Chapter 8 Vocabulary

Vitrification

, The process of transforming a material into a glassy substance by means of heat. -

Lintel,

A beam that carries the load of a wall across a window or door opening. -

- Soldier,

A brick laid on its end, with its narrow face toward the outside of the wall.

Rowlock,

A brick laid on its long edge, with its end exposed in the face of the wall. -

Sand-mold brick, sand-struck brick,

A brick made in a mold that was wetted and then dusted with sand before the clay was placed in it. -

Water-struck brick

A brick made in a mold that was wetted before the clay was placed in it. -

Firebrick

A brick made to withstand very high temperatures, as in a fireplace, furnace, or industrial chimney. -

Stretcher,

A brick or masonry unit laid in its most usual position, with the broadest surface of the unit horizontal and the length of the unit parallel to the surface of the wall. -

Gauged brick,

A brick that has been rubbed on an abrasive stone to reduce it to a trapezoidal shape for use in an arch. -

Masonry unit

A brick, stone, concrete block, glass block, or hollow clay tile intended to be laid in mortar. -

Quoin

A corner reinforcing of cut stone or bricks in a masonry wall, usually done for decorative effect. -

Tie,

A device for holding two parts of a construction together; a structural device that acts in tension. -

- Portland cement,

A gray or white powder, composed principally of calcium silicates, which, when combined with water, hydrates to form the binder in concrete, mortar, and stucco.

Grout,

A high-slump mixture of portland cement, aggregates, and water, which can be poured or pumped into cavities in concrete or masonry for the purpose of embedding reinforcing bars and/ or increasing the amount of loadbearing material in a wall; a specially formulated mortar-like material for filling under steel baseplates and around connections in precast concrete framing; a mortar used to fill joints between ceramic tiles or quarry tiles. -

Course,

A horizontal layer of masonry units one unit high; a horizontal line of shingles or siding. -

- Masonry cement,

A hydraulic cement made from a blend of portland cement, lime, and other dry admixtures designed to increase the workability of the mortar. See also Cement-lime mortar.

- Vee joint,

A joint whose profile resembles the letter V.

- Periodic kiln,

A kiln that is loaded and fired in discrete batches, as differentiated from a tunnel kiln, which is operated continuously.

Tunnel kiln,

A kiln through which clay products are passed on railroad cars. -

Efflorescence,

A light-colored, powdery deposit on the face of masonry or concrete, caused by the leaching of chemical salts from water migrating from within the structure to the surface. -

Cavity wall,

A masonry wall that includes a continuous airspace between its outermostwythe and the remainder of the wall. -

- Low-lift grouting,

A method of constructing a reinforced masonry wall in which the reinforcing bars are embedded in grout in increments not higher than 4 feet (1200 mm).

High-lift grouting,

A method of constructing a reinforced masonry wall in which the reinforcing bars are embedded in grout in story-high increments. -

Stiff mud process,

A method of molding bricks in which a column of damp clay is extruded from a rectangular die and cut into bricks by fine wires. -

Dry-press process,

A method of molding slightly damp clays and shales into bricks by forcing them into molds under high pressure. -

Weathered joint

A mortar joint finished in a sloping, planar profile that tends to shed water to the outside of the wall. -

Concave joint,

A mortar joint tooled into a curved, indented profile. -

Lime,

A nonhydraulic cementitious material, used as an ingredient in mortars and plasters. See also Hydrated lime, Quicklime. -

- Barrel vault,

A segment of a cylindrical surface that spans as an arch.

- Corbel

A spanning device in which masonry units in successive courses are cantilevered slightly over one another; a projecting bracket of masonry or concrete.

Arch,

A structural device that supports a vertical load by translating it into axial inclined forces at its supports. -

Buttress,

A structural device, usually of masonry or concrete, that resists the diagonal forces from an arch or vault. -

Extended-life admixture,

A substance that retards the onset of the curing reaction in mortar so that the mortar may be used over a protracted period of time after mixing. -

Mortar,

A substance used to join masonry units, consisting of cementitious materials, fine aggregate, and water. See also Cement-lime mortar, Lime mortar. -

Flashing,

A thin, continuous sheet of metal, plastic, rubber, or waterproof paper used to prevent the passage of water through a joint in a wall, roof, or chimney. -

Trowel,

A thin, flat steel tool, either pointed or rectangular, provided with a handle and held in the hand, used to manipulate mastic, mortar, plaster, or concrete. Also, a machine whose rotating steel blades are used to finish concrete slabs; to use a trowel. -

