What are lintels on a brick wall, what is their minimum and maximum support?

This is the name of a small section of the wall that covers the openings left for the further installation of windows and doors. In the event that the load from these wall parts or other structures is transferred to the wall panels located directly above the left holes, a special interception must be used. For these purposes, 2 design options have been invented:

• Bow brick lintels.
• Combined from reinforced concrete material.

Construction organizations use reinforced concrete options more than those built from brick. It is important that the design of the beam lintels completely covers the areas above the door or window. A significant load falls on them, which they need to withstand.

Masonry of architectural elements of a brick building Source infourok.ru

Main types of masonry of opening lintels

The following types of structures are used in modern buildings:

• arches,
• archery,
• wedge-shaped,
• lancet,
• in the form of a box,
• semicircular.

Lintel masonry is a popular architectural detail that gives the façade of a building a unique look. Such designs have been used by builders since ancient times.

Construction of lintels and arches Source infourok.ru

The choice of a specific brick lintel option is influenced by the shape of the opening left for inserting a window or door, especially for the opening top. For example, in modern buildings, builders more often make arched lintels. Such designs look attractive and decorate the facade of any home.

What types of lintels are there in a brick house?

The installation of lintels in brick walls above windows and doors involves the use of durable and reliable materials, because their main purpose is to strengthen the opening and distribute the load evenly. Reinforcing elements come in different types and designs, but the most commonly used are reinforced concrete, wooden beams, and metal channel. Standard non-load-bearing lintels are installed on walls where the load is minimal. Reinforced structures are designed for load-bearing walls.

Reinforced concrete

This type strengthens load-bearing walls and the hole formed in them. You can make a reinforced concrete lintel with your own hands using reinforcement, wooden formwork and concrete mortar. If this is not possible, ready-made elements are purchased. It is important to install reinforced concrete lintels correctly. Thus, the element must completely cover the hole, extending into the wall at least 250 mm.

Brick

Designed for making holes in load-bearing walls in a house built from blocks. Brick lintels are preferable in one-story buildings, and where there is more load they should not be used. The laying of lintels is carried out using a special, durable mortar mixture. An additional metal corner or pipe is installed inside the wall.

The main feature of this type of design is the ability to build spectacular arched vaults. In this case, the opening in the brick wall is framed by arched or wedge-shaped elements, and it is necessary to control the location of the seams - they are formed perpendicular to the finished lower tier. And also in this way a wedge lintel is formed, which is considered a continuation of the wall masonry.

Metal

Used to strengthen door and window openings. Such elements are sold in the form of metal corners made of a reliable alloy that can withstand high pressure. Before installing a metal lintel, it is selected for the masonry seams, while vertical masonry does not require additional reinforcement with reinforcement. The corner needs to be located at a depth of 150-200 mm deep into the wall.

Video description

Wedge lintel over the door.

Brick lintels made in the shape of an arch

Until the end of the 19th century, any ceilings were made only of brick. This was connected not only with the desire for beauty. These structures support the large weight of the wall lintel using a spacer device that evenly distributes the load from the brick blocks thanks to the fan layout.

Arched lintels were used in the construction of temples in ancient times. In those periods, this was the main method of decorating the upper parts of openings built from brick briquettes.

Brick arch on St. Basil's Cathedral Source publicdomainpictures.net

Since then, these elements have been an obligatory component and an established norm of church architecture. In today's buildings, arched brick lintels are largely designer creations, chosen to decorate facades.

Why are they needed?

During the construction of residential buildings or other buildings, special attention is paid to the calculation of window and door openings, over which it is important to choose the right type of ceiling. Reinforcing parts are installed above the opening; their main functions are:

• Strengthen the wall structure. Without additional reinforcement, the brickwork will collapse, because the size of the portals is rather large, and the resulting void below increases the load on the wall.
• Create an opening. With the help of reinforcing elements it will be possible to create a safe and reliable hole of the required shape.
• Create a basis for continuing construction of the building. The ceiling elements will rest on the structure, and the lintel will also support the rest of the wall.

