A.25 Rebar placement tolerances

I have a confession to make: Every wall section I draw/model shows idealized conditions.

Representing wall elements graphically “as we hope they’ll be” is fine, as long as we realize there will almost certainly be some disparity in the field, and account for it. Fortunately, masonry is a versatile and forgiving material, and the building codes have straightforward tolerances for construction of masonry walls.

For example, a vertical rebar drawn perfectly centered in the grouted cell may not be centered at all. There may be lapping bars above and below that cause the position to vary. There may be horizontal bars running past the vertical bar causing the same.

A good architect understands the concept of minimum open cell areas for course aggregate and fine aggregate grouts, the required clearances for encapsulation of rebar, the required interior and exterior cover dimensions, and the implication of mortar fins into the grout cells.

Trained union bricklayers understand the importance of grouting and installing rebar that meet the project requirements and fall within the tolerances stated in the masonry codes.

#Masonry #ReinforcedMasonry #StructuralMasonry #ConstructionTolerances