Story pole,

, A strip of wood marked with the exact course heights of masonry for a particular building; used to make sure that all the leads are identical in height and coursing. -

Wythe,

, A vertical layer of masonry that is one masonry unit thick. -

Firing

, The process of converting dry clay into a ceramic material through the application of intense heat. -

Blended hydraulic cement,

Hydraulic cement made from a mixture of cementitious materials such as portland cement, other hydraulic cements, and pozzolans for the purpose of altering one or more properties of the cement or reducing the energy required in the cement manufacturing process. -

Muriatic acid,

Hydrochloric acid. -

Header,

In framed construction, a member that carries other perpendicular framing members, such as a beam above an opening in a wall or a joist supporting other joists where they are interrupted by a floor opening. In steel construction, a beam that spans between girders. In masonry construction, a brick or other masonry unit that is laid across two wythes with its end exposed in the face of the wall. -

Mortar cement,

In masonry, a blend of portland cement, lime, and other additives, that produces mortar comparable in its bond strength properties to cement-lime mortar. See also Cement-lime mortar. -

Aggregate,

Inert particles, such as sand, gravel, crushed stone, or expanded minerals, in a concrete, mortar, or plaster. -

Bed joint,

The horizontal layer of mortar beneath a masonry unit. -

Structural bond,

The interlocking pattern of masonry units used to tie two or more wythes together in a wall. -

Water table,

The level at which the pressure of water in the soil is equal to the atmospheric pressure; effectively, the level to which groundwater will fill an excavation; a wood molding or shaped brick used to make a transition between a thicker foundation and the wall above. -

Hydration,

The process by which cements combine chemically with water to harden. -

Carbonation,

The process by which lime mortar reacts with atmospheric carbon dioxide to cure. -

- Water smoking,

The process of applying heat to evaporate the last water from clay products before they are fired.

Head joint,

The vertical layer of mortar between ends of masonry units. -

Collar joint,

The vertical mortar joint between wythes of masonry. -

Spandrel,

The wall area between the head of a window on one story and the sill of a window on the floor above; the area of a wall between adjacent arches. -

Common bond

Brickwork laid with five courses of stretchers followed by one course of headers. -

Reinforced brick masonry (RBM)

Brickwork into which steel bars have been embedded to impart tensile strength to the construction. -

English bond,

Brickwork laid with alternating courses, each consisting entirely of headers or stretchers. -

Running bond,

Brickwork consisting entirely of stretchers. -

Flemish bond,

Brickwork laid with each course consisting of alternating headers and stretchers. -

- Air-entraining admixture,

An admixture that causes a controlled quantity of stable microscopic air bubbles to form in concrete or mortar during mixing, usually for the purposes of increasing workability and resistance to freeze-thaw conditions.

Rough arch,

An arch made from masonry units that are rectangular rather than wedge-shaped. -

Dome,

An arch rotated about its vertical axis to produce a structure shaped like an inverted bowl; a form used to make one of the cavities in a concrete waffle slab. -

Cleanout hole,

An opening at the base of a masonry wall through which mortar droppings and other debris can be removed before the interior cavity of the wall is grouted. -

Building brick,

Brick used for concealed masonry work where appearance is not a concern. -

Nonhydraulic cements

Cementitious materials, such as gypsum and lime, that remain water soluble after curing. See also Hydraulic cements. -

- Hydraulic cements,

Cementitious materials, such as portland cement or blast furnace slag, that harden by reacting with water and whose hardened products are not water soluble. Nonhydraulic cements, such as lime, can also be mixed with pozzolans to create cements with hydraulic properties.

Hollow brick,

Clay brick with up to 60 percent void area. -

Oxidation

Corrosion; rusting; rust; chemically, the combining with oxygen. -

Soft mud process,

Making bricks by pressing wet clay into molds. -

Lime mortar,

Masonry mortar made from a mix of lime, sand, and water; used principally in the restoration of historic Structures. -

Cement—lime mortar,

Mortar made from portland cement, hydrated lime, aggregate, and water, the most traditional formulation of modern masonry mortars. See also Masonry cement, Mortar cement. -

Mason,

One who builds with bricks, stones, or concrete masonry units; one who works with concrete. -

Quicklime,

Produced by burning calcium carbonate found in limestone or sea shells; once hydrated, used as an ingredient in mortars and plasters; chemically, calcium oxide. -

Centering,

Temporary formwork for an arch, dome, or vault. -

Static coefficient of friction (SCOF),

The coefficient of friction, measured between two surfaces at rest relative to each other; used in some finish flooring slip resistance measurements. See also dynamic coefficient of friction. -