If you’ve noticed a horizontal structural member placed above an opening such as recesses, corridors, cupboards, windows, and doors, you’ll understand what lintel is. Its primary purpose is to support the structure’s weight above it.
Normally, it’s projected by at least 150mm on each side of the opening into the wall so that imposed loads can be transferred on the openings’ jabs.
This may construct of a variety of materials such as timber, stone, brick, steel, and reinforced cement concrete (RCC). Following are the main functions of lintel:
§ They act as a beam
§ They offer openings for wardrobes, cupboards, ventilators, windows, doors, etc.
§ They support the load above the openings
§ They support the proportion of structure above it
Here are some types of lintel and their uses:
1. Timber lintels
Today, timber lintels are rarely used. While some new methods are quickly replacing them, they’re still used in bumpy areas. The major impediments of timber are that it can’t defend against fire, is less stiff, and is a little costly.
2. Stone lintels
One can use rectangular pieces of stone as a lintel. While stone lintels are strong and firm, they weigh a lot. Their thickness is kept around 10cm per meter, and they’re usually used in mountainous buildings for two main reasons: one, because they weigh a lot; two, other materials aren’t available for construction.
3. Brick lintels
With light loading, brick lintels are used to span openings of less than a meter. Generally, they comprise bricks that are customarily laid on end and sporadically on the edge.
These lintels are constructed over a turning piece—temporary wood support that acts as centring. During construction, bricks with frogs are preferred because upon bounding; they form juggles. Thus, they offer greater strength at the end joints due to the shear resistance. The term ‘joggled brick lintel’ is commonly used to refer to structures formed through frog bricks.
4. Steel lintels
If the opening gaps are substantial and the superimposed loads weigh too much, steel lintels will be helpful. If the lintels’ depth is supposed to play a big role, steel lintels should always be the go-to option. Why? Because the designer can’t overlook the reinforced concrete lintels’ depth due to too many loads.
5. RCC lintels
RCC lintels are composed of concrete and reinforcement. The concrete offers resistance against compressive stresses, while the reinforcement is offered to resist tensile stresses.
RCC lintels are frequently used in modern construction because they are cast in any size and shape. They may be cast-in-situ!
AMN Masonry offers high-quality stone lintel repair and replacement services in Greater Boston
At AMN Masonry, our team takes pride in ensuring appropriate steps are taken during our lintel replacement services in Boston to ensure a top-of-the-line finished product.
Contact us now – we’re your premier lintel restoration and replacement contractor in Boston!