New regulations for flat clay lintels

In Germany flat lintels were regulated since 1977 in the flat lintel guideline specification and supplementary technical approvals. With the conversion of the design to the partial safety concept a revision was necessary in this respect. Load-bearing flat lintels with tension booms made of special-purpose clay units are regulated in future through technical approvals. For many years masonry with non-mortared vertical joints has been the construction method mainly used in Ger-many. However, in the area of overlying masonry above flat lintels, the mortaring of the vertical joints was prescribed so far. For the first time a further new technical approval allows the execution of non-bearing overlying masonry above flat lintels with large-format clay units without mortaring of the vertical joints.

1 Introduction

In the draft of the master list of technical building regulations of September 2008 the guideline specification for flat lintels [1] dating back to 1977 is intended for deletion and is therefore facing its annulment by the building supervisory authorities.

In a working group made up of representatives from the building authorities, industry and science the guideline was revised and adjusted to the partial safety concept. Unfortunately the planned implementation in a joint guideline of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Mauerwerkbau (DGfM) was not possible because in some cases...

Dr.-Ing. Udo Meyer