If I cut a square hole in a brick wall and just leave it, presumably eventually sufficient bricks will fall out to leave the hole more like a triangle-topped square. Surely, this conceptually means that (provided there are no other significant loads near the meeting point of two 45 degrees lines drawn from the top corners, meeting above the middle of the window) that a lintel doesn't really carry much load at all - a few bricks in a triangle shape?
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In a brick wall, how much load does a lintel actually bear?
- Thread starter cjard
- Start date
Correct.
Correctly bonded and mortared brickwork is self arching as long as it is restrained.
I'm sure there are other factors that could influence like, wind (externally), sideways or outward thrust, earthquakes etc, so I'm sure an engineery types will be along to contradict.
Correctly bonded and mortared brickwork is self arching as long as it is restrained.
I'm sure there are other factors that could influence like, wind (externally), sideways or outward thrust, earthquakes etc, so I'm sure an engineery types will be along to contradict.
Yes, it's a triangular shape the beam supports, and IIRC there needs to be at least 600 of brickwork either side of the opening for the arching effect to be allowed for when checking a beam
This engineering lark is a doddle, even a hairy assed bricky can manage it. 
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