A concrete block, also known as a cinder block in North American English, breeze block in British English, concrete masonry unit (CMU), or by various other terms, is a standard-size rectangular block used in building construction. The use of blockwork allows structures to be built in the traditional masonry style with layers (or courses) of staggered blocks.
Concrete blocks may be produced with hollow centers (cores) to reduce weight, improve insulation and provide an interconnected void into which concrete can be poured to solidify the entire wall after it is built.
Concrete blocks are some of the most versatile building products available because of the wide variety of appearances that can be achieved using them.
Those that use cinders (fly ash or bottom ash) as an aggregate material are called "cinder blocks" in the United States. They are also known as "breeze blocks", a term derived from "breeze", referring to the small cinders and cinder-dust that are by created partially burned coal. However in the United States breeze blocks also refer specifically to decorative blocks used on exterior walls to allow the breeze through, which were an important feature of Mid Century Modern design.
In Australia, they are often known as besser blocks (because the Besser Company was a major supplier of machines that made concrete blocks), and also known as grey blocks or concrete masonry units (CMUs).
Clinker blocks use clinker (ash created as a waste product from impurities in minerals such as coal, limestone and iron-ore), also called slag.
Concrete blocks are made from cast concrete (e.g. Portland cement and aggregate, usually sand and fine gravel, for high-density blocks). In the western United States, where they are easily obtainable, porous lava rock gravels are used for weight reduction. They also have an added decorative effect to certain types of block, such as split-face, due to their distinct red and black colors. Lower density blocks may use industrial wastes, such as fly ash or bottom ash, as an aggregate.
This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.
This course deals with the main aspects of seismic design and assessment of buildings including conceptual design. It covers different structural design and evaluation philosophies for new and existin
The course deals with the design of precast reinforced concrete structures, both for bridges and for buildings.
The course is focused in learning by projects supplemented by some lectures by the teac
Science des matériaux de construction non métalliques les plus utilisés et plus particulièrement des matériaux cimentaires (béton). Composition chimique, fabrication et comportement sur la durée.
Framing, in construction, is the fitting together of pieces to give a structure support and shape. Framing materials are usually wood, engineered wood, or structural steel. The alternative to framed construction is generally called mass wall construction, where horizontal layers of stacked materials such as log building, masonry, rammed earth, adobe, etc. are used without framing.
Masonry is the craft of building a structure with brick, stone, or similar material, including mortar plastering which are often laid in, bound and pasted together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the building units (stone, brick, etc.) themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks and building stone such as marble, granite, and limestone, cast stone, concrete blocks, glass blocks, and adobe. Masonry is generally a highly durable form of construction.
A brick is a type of construction material used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term brick denotes a unit primarily composed of clay, but is now also used informally to denote units made of other materials or other chemically cured construction blocks. Bricks can be joined using mortar, adhesives or by interlocking. Bricks are usually produced at brickworks in numerous classes, types, materials, and sizes which vary with region, and are produced in bulk quantities.
Explores shear at interfaces in concrete structures, covering longitudinal shear, shear between panels, and shear at the interface between concrete cast at different times.
Masonry aggregates, which emerged as layouts of cities and villages became denser, make up historical centres all over the world. In these aggregates, neighbouring structures may share structural walls that are joined at the interfaces by mortar or interlo ...
Bond between reinforcing bars and concrete has been the focus of extensive research over the last century. This is well-justified as the functioning of reinforced concrete intimately depends on the interaction between rebar and concrete, as for example cra ...
EPFL2024
, , , ,
In this paper, we present a new method for upcycling concrete rubble waste into slender walls through the lightweight digital augmentation of mainstream construction machines. By using such method, the environmental impact of concrete construction and demo ...