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Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Properties / Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? (30278 Views)
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Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by okoroemeka(m): 11:16am On Sep 04, 2021 |
Sonnobax15:what you studied is engineering maths,advanced calculus and Dy/dx,it remains the practical side and this question is for contractors and Mason's,it is not an engineers work to chock block or plaster wall 1 Like |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by ThinkSmarter: 11:18am On Sep 04, 2021 |
I am not an engineer by profession. But my creative brain agrees with op. But it will be better u use concrete to fill the hollows. This is bc, blocks layed beneath the soil due to tend to get weathered and eroded by the soil after some years. Especially blocks with low quantity of cement. |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by okoroemeka(m): 11:18am On Sep 04, 2021 |
Sonnobax15:what you studied is engineering maths,advanced calculus , engineering design, materials stress limlt, load bearing,etc and Dy/dx,it remains the practical side and this question is for contractors and Mason's,it is not an engineers work to chock block or plaster wall 1 Like |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by randomme: 11:28am On Sep 04, 2021 |
The idea of filling block holes is to give the foundation stability, and reduce moisture in the block while water capillary is high. However, this should only be done using weak concrete of ratio 1:4:8. Using laterite to fill the hole is a bad practice because the laterite will cause your wall to damp and your finishing (plaster, painting, tiles) will start falling off within a short time. |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by pennywys(m): 11:29am On Sep 04, 2021 |
Sonnobax15:likely you and my friend study same engineering from different University. The theory part of civil engineer 1 Like |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by pennywys(m): 11:32am On Sep 04, 2021 |
saferoom:that's my fellow We study together that year You remember? |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by GodsOwn2004(m): 11:33am On Sep 04, 2021 |
BluntCrazeMan: It is a very bad practice, the ideal thing to do is to fill the hollow blocks with lean concrete. Foundations are critical element of any building structure. Capillary action and algae growth, damping, etc poses negative impact on structural stability, serviceability, strength and aesthetics of a building structure. 1 Like |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by drake2(m): 11:35am On Sep 04, 2021 |
Charisdesigns: Great, logical and scientific reply! 2 Likes |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by kebliss(m): 11:41am On Sep 04, 2021 |
It's not and will never be an Engineering practice to fill the opening in hollow block walls with laterite. Though the only intension of the Layman is to stop concrete from filling up the openings in the walls there by saving him cost. Always contact a Qualified and a COREN certified Engineer for your project |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by HabaHaba: 11:42am On Sep 04, 2021 |
SecretReporter: Hahahhahha. Bro, i don lafff taya! U don dey gradually become Righteousness follower and disciple o. Hahahhaha. Na small small u go follow enter the Bus. 1 Like |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by adanny01(m): 11:45am On Sep 04, 2021 |
BluntCrazeMan: As a Civil Engr, there is one reason i have deduced for this norm in our building industry. Structurally, its just to increase compressive strength of the foundation wall. Usually, any building which has no columns transmits its entire load through the walls. It is also expected that the load increases from the top to the bottom of the wall. Therefore, the foundation walls bear the entire dead and live loads of the building's superstructure. Note that the foundation walls carries more load than the superstructure walls. Also, the foundation walls experience more deterioration due to dampness, wetting, drying and even chemical contents of the soil it is constantly in contact with. In a bid to make the blocks of the foundation stronger, it is filled with lean concrete. Concrete is good in compression so by filling the block holes, the foundation walls will bear more load and the likely hood of failure is greatly reduced. However, in practice, most builders don't actually fill the block holes as recommended. Some put broken blocks, boulders and like you said soil. These actions completely defeats the purpose of block hole filling. Putting laterite in block holes is worse than leaving it empty. Soil or laterite will encourage damping due to capillary action. Block hole filling becomes very important in blockwork drainage where an access slab is placed for vehicle access. Sometimes you find these blockwork reinforced. Imagine the weight of a 30ton dumper truck over block work, if no concrete filling in the blocks, if the slab doesn't fail, the blocks under the slab will crush due to excessive compression. 3 Likes |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by Bobbyjay001(m): 11:50am On Sep 04, 2021 |
jumpandpas: Is there anything wrong in filling with laterite? 1 Like |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by Gbotun(m): 11:51am On Sep 04, 2021 |
saferoom: Thank you,this is very educative. |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by zedman1(m): 11:55am On Sep 04, 2021 |
saferoom:Good response, but there's a place you said hollow blocks should be filled with weak OR NORMAL CONCRETE. I don't seem to agree with the latter. Filling hollow blocks with high grade concrete will only result in having cracks in your blocks cos the concrete will have a higher strength than your weak blocks. I'd advice you NEVER do that. Fill hollow blocks with WEAK CONCRETE, not ' normal' concrete as you suggest, irrespective of how 'rich' your client may be. |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by Sugardick: 11:57am On Sep 04, 2021 |