If desired, the door or window opening in load-bearing walls and partitions can be changed in shape. In this case, the location of the lintels and minimal support on the vertical part of the building are taken into account, since it will not be possible to increase the opening in height.

Ordinary jumper

Such brick lintels are rectangular in shape and are constructed using metal reinforcements. The metal takes on the main load and supports the brick.

The structures are constructed in the same way as ordinary brickwork. In an ordinary brick lintel, when ligating, an even line of joints is maintained.

Nuances of ordinary structures

When building lintels of this type, you need to pay attention to some points:

• The joints between bricks must be sealed with cement mortar.
• Ordinary lintels located above door or window openings do not have the ability to rest on anything. This structure self-compresses under the influence of the brick mass located above them.
• The dimensions are calculated taking into account the fact that the opening section, made of bricks, bends.
• At the top of the opening, the size of the brick lintel should be approximately 5 or 6 brick rows.

The length of the structure depends on the opening parameters. When determining the dimensions, it is necessary to take into account additional masonry, approximately 0.5 meters on both sides of the opening.

Dimensions of an ordinary lintel Source luber-portal.ru

Specifics of ordinary jumpers

Opening floors constructed from brick briquettes must be built in such a way that they can withstand high loads. Therefore, it is better to purchase selected types of bricks. Choose a cement mixture grade with a value above 25.

Brick ordinary lintels must be reinforced. The calculated value of the amplifier is influenced by the load parameter per specific opening. If the indicator is very insignificant, a round steel rod with a 4 or 6 mm cross-section is used as a reinforcing element. The number of such amplifiers is selected at the rate of 2 pieces per whole brick.

The rods are inserted so that it protrudes from the lintel masonry beyond the opening edges by about 0.25 m. To prevent these ends from sticking out, the reinforcement is bent upward, encircling the brick.

On 2 sides the reinforcement extends beyond the edges of the opening Source roofc.ru

How to make a reinforced aerated concrete lintel?

Question: Please tell me how best to make lintels in aerated concrete walls, what materials to use, what reinforcement to use?

When constructing houses and buildings from aerated concrete, it is rational to use reinforced lintels, which, in comparison with reinforced concrete lintels, are easier to construct.

In our projects, in order to save money and time for the construction of aerated concrete structures, we very often use such a constructive solution.

How to properly make reinforced lintels in aerated concrete walls?

When constructing external aerated concrete walls, builders always strive to get rid of “cold bridges” at the lintel level. Therefore, monolithic or prefabricated reinforced concrete lintels made of heavy concrete should be insulated. To do this, either heat-insulating U-shaped aerated concrete blocks (expensive and very fragile elements during transportation and installation) are used as permanent formwork, or, after removing the removable formwork during the exterior finishing of the building, the timber lintel is insulated with slab insulation. It should be emphasized that such measures are quite expensive and are not always justified.

Unlike reinforced concrete lintels, reinforced lintels have an important advantage: they do not need to be insulated , since steel reinforcing elements are located along the lintel and do not create “cold bridges”.

Reinforced lintels can be used for door and window openings up to 1.2 m .

It is best if a monolithic reinforced concrete belt is placed above such lintels, which will distribute the pressure from the interfloor structures to the walls of the building. In the case of direct concentrated support of beam structures on a reinforced lintel, it is necessary to reinforce the lintel strictly according to calculations. This calculation can be performed by an experienced design engineer.

How to reinforce lintels?

• bar reinforcement of a periodic profile (rebar of classes: A-III; A400C, A500C) with a diameter of 8, 10 and 12 mm, see photo 1a;
• rigid reinforcement from steel angles (63x5; 63x6; 75x5; 75x6 mm), see photo 2;
• rod reinforcement and steel corners (combined version), see photo 1b.

Photo 1. Reinforced lintels: a) with rod reinforcement; b) with corners and rod reinforcement

Photo 2. Jumpers reinforced with angles

The lintel reinforcement elements should be placed beyond the opening (on the piers) by at least 350 mm in order to anchor them into the walls and securely support the lintel on the piers.

