Column on Brick work......is it a good Idea

[Abuh001]

Hi,

In Principe how do you feel about supporting steel columns on brickwork walls. Seems unstable, would it be possible to place a column on wall if the wall is properly restrained as is the column. Personally I prefer to take my columns down to the ground but it sometimes feels easier just to stick them on an existing wall.

What do you guys think

 

[jayrod12]

In principle, if the numbers work out then why not. But in practice, I've yet to do that.

 

[BAretired]

At one time, brick walls were commonplace. A steel column or beam could bear on the wall but the allowable bearing stress was fairly low, somewhere in the order of 100 psi. Often this required the addition of a concrete pad large enough to accommodate the load.

In new construction, brick walls are not common, at least not in my area, but I would see nothing wrong with bearing a steel column on a hollow masonry wall suitably fitted with a bond beam, probably with cells below the column filled with concrete.

BA