- Author
- Goalwin, D. S.
- Title
- Properties of Cavity Walls.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Washington, DC
- Report
- BMS 136, May 20, 1953, 17 p.
- Keywords
- walls | brick | concretes | fire tests | concrete blocks | clay
- Abstract
- A compilation is given of data on the performance characteristics of cavity walls, including previously published and some hitherto unpublished material. Structural tests were conducted on cavity walls of brick, concrete block, and structural clay tile. Other tests were made on the properties of wall ties, rain penetrability, thermal transmittance, and fire resistance. Under certain conditions of loading, compressive strength, resistance to concentrated load, racking load, and impact strength were found to be roughly equivalent to those of conventional walls using the same quantity and quality of material. With respect to resistence to transverse load, the cavity walls were somewhat inferior. When properly flashed and with suitable weep holes, the cavity walls had satisfactory resistance to rain penetration. Their thermal transmittance was about 25 percent lower than for similar solid walls. Their resistance to the effect of fire was satisfactory provided certain limiting loading conditions were met.