The procedure for constructing a reinforced lintel in aerated concrete masonry

Reinforced lintels are manufactured in the following sequence:

1. Laying of aerated concrete walls is carried out up to the level of the lintels.
2. Removable formwork is installed, which can be made of wooden beams or panels (planks, plywood or OSB boards).

Photo 3. Formwork made of wooden beams for making a reinforced lintel

Photo 4. Panel formwork for making a reinforced lintel

1. Preparation of reinforcing elements: preparation of elements of the required length, laying them in the design position (when using corners, they are primed or painted with enamel).
2. Making grooves in aerated concrete blocks, see photo 5.

Photo 5. Aerated concrete block with grooves for laying reinforcement

1. Applying glue to the grooves and installing aerated concrete blocks in the design position, see photo 1.
2. Removing formwork. Usually the formwork is removed 1.5...2 weeks after the lintel is made.
3. Elements from the corner are plastered with cement-sand mortar over a metal mesh (expanded sheet metal or woven plaster mesh are used).

Good luck with your construction of reinforced lintels. I hope our tips will help you save a lot of money on construction))).

We also recommend reading the article about laying aerated concrete blocks using homemade hand tools.

Independent masonry of arched structures

To build an ordinary lintel with your own hands, you need to stock up with similar devices as when building walls from ordinary bricks. First, a support device for the material (amplifier) ​​is created; a workpiece is made for this. This is a special form - formwork. For execution you will need simple sheets, you can use 4 - 5 centimeter boards.

It is recommended to first protect wooden products. For these purposes, roofing felt or ordinary thick film (polyethylene) is suitable. The protective material will prevent leakage of the cement mortar and the bottom of the lintel will be level. It is necessary to take into account that each roughness of the workpiece coating is poorly reflected on the outside of the ceiling, which means the appearance of the facade deteriorates.

How to calculate the load

Technically, the lintel at the top of the opening is a regular beam and the calculation for it is carried out in a similar way. There are two main requirements that this part must satisfy:

1. The sections of the walls on which the lintel rests must adequately bear the load.
2. The residual deformation (deflection) of the lintel under load should not exceed the permissible values ​​for windows or doors installed in the opening.

It is always necessary to take into account the self-supporting properties of the wall. Very often, when constructing masonry, opening lintels perform their function only for the first 2–3 weeks after their installation, and then they simply remain in the walls without any need. This applies to those openings over which a masonry pillar is preserved, equal in height to the length of the span. Here, a lintel is not needed at all - the wall will support itself, and the larger the blocks used for masonry, the smaller the height of the pillar should remain.

In other cases, the jumper is calculated based on the applied load, including:

• own weight of the jumper;
• the weight of the wall taking into account its self-supporting capacity (the height of the masonry above the opening);
• distribution of the weight of the wall (for summer masonry, only 1/3 of the width above the opening is taken into account, for winter masonry - the entire wall);
• the load caused by the support of beams or floor slabs on a given section of the wall.

The linear dimensions of the jumper are also important. Its width is determined by the thickness of the wall, its height by the required load-bearing capacity. The length of the lintel corresponds to the width of the opening plus twice the depth: from 10 cm for brick walls and up to 30 cm for loose porous blocks.

In most cases, to determine a suitable lintel, it is enough to make a selection from tables with standard prefabricated concrete products (series 1.038 for standard and 1.225 for very wide openings). The required product is determined by the width of the opening, taking into account the depth of the filling. If the required lintel is thinner than the wall, you need to install several of these, or at least two of them.

Of course, no one insists on purchasing finished products. You are free to cast reinforced concrete lintels yourself, as well as replace them with wooden or steel ones at your discretion, having first performed a calculation of the lintel for deflection.

Another type of design

When laying arched or wedge lintels, there is no need to construct support devices using reinforced composition. This is possible due to the fact that the stability of the structure is achieved due to internal pressure. The wedge-shaped layout of brick briquettes has this ability.

Brick lintels of this type are made in 2 ways:

• Wedge-shaped joint of briquettes laid out vertically.

Here the seams at the bottom are made more than 0.5 cm, and at the top - less than 2.5 cm.

• Wedge-shaped brick material.

Here the thickness of the joints is approximately 1 cm. These jumper methods are constructed using a blank made in the form of an arc.

