A review on concrete hollow block walls: materials and mechanical properties

Abstract

Concrete hollow blocks are commonly used in building construction, particularly for multi-story buildings, factories, and residential structures. Hollow blocks are more practical because of their lightweight, and the most significant feature is the ease with which they can be ventilated. Mortar is the glue that holds the blocks together in a masonry assembly. Mortar must be long-lasting and capable of holding the masonry together while also helping to form a water-resistant barrier. Typically, cement and sand are used to make mortar, with lime or a plasticiser added to increase workability. This paper provides an overview of modern masonry hollow block wall construction, starting with an overview of its applications and benefits, and offers an experimental work of concrete hollow block and mortar units, such as water absorption, 5-hour boiling test, compressive strength, density, flexural strength test, and compressive strength, and consistency test for mortar. The findings revealed that the compressive strength for a masonry hollow block is 8.39 MPa at 28 days which does not pass the specifications for it to be a load-bearing unit and the compressive strength of mortar is approximately 21.34 MPa at 28day. To improve economy and productivity, compressive strength, density, masonry hollow block properties, and masonry wall behaviour with the factors to consider for load-bearing and non-load-bearing wall construction were summarised and described, and key reference lists were included. A review of the Concrete Hollow Block material and mechanical properties.