the transportation and erection actions, if it is to be used as prefabricated systems
The reason for limited research in establishing the prefabricated masonry systems (PMS) differs across different countries due to cost effectiveness, limited awareness and lack of understanding of such systems’ performance
Summary
Masonry is one of the oldest construction materials in the world; it is still a preferred material for construction due to its simple construction method, relatively good loadbearing capacity, better fire and acoustic properties and aesthetic appeal. Samani et al [40] analysed the LCC of a prefabricated fibre reinforced composite walling system and conventional masonry buildings in the US context. The prefabricated masonry can be an attractive solution to accelerate the sign, fabrication and erectionmasonry methods.construction, Any PMS with connecting components should be labour intensive conventional especially for the low-rise buildings, able to withstand loads the occupancy structure as sustainable well as the characexternal the uptake is hindered byinduced a lack ofby understanding of of thethe structural and loads exerted to wind, earthquake. It must showed in that the composite prefabricated walling systems consumed higher maintenance be mentioned that therecost arecompared some patented which were not evolved into successful and lower demolition to thePMS conventional masonry It can be hypothesised orthat widely used applications, and are not considered in this review. Some of those systems are briefly summarised and discussed for the prospect of developing prefabricated masonry in the Australian context
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