If the laying of wedge lintels for the opening is done in ¼ brick, you will need 3 circles (arcs): the first is shorter, laid out at the ¼ level, the other 2 are built into the inside of the door opening. A blank made of boards is laid on these two arcs.

Features of 2 types of jumpers

For a wall constructed from brick brackets, a support device is needed that goes to the very top of the wedge structure. The amount of inclination of the briquettes above the opening in relation to the vertical plane is determined before any work related to masonry is performed. First, all rows of the structure are marked on the form. It must be taken into account that the number of bricks for any type of lintel is odd. When calculating the number of briquettes for all rows, it is necessary to take into account the thickness of the joints.

The brick row, located in the very center, is made strictly vertically; it will serve as a locking mechanism. Due to this, the bottom of the structure is compressed. This compression is sufficient to support the total weight of the masonry of brick briquettes made above the opening, without reinforcement with metal reinforcement.

In jumpers made with a small arc, the number of rows is taken as a multiple of two. The masonry is pre-calculated, the brick is laid, starting simultaneously from the left and right sides of the supporting devices, moving evenly towards the middle. It is important, without deviations, to go to the center, to the lock, located strictly vertically in relation to the formwork. The correct seam line is calculated based on pre-designated points of intersecting strips coming from different sides. Where the lines on the workpiece intersect, a small pin is driven in. It is intended for tying a cord indicating a strip of a specific masonry joint.

Appearance of the wedge lintel Source odstroy.ru

Jumper. Buy or make it yourself

You can buy a ready-made reinforced concrete lintel. With this solution you gain time, because you don’t need to make it yourself and wait until it gets stronger to continue construction. However, then you will have to spend money on buying a jumper and delivering it. The finished reinforced concrete lintels are laid on the mortar.

You can make the jumper yourself on the ground, and then install it in the right place. The advantage of this method is that it can be done in advance. And by the time you need it, you just need to install it.

Making a lintel using permanent formwork. The essence of this method is that in the place of the future lintel (window or doorway) the following is placed:

• three reinforcement rods with a diameter of 12-14 mm, located at a distance from each other, and pre-treated with anti-corrosion solutions. The reinforcement is laid so that it extends onto the walls from the opening by at least 500 mm, and the distance between the rods does not exceed 50 mm (if the distance is greater, it is better to add another reinforcement rod). This method is used very rarely and only on small openings. In this case, only aerated concrete blocks can be laid on top of the reinforcement;
• A pre-fabricated structure is installed on top of the opening, consisting of two corners (minimum 40 mm), between which reinforcement is laid and then welded. In this case, the width of the resulting product should be the same as the thickness of the wall. This method is used often, because it can be used on small and large openings, and both aerated concrete blocks and bricks can be laid on top of the structure. The only caveat is that the larger the opening, the larger the corner will be needed.

Making a lintel using removable formwork. This method is used when filling the lintel in place. In this case, formwork is installed above the opening, the sides of which are attached to the walls, and its lower part is fixed above the opening using spacers (the lower part of the formwork does not rest on the walls). It should be remembered that the formwork, and then the poured lintel, must extend onto the walls in different directions from the opening by at least 200 mm.

Next, inside the formwork, at a height of at least 50 mm from its bottom and at the same distance from the sides, a pre-prepared mesh welded from 12-14 mm reinforcement is laid. To prevent the mesh from falling onto the lower part of the formwork during pouring, crushed stone granules or brick fragments are placed under it. After the preparatory work has been completed, concrete can be poured into the formwork.

To fill the lintels, concrete is used, made in the following proportions:

• Cement - 1 portion
• Sand - 2 servings
• Slag - 1 serving
• Crushed stone (fraction - up to 15 mm) - 3 portions
• Water - depend on the situation.

When pouring the solution into the formwork, it must be compacted and leveled so that no voids form anywhere, which will subsequently lead to cracks.

After the jumper is poured, it is left for five days until completely hardened. Then the sides of the formwork are removed and construction work continues, and the lower part and spacers are removed only after the concrete has completely hardened. Typically, concrete gains its full strength after 14 days, but this also depends on weather conditions.

