Just an enquiry. Is it a must to have a beam (i.e. a roof beam) to terminate the brickwall? Or is it a normal practice to let the brickwall stands cantilever from the floor?
I would say no. Often masonry walls span from floor to roof deck and then cantilever above the deck as a parapet. Steel toof beams or wood?
I like to debate structural engineering theory -- a lot. If I challenge you on something, know that I'm doing so because I respect your opinion enough to either change it or adopt it.
Mike:
Quit funnin us, we is trying to be serious. You know... like a toof ache. Then pretty soon they pull the toof or toofs, and put in a bridge, in their place. And, everyone knows that bridges have some beams, toof beams.
Come on guys. Everybody knows that a toof beam is perimeter beam with HSS welded at 16" o/c to the bottom flange that get toothed into the masonry below. Yeesh.
I like to debate structural engineering theory -- a lot. If I challenge you on something, know that I'm doing so because I respect your opinion enough to either change it or adopt it.
Drago8:
As Hokie suggested, a sketch and more detail on what you are actually doing would really be helpful in understanding what you are asking. It is quite common in brick work or concrete masonry walls to have a bond beam or some such at the top of the wall to tie the whole wall together at this upper termination, and also to help distribute concentrated vert. loads into the wall below. Otherwise, you might be applying vert. loads, lateral or in plane loads to discrete bricks or blocks which don’t have much ability to resist these loads as individual building units.