Structural and fire performance of masonry walls with ceramic bricks

Abstract

Ceramic brick masonry construction systems have long been used in civil construction. Understanding their performance at high temperatures is important, as several fires have occurred in recent years in these types of buildings. Therefore, in this study, the structural performances of 16 ceramic brick masonry walls under typical service and fire loads were experimentally analyzed. Parameters, such as the type of ceramic bricks (non-structural common and structural with horizontal and vertical perforations, respectively), the type of test (at room temperature and fire resistance test), load level, and laying mortar were tested. Walls with structural ceramic bricks exhibited low resistance capacities under ambient conditions, which were below normative values and close to practical service load levels. In the event of a fire, the walls constructed with common brick exhibited low fire resistance (FR), not reaching the 30-min class. Structural ceramic brick walls exhibited better fire performance, reaching the 150-min class, but higher loads considerably reduced this time.