Masonry Magazine August 1967 Page. 12
One of several test methods used to measure the racking or shear strength of masonry. In this test procedure, a 4 ft. by 4 ft. masonry wall specimen is mounted in the test frame in a position that will permit the application of a vertical load along its diagonal from one corner to the other. This testing frame is capable of subjecting specimens to loads up to 600,000 lbs.
Fellowship at the National Bureau of Standards. Here we are investigating such things as the distribution of stresses and the load eccentricities induced by floor and roof loads on bearing walls and the "creep" or "plastic flow" of brick masonry under long term sustained loadings.
Space does not permit listing or describing in detail the other activities of SCPI's research division that are either a part of or supplement structural research. However, the potentials that lie in engineered brick masonry dictate the necessity for a very major portion of SCPI's current technical activities being devoted to well planned and meticulously conducted structural investigation and experimenting by its Research Division and to the skillful interpretation and application of the results of that research by its Department of Engineering and Technology. Through this joint effort, the result has been, and will continue to be, the preparation of design information and standards, backed up with a wealth of experimental data, that will enable the structural engineer to design engineered brick masonry with skill and confidence.
And, finally, may I direct some comments to the mason contractors whose crews of skilled and experienced craftsmen will have the responsibility for executing the designs for engineered brick masonry that will be coming out of the offices of architects and engineers. The requirements for the quality control of materials and workmanship that may be a part of the masonry specifications for such jobs will not have been arrived at lightly. They will be based on knowledge gained from an extensive program of testing in which
the variables that can affect the structural performance of clay masonry have been investigated. Therefore, the successful performance of the Contemporary Bearing Wall built with Engineered Brick Masonry will not only depend upon the intelligent use by the engineer of the design information available to him, but also upon an understanding, on the part of the contractor, of the need for the maintenance of a greater measure of control over the quality of workmanship and of close attention to details.
THE AUTHOR
M. H. Allen, Director of Research, Structural Clay Products Research Foundation, Geneva, III., is a graduate of Iowa State University with a B.S. Degree in Architectural Engineering. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in the District of Columbia and was awarded ASTM's Award of Merit in 1967. Mr. Allen is Chairman of the ASTM Committee C-12 on Mortar for Unit Masonry and served as Secretary of C-15 on Manufactured Masonry from 1950-1966. Mr. Allen has served the Clay Products Industry since 1938 when he was named Field Engineer for Region 6. In 1966, after 12 years with SCPRF he was named Director of Research.