Some recommendations

• During construction, it is better to use either ready-made reinforced concrete lintels (purchased or poured in advance) or lintels made using removable formwork.
• The height of the reinforced concrete lintel should be at least 1/20 of the length of the opening, and it is advisable to make the width according to the width of the wall so that there are no extra ledges.
• It is better to fill the lintel so that its upper part is flush with the top of the last laid brick or gas block. This will make it possible to continue laying without any changes.
• When making a lintel yourself, it is better to use reinforcement with a diameter of 14 mm to make the reinforcing mesh. This will add strength to the reinforced concrete belt.
• When pouring the solution into the formwork, it must be compacted well to avoid the appearance of voids.
• It is better to remove the spacer and the lower part of the formwork no earlier than after 25 days.
• If you don’t know what lintels are needed for your building, then it’s better to consult with professionals.

Materials used

• Ready-made jumpers
• Solution

For the manufacture of

• Armature
• Corners (if necessary)
• Binding wire (or welding)
• Boards and nails for formwork
• Cement, sand, slag and crushed stone for mortar
• Concrete mixer (if necessary)

Metal jumpers

In practice, it is often much cheaper and easier to build not a reinforced concrete lintel, but to use rolled metal. This is very convenient for openings with a small width. In the case when the walls are thin, and a brick cladding can be made, then 2 rolled metal elements will be enough. Mainly used: a corner with a wide shelf or a channel.

Typically, jumpers are used as amplifiers: an angle with a wide shelf or a channel. Source avito.ru

In a frame-brick house, ordinary masonry does not take on the load from the weight of the structure; it is distributed over a frame structure, the insides of which are filled with brick briquettes. In such structures, reinforced concrete reinforcements are not used, and in houses with many floors, builders do not make brick lintels. Such actions require too much time, and besides, this work will require the involvement of highly qualified masons.

The advantage of metal jumpers is the following:

• have little weight;
• low price;
• Only the length that is needed is taken.

Rolled metal for openings is used when other lintel options cannot be used. For example: if a new opening is cut into the wall of an existing house or an old opening is widened.

Strengthening a load-bearing wall made of bricks Source saucyintruder.org

Important information! In the event that floor blocks rest on wall surfaces, only reinforced concrete floors are used. In other cases, for brick structures it is allowed to use rolled metal as a lintel.

Since the metal bends under heavy load, and the masonry above the wall is quite heavy, supports are installed. The support posts should be removed only after the cement mortar has finally gained strength. Then the brickwork itself carries its own load.

In projects, rolled metal for lintels is selected by calculation, and private owners who buy building materials by eye need to know that for the reliability of the building, a safety margin will never hurt. For inexperienced builders, the brick data shown in Fig. eleven.

Information on bricks for private owners Source kremenki-gorod.ru

How to make and strengthen openings in load-bearing walls

When remodeling, it may be necessary to make an opening in a load-bearing wall.
Such actions in the public sector can only be carried out in agreement with the housing stock, while private developers can act at their own peril and risk. According to the project, the boundaries of the future opening are marked on both sides of the load-bearing wall. To ensure complete coincidence, after marking, four strictly perpendicular holes are drilled on one side in the corners of the opening and connected with lines.

Along the upper border of the opening, a horizontal trim is made about 10 mm wide and 20 cm longer than the opening in both directions. A piece of angle steel is placed into the resulting groove on each side. Its cross-section can be determined by bending calculations, but more often the embedded parts are made with great excess strength. In general, a steel angle 100x100x8 mm will be more than enough.

Above the nested corners, one hole is drilled for every 25 cm of the opening width; smooth fittings are inserted into them, through which the corners are connected to each other. The lower ligament is made with overhead steel plates 100x8 mm. After installing the lintel, the opening can be cut out and removed piece by piece.

In the lower part of the opening along the plane of each wall, two pieces of corner steel with dimensions of at least 50x50x4.5 mm must be laid. They need to be inserted into the wall at least 50 mm on each side. Vertical side corner covers are inserted between the lower and upper corners. They are usually chosen to be equivalent in size to the top frame.

