Repair of Cracks

• Remove the plaster near the mud cracks from inside as well as outside of the brick walls and clean the cracks thoroughly

• Wet the cracks by sprinkling water

• Fill the cracks in the whole thickness of the wall with clay mortar in more fluid condition in fine cracks and stiffer condition in wide cracks. The filling of cracks should be done starting from bottom towards top of the wall. (See Figure 1)

• Clay mortar should be made as explained under ‘Method for making clay mortar’

 

 

How do I strengthen my walls?

• If the rooms are longer than 5m, either a cross wall should be inserted or external or internal buttresses may be added to reduce the length of the wall to less than 4.0m. (See figure 3). The height of the wall should not be more than eight times the thickness of the wall.

• Make seismic band using bamboo and long broad-headed nails (See figure 4).

• After removing the roof, place the seismic belt on the top of walls in a bed of thick mud mortar, pressing the belt into mortar (See method for making good clay mortar below). Allow the mud to dry up completely.

• Build the gable walls as usual to required height and place a wooden rafter on top of the wall connecting it to the outer bamboo of the seismic band.

• Strengthen corners by providing bamboo reinforcements as follows:

  About 75cm above the floor on the internal face of the walls cut a groove about 75mm wide, 75mm deep and one metre long in each wall. (Figure 2a,b)

  At the same level, ion the adjoining walls, make holes 75mmx75mm carefully without damaging the wall through entire thickness of the wall.

  Place a bamboo of 40 to 50mm dia and 1.5m long in the groove and the hole in both the walls.

  Fill the groove and holes with mud mortar.

  Place two such sets of bamboos at 75cm intervals along the entire height of the wall.

  Similar sets must also be placed in joints between mail wall and cross wall with 1.0m long grove made only along the cross wall and 75mmx75mm hole drilled across the thickness of the main wall.

 

How do I strengthen my roof?

• Erect the ridge members and the rafters as usual spiking them to the ridge member. Tie the rafters of the roof with the outer bamboo of the seismic belt using binding wire.

• Connect the opposite rafters on both sides of the ridge near about mid-height of the roof through bamboo ties nailed to the rafters.

• Just below these ties, fix long bamboos across the rafters nailed to all the rafters in the room.

• Provide cross bracing near each end of the room using bamboos which should cover and connect to three or four rafters each.

• Fix the bamboo purlins on top of the rafters by nails as usual and lay the roofing tiles. (See Figure 5)

 

 

Method for making clay mortar

• Good clayey soil should be used for making the mortar

• Add an equal amount (by volume) of wheat or any other locally available straw along with cow-dung.

• First mix the dry ingredients and then mix with water thoroughly in a pit.

• Work the mix thoroughly every day for minimum three days using shovel and feet

• The mortar should be used only after so ‘sleeping’ for minimum three days.

 

 

Figures

Figure 1, 2a and 2b

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 3 and 4 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 5