.. |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by adanny01(m): 12:00pm On Sep 04, 2021 |
okoroemeka: All that analysis and design teaches you one thing, that is logical reasoning. An engr should be able to provide an on the spot analysis on a structure and explain it without doing advance calculus or engineering maths or even structural analysis. Engineering drawing comes to mind where you are given one view of a drawing and asked to draw other views of the object you have not seen. To get it right you have to use logic and imagination. It is a perfect engineering question where a contractor or mason may not be able to explain the real purpose. 1 Like |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by don4real18(m): 12:02pm On Sep 04, 2021 |
The soil adds no extra strength to the block. You should rather fill with concrete. |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by jojoki: 12:02pm On Sep 04, 2021 |
Filling of the external blocks of sub structure with concrete is very adequate BUT not with laterite as you mentioned. Laterite filling is a bad practice. |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by seyz91(m): 12:17pm On Sep 04, 2021 |
SecretReporter: |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by Gentlealibu: 12:24pm On Sep 04, 2021 |
BluntCrazeMan: @OP, The standard way for foundation walls should be to blockfill the hollow blocks first with weak concrete before backfilling the different compartments with laterite. This concrete-filling of the foundation blockwork is done to prevent lateral movement of the blocks during backfilling as an added strength to the foundation walls. Most builders/contractors/clients avoid blockfilling the foundation walls with concrete just to reduce/avoid (labour and materials) cost. Filling the foundation walls with laterite only makes the wall dense and have no special impact on the foundation's stability or strength. For those writing about capillary action, this can only be prevented by using a Damp Proof Membrane (DPM) over the foundation wall before casting of the oversite concrete slab AKA German floor or as you call it "DPC floor". The main reason why laterite is used for backfilling in construction is because laterite have high mechanical strength and also it's self hardening properties. A simple example/experiment (why laterite is preferred) is to get say a 4litres paint bucket or even a glass cup, pour laterite inside to the half way mark and add water to maybe ¾ mark of the same container and allow to rest for like 2 days. Same experiment can be done simultaneously with sand and/or broken blocks in a different container. After 2 days, you can then pour out all the water in each container and see the results. This is why as a rule, I use only water for compaction of laterite on my construction sites. This may take 1 or 2 days of constant watering during and after backfilling with laterite. You can also backfill with broken blocks/rocks/unwanted concrete mixed with laterite (yes, there's got to be laterite in it too). But you can only do it this way in layers i.e pour evenly your unwanted broken blocks, then add the layer of laterite. Then repeat the steps again while pouring enough water after each step so that the laterite can cover up the spaces between the other unwanted materials you used to backfill initially. PS: Never ever backfill with materials that can decompose eg. Wood, grasses etc. Thank you 1 Like 1 Share |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by jumpandpas(m): 12:29pm On Sep 04, 2021 |
Bobbyjay001: It doesn't stand the test of time. Use pieces of block to fill b4 casting. |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by EmptyGarden(m): 12:34pm On Sep 04, 2021 |
saferoom:My brother you learn work well. |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by Nobody: 12:36pm On Sep 04, 2021 |
Nope, makes the structure stronger. Contributes to damp proofing. |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by Nobody: 12:38pm On Sep 04, 2021 |
kebliss: We need practical Engrs not certificate pushers. If Coren was relevant our FG would not be hiring laymen from China to build our roads. Engineering is a practical course, not theory. |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by Aarenasbaba(m): 12:49pm On Sep 04, 2021 |
jumpandpas:What do you know about engineering? |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by onojalynk: 12:59pm On Sep 04, 2021 |
Filling foundation block holes with laterite is a no, no option, rather fill with broken blocks or better with weak concrete... |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by MrOkenwa(m): 1:01pm On Sep 04, 2021 |
Chelshit080:It's obvious that you're an expert in the field. Good clarification. 1 Like |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by kebliss(m): 1:09pm On Sep 04, 2021 |
quentin06:I said "qualified" |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by SimplePlan34: 1:09pm On Sep 04, 2021 |
Well I did some building courses in school yes it is the top should be covered with damp proof membrane. Not laterite but if it's a strip foundation u can get away with it. But laterite retains moaiture which makes moaiture penetrate the building. And as the laterite absorbs moisture it expand Wich tends to exact lateral force on the blocks, which may lead to failure. |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by UTEWUOJO: 1:14pm On Sep 04, 2021 |
To start with, that practice is not common at all, the essence of blocking the block holes when a hollow blocks are used is to prevent moisture penetration, solidify it and to prevent earth pressure, so filling the holes with laterite will make it weaker and prone to moisture penetration. The common practice is filling it up with a weak concrete. |
Re: Is It A Bad Practice To Fill The Holes In Foundation Block-Works With Laterite? by jumpandpas(m): 1:26pm On Sep 04, 2021 |
Aarenasbaba: What do you know about mud? 1 Like |
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