If the block is laid on its side so the voids are going side to side horizontally, the block can easily collapse depending on the load. If you stand the blocks with voids so the void is open to the top that is correct and as strong as that block can be. I've seen it on the internet, so it must be correct, right lol :p
If all blocks are concrete, are any of the configuration I showed above in any risk of failure though? Specifically my plan "A", which has a solid 3" on top of a hollow 8" block. But i can certainly find out since i'll be buying them directly from the manufacturer anways (Shaw Brick), so they should be able to tell me. I bought them at home depot already, and one of the question on the product page was "is it made out of fly ash" and the answer from the manufacturer was no.īut i'm not sure about the 3" block, i haven 't purchased them all yet, i just bought 4 for testing the height. Quoting: ICCThere are cinder blocks and there are concrete blocks They have a website and a telephone you could ask the manufacturer. That probably means they are concrete, not cinder. The block brochure linked to in an above post states they are construction-grade. There are numerous other cinder vs concrete pages. Link to everything to did not know about masonry blocks. The most knowledgeable people will be at a company that makes and sells blocks. Most of the people at a home center or hardware store will not be aware of the differences. That can be stronger than a solid block column. One advantage of using hollow-core blocks for piers is that rebar can be inserted and the voids filled with high-strength concrete mix. Solid blocks are stronger and sometimes specified for walls that bear heavy loads. The hollow cores are used to reduce weight as well as to provide a void that can have rebar inserted and then filled with concrete mix.
Masonry piers for a cabin should be all concrete, no cinder. Sometimes cinder blocks and concrete blocks are used in an engineered pattern to reduce the weight of a wall and retain the strength of the concrete blocks.
They lack the tensile and shear strength of concrete blocks. Cinder blocks are prone to moisture damage. Concrete blocks can also come in different grades, made with different density concrete.Ĭinder blocks cannot support the same loads as concrete blocks. Concrete blocks often use a small amount of fly ash in the mix. They are lighter but not as strong as concrete blocks.Ĭoncrete blocks are made from portland cement, sand and aggregate. There are cinder blocks and there are concrete blocks.Ĭinder blocks use portland cement and fly ash (cinders) from burning coal. My hardware stores call them out different, but not to say they are actually different in terms of strength. So i think as long as you use construction type blocks vs. Even the block manufactures flyer doesn't spec the concrete being used. the other is made of a different grade of concrete. I look at my local hardware store website (Menards) and they just spec all of their concrete block as "standard" and/or "construction", with no callouts that one vs. I would use thinner block or 2x PT lumber to get the beams of my build level. I would then put rebar into the hollow sections and fill them with concrete to basically bond everything together. My plan was to put down a 24"圆" pre-cast concrete pad, then stack 2 layers of 8x8x16" hollow blocks. I'm not familiar with that ABS pad you referenced.do you have a link? Xinull I was planning on a similar setup as you so i'm curious what others have to say. How big is the building and what's the frost dept? So my question, structurally, do any of these 2 design have capacity to fail under load? If the first plan goes to shit, Plan "B" is to use the same ABS mini-home pad, then 2 layers of 8x8x16 concreate blocks and a layer of PT spacer, then the skids/girders The guy at home hardware said the solid blocks were not made for compression and would break apart. Then i would have a Pressure Treated spacer on top (not shown in picture) and then the skids/girders on top of that. Then place 2 solid concreate block of 3x8x16 sitting on top. So, Plan "A" was to build 1 layer of 2 8x8x16 concrete blocks on top of a 2" ABS mini-home pad. Now i find this a little hard to believe, but here I am asking the real experts with experience I was at the home hardware today and was explaining how i was building my piers and they told me that the solid 3" concrete blocks would not hold the weight of the cabin and would just disintegrate into pieces from the shear weight. Small Cabin Forum / Cabin Construction / Concrete Block Piers Forums - Register/Sign Up - Reply - Search - Statistics.