huangyhg

brick cladded wood studs
i have a situation where the architect wants to frame a brick cladded two story building with wood studs. what is an acceptable way to support brick off of wood for a lintel situation? can you rest the brick on a wood beam as long as deflection is limited? can you bolt a steel angle to the wood studs (adding a large amount of moment to the studs), or to a wood beam? any help on this is greatly appreciated as much of my wood design is self taught.

yes, you can lag screw a shelf angle to wood studs or a wood header for support of brick. but a better choice would be to use a loose lintel (an angle that supports the brick, bears on the brick at each jamb, and is not connected to the wood framing).
daveatkins
i'm supporting the brick on itself where i can, but there are some really long spans that i am uncomfortable doing that. thanks for your help!
structuralnerd:
i would be somewhat carefull of using wood for lintels supporting brick as long term loading effects will need to be carefully considered.
fwiw: in similiar situations, i don't hesitate to place small steel columns (3" or 4" diameter pipes or something similiar) into the stud space and use steel lintels with attached angles for the brick ledge.
regards.
use a rectangular tube in the stud wall with a column each end if necessary.
csd
i would use a loose lintel whenever possible. this can be either a typical angle or bent plate for larger spans where you need more stiffness. if the spans are too great for that then a steel rectangular tube with columns would be in order as csd said.
suggest that you don't support the masonry on the wood frame, the wood studs will shrink as they dry out in the heated interior of the building, while your new brick will probably irreversibly expand due to absorption of moisture. attaching a lintel to the wood will create a potential binding point. much commercial lumber for sale now is "surface green", which will make this potential problem more of a concern.
"wood technology in the design of structures" by hoyle and woeste has a section on calculating the potential shrinkage of your studs based on change in moisture content of the wood.
you cannot rest the brick on a wood beam.
you can support the brick with an appropriate lintel or shelf angle that is attached to the wood frame. the attachment method is critical.
you must maintain a proper shelf angle spacing consistant with the codes. the brick institute (bia) and other organizations have guidelines. provide the appropriate flashing at each shelf angle.
this is done every day. the only difference is that the shrinkage/creep of the wood is greater than that of a concrete structure.
concretemasonry - do you know where i can find these guidelines? what is the proper shelf angle spacing? so, you are saying that you can attach the shelf angle to the studs or to a wood beam?
i just read in the masonry code that brick veneer is allowed to be supported by wood framing if it is 12 feet or less, but then it goes on to say non combustable materials shall be used to support brick. isn't that a contradiction?
structuralnerd -
the word "support" is the key.
brick can be supported by a steel lintel. the lintel can be supported by a wood, steel, concrete or masonry structure. obvoiusly, the shelf angle spacing is different for wood that it is for a steel or concrete structure.
both masonry and concrete cannot be "supported" by wood - does that mean you cannot use masonry or concrete on a building supported by wood piling?
it all gets down to common sense and engineering prinipals.
the brick institute of america (bia) or whatever they are called now has an extensive series of well documents technical notes and details including guidlines. they are active in all code and standards committees (astm, ibc, msjc, etc.) and do a very professional job.

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