On the inside, the side corners are connected with overhead plates. In the wall, the harness is secured with pins made of 12 or 14 mm profile reinforcement, which are driven into holes drilled at an angle of 45° to the wall plane every 35–40 cm. The pins are secured to the corners by welding, cut to 60–70 mm, and then tightly are bent to the plane of the frame and thoroughly scalded.

Design parameters

The spans of lintels made of brick briquettes marked M-75 and higher or natural stones, without the use of reinforcement, are selected from Table 1. The parameters should not be higher than the specified values.

Table 1: span limits

The minimum height of unreinforced lintels made of stone or brick is presented in Table 2. When erecting structures, these values ​​must be adhered to.

Table 2: minimum structural height of unreinforced stone lintels

The dimensions of the lintel depend on the width of the opening Source mrrestavrator.ru

It is necessary to take into account some nuances:

Structural lintel height for:

• for an ordinary type - the height of the masonry belt made using high-strength mortar;
• for a wedge or arched lintel, a height corresponding to 4 rows of bricks (not less) is selected;
• built of stones - more than 3 rows of masonry.

For lintels made of unreinforced masonry, the dwell time on the formwork should be greater than the values ​​​​specified in Table 3. This is important to ensure the reliability of the building.

Table 3: minimum duration of maintenance of lintels on the formwork

Note:

On formwork made in winter, the curing period is as follows: in wedge and arched lintels until the mortar is strengthened to at least 30% strength, in ordinary types - more than 60%.

Jumper parameters Source infourok.ru

Installing a lintel over an opening in brickwork

According to the requirements of current standards, when constructing a new opening in an existing stone wall with a width of more than 600 mm, a lintel must be installed above it, the type and design of which are assigned as part of an individually developed design solution.
The most common way to strengthen openings in stone walls is to install a metal lintel consisting of two rolled channels, which are installed above the opening (on both sides, in pre-prepared grooves) and connected to each other using anchor pins with tightened nuts at the ends. This amplification method is implemented according to a standard design solution, the schematic diagrams of which are shown in Fig. 2, 3.

When developing a project for strengthening punched or expanded openings, a significant part of the designer’s working time is spent on performing simple, but quite labor-intensive computational operations related to the selection of the optimal cross-section of the load-bearing metal beams of the designed lintel (performing calculations for groups I and II of limit states).

The tables presented below can significantly simplify and speed up the process of designing metal jumpers, as well as minimize the possibility of errors, which are so difficult to avoid when performing calculations manually.

Method for selecting jumpers using tables

Before you start using the tables below, it is necessary to determine the type of lintel being designed depending on the nature of its static operation and loading pattern. According to this classification criterion, all lintels installed in stone walls can be divided into two large groups: load-bearing and non-load-bearing .

Load-bearing lintels perceive two types of operational loads: pressure from the weight of the brickwork located above the reinforced opening, and the load from the interfloor ceilings. Non-load-bearing lintels support only the weight of the overlying masonry walls. To determine which of the two types the designed jumper belongs to, just look at Fig. 1.

Fig.1. Diagrams of load-bearing and non-load-bearing lintels in brick walls

Thus, the load on the lintels from the floors is not taken into account if they are located above the square of the masonry with a side equal to the span of the lintel.

The selection of load-bearing elements of metal lintels (channels) is made in accordance with the diagrams presented in Fig. 2-4, according to two known parameters: the width of the designed opening (B) and the thickness of the wall.

Fig.2. Diagram of a metal jumper device for an opening width of less than 2 m

Fig.3. Diagram of a metal jumper device for an opening width of more than 2 m

Fig.4. Cross section 1-1 (to the diagrams in Fig. 2,3)

Selection tables for metal jumpers

(click on the image to enlarge)

Table 1. Selection of lintels for walls 250 mm thick

Table 2. Selection of lintels for walls 380 mm thick

Table 3. Selection of lintels for walls 510 mm thick

Table 4. Selection of lintels for walls 640 mm thick

The metal elements of the lintels (rolled beams) are designed to withstand pressure from the overlying walls, the magnitude of which is equivalent to the weight of a masonry column with a height equal to 1/3 of the span of the lintel. The load-bearing lintels, in addition, are also designed for a uniformly distributed linear load from the floors with a value of q = 4.4 t/linear m. For load-bearing lintels installed in walls 250 mm thick (1 brick masonry), the calculated linear load from the floors is taken equal to q = 2.2 t/linear m.

