Document Archives

Assessment of the Thermal and Physical Properties of Masonry Block Products

• ID:

  19

• ESCSI:

  3204.001

• Author:

  Valore, Rudolph, Jr; Adrian Tuluca; Arnold Caputo

• Publication Name:

  Part of the Natl Program for Bldg Therm. Envel. Syst. & Materials

• Type of Publication:

  Book

• Publisher:

  Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Metals and Ceramics Division

• Dated:

  1988

• Issue/Volume:

  September

• Other ID:

• Page(s):

  1.1-6.25 + app.

• Reference List:

  Y

• Abstract:

  The objective of this study was to assess the current knowledge on the thermal and physical properties of concrete masonry units and fired clay bricks, and to outline directions for further research. In particular, the authors attempted to uncover the areas where thermal properties data are missing or are questionable, to define the type of testing required to fill in the gaps, and to characterize representative masonry blocks on which the testing should be undertaken.U.S. building codes and standards were examined with respect to the thermal properties of masonry block products. It was concluded that the majority of these codes and standards contain insufficient and/or outdated information regarding concrete masonry units and fired clay bricks, thereby distorting the requirements for walls built with masonry units. A comprehensive bibliography search was performed and the thermal properties data obtained were listed and analyzed. Relationships were derived between oven dry density and thermal conductivity for various concretes, clays, and loose fills. The relationship between moisture content and thermal conductivity was also examined. Areas with incomplete and/or contradictory information were identified.
  Based on these data gaps and on data quality problems, new testing programs were recommended and improvements to current testing procedures were proposed. The study also suggests low-cost test procedures which could be applied to large numbers of masonry blocks. Finally, the U.S. masonry block production was characterized in terms of its magnitude, geographic distribution, block geometry, and material composition, based on an industry survey. These data reveal the representative masonry block units in various groupings and are intended to be of use to researchers for establishing statistically significant testing programs.