Concrete Lintel Load Bearing Wall

Do not use off cuts of bricks or blocks.

Concrete lintel load bearing wall.

Installing a lintel in a block wall of brick or concrete isn t a difficult task but you will need to be very careful while using the power tools required for the process. In some cases when building under ground level a concrete lintel is the preferred option to a steel lintel. 6 10 10 construction of load bearing walls and external infill walls. Steel lintels in external walls have material coating in accordance with l11 l14 and l16 1 see table 4.

A lintel is a type of support beam that is installed into a load bearing wall to allow for the creation of a new opening. Certain lintels may need to be propped until the mortar has set under the bearings. The weight of the wall a is now bearing down onto the concrete lintel. Concrete steel and reinforced brickwork are acceptable materials for use as lintels.

Box lintels are used for solid wall construction with the 100mm ranges used for single skin internal walls and the 200mm ranges used for double skins typically external walls with no cavity. The principle is the same however. Ensure the lintel is level and is bedded in mortar. The length of lintel bearings should not be less than 100mm and 150mm for pressed steel lintels.

To provide an opening in it it is necessary to transfer the weight of the load above this new opening to the sections of wall either side by means of a lintel. A load bearing wall is one that supports the structure or structures above it. The load span tables for prestressed concrete lintels are very similar to the steel lintel tables with the exception of two values. When installing concrete floor units or other heavy components above a lintel care should be taken to avoid shock loading and floor units should not be dragged into position.

The lintel is designed to carry the full load of wet masonry as soon as it is installed but must have a minimum end bearing of 150mm each side of the opening and be bedded on mortar with all perpendicular joints filled with mortar. Galvanised steel will be vulnerable to moisture and potentially rust whereas the steel in a prestressed concrete lintel is protected by the concrete. This can be simply the floor roof or the top half of the same wall you are working on. Udl means uniformly distributed load which is measured in kilonewtons per metre kn m.

The nhbc recommend a damp proof course dpc or cavity tray should be installed over all openings in external cavity walls. The higher the value the better the load bearing capabilities on the lintel.