For openings with a width of more than 3 m and loads different from those indicated above, the cross-section of the lintel elements should be taken according to calculation.

Support depth and maximum opening length

Depending on the design features, the installation technology, the depth of support of the lintels on aerated concrete blocks, and the basic operating rules may vary.

Materials and tools

Boards for making formwork

To successfully complete this task, you will need the following consumables:

• a set of edged boards of suitable thickness;
• set of metal corners;
• thin reinforcing mesh;
• polyethylene film;
• nails with a wide head;
• self-tapping screws of the required size;
• knitting wire.

Jigsaw for cutting wood

As for the tool, for work you will need to prepare:

• regular hammer;
• electric jigsaw (hacksaw);
• electric drill or screwdriver;
• installation tool (mount);
• “trowel” (trowel);
• small capacity bucket.

Factory solutions

The technology for using lintels in private housing construction has several fundamental differences from the installation adopted in modern and mass construction using cellular aerated concrete. Currently, several types of jumpers are used, which differ in design features and rules of application .

Ready-made version of reinforced gas silicate lintel according to GOST

Ready-made factory aerated silicate (aerated concrete) lintels are ordinary aerated concrete beams with a rectangular cross-section and an internal frame in the form of reinforcement coated with a special anti-corrosion compound.
Arrows on the element indicate the correct direction of installation.

Reference

This option is considered to be the simplest and does not require special knowledge for installation. At the same time, this solution is the most expensive.

The main advantages are:

• properly reinforced aerated concrete does not crack , does not “float” and does not collapse during long-term use;
• aerated concrete lintels are high-strength, lightweight structures that do not place additional load on the constructed walls and foundation;
• the cellular structure of the aerated concrete lintel is identical to the structure of the building blocks, therefore it does not cause a decrease in thermal efficiency , and as a result there is no need for additional insulation.

Main dimensions of gas silicate jumpers:

• Height - 124 mm;
• Width - 115 mm, 150 mm, 175 mm;
• Length - 1300-3000 mm.

Check on the manufacturers website.

U-block construction

The most popular option is to install precast lintels over windows in walls made of cellular aerated concrete with permanent formwork based on U-shaped elements.

The article provided by the link provides information about the manufactured sizes of these elements and the method of self-production.

U-shaped lintels are
prefabricated elements .
They are easily sawed to the required length using a hacksaw for aerated concrete. A welded reinforcement frame structure is laid in the furrows of the products, after which installation is carried out over a window or doorway using wooden formwork. Reinforced concrete elements are made using heavy mixtures based on concrete and reinforcing rods. Important!

If you do not plan to insulate the walls of the house, do not forget to place an insert made of polystyrene foam or other insulation inside the structure.

Reinforced concrete lintels

These factory products are concrete beams with reinforcement inside.

In terms of thermal conductivity, concrete is noticeably inferior to gas silicate.

If you plan to insulate the walls of the house with mineral wool, then these beams can be used.

But for walls without insulation, reinforced concrete will act as a cold bridge.

In this case, the aerated concrete lintels proposed in the first option look better.

Tips and tricks

It is important to remember that if the length of the opening does not exceed 1.2 meters, and the height is less than two-thirds of the width, then the most convenient option for the device will be a lintel made of standard blocks without the use of additional fasteners. The blocks must be laid using removable temporary formwork and special glue for cellular aerated concrete. In this case, the side elements are recessed into the wall by at least 115 mm.

Additional reinforcement can be the reinforcement of the rows located above the opening. The optimal cross-section of the reinforcement used is approximately 6-8 mm. The end part extends beyond the boundaries of the opening by 0.5 m on both sides of the masonry. The ends need to be given an L-shape and anchored into the masonry of aerated concrete blocks.