QATAR BUILDING ENGINEERING COMPANY

SITE WORK PROCEDURE Doc. No. SWP.CS.07

Department QA/QC Rev. 1
Title Concrete Block work Date 05.12.01

SITE WORK PROCEDURE

SWP.CS.07
CONCRETE BLOCK WORK

REVISION HISTORY

1 Revision-1 05.12.01

0 Original Issue 11.11.01

Rev
Revision information Date
.

Originated by Reviewed by Approved by

Swaminathan Ganesan K.Kunjappan Hassan Sahli

-Signed- -Signed- -Signed-

Owner: QBEC Page 1 of 7

 QATAR BUILDING ENGINEERING COMPANY
SITE WORK PROCEDURE Doc. No. SWP.CS.07
Department QA/QC Rev. 1
Title Concrete Block work Date 05.12.01

CONCRETE BLOCK WORK

1.0 OBJECTIVE

1.1 Is to define the requirements for supply and laying of concrete block work for the
buildings and utilities under the contract no GTC.101/ED/01 Engineering,
Procurement, Installation and Commissioning (EPIC) of Ras Laffan Utilization
Project –Buildings and utilities and support service Phase 1-Utilities.

2.0 SCOPE

2.1 Concrete block work for buildings and utilities in Service Base Area, Service
Berth and F.S.O Marine area and Telecom building.

3.0 REFERENCE

3.1 Project Approved Drawings

3.2 Qatar Petroleum Standard Specification for Civil Works Vol. I, Section 4
3.3 British Standards BS 6073, BS 4027, BS 12, Bs 1200 table 1, BS 4887, BS 1243
Table-3, BS 743 type-C, BS 3416-type 1, Class A

4.0 PROCEDURE

4.1 SPECIFICATION FOR MATERIAL

4.1.1 BLOCKS

4.1.1.1 Concrete block work shall conform to requirements of BS 6073 . Crushing

strength test report shall be submitted to QP engineer for approval before
the block are delivered to site.

4.1.1.2 Block shall be hollow or solid as per drawings.

4.1.1.3 The average compressive strength of 10 sample blocks shall be of

7N/mm2 and no individual bock shall be less than 5.6N/mm2.

4.1.1.4 The thickness of the webs and walls shall not be less than 50mm and the
volume of the cavities in the block shall not exceed 50% of the gross
volume of the block.

4.1.1.5 All surfaces shall be flat and rectangular and adjacent surfaces shall be at
right angles to one another.

Owner: QBEC Page 2 of 7

 QATAR BUILDING ENGINEERING COMPANY
SITE WORK PROCEDURE Doc. No. SWP.CS.07
Department QA/QC Rev. 1
Title Concrete Block work Date 05.12.01

4.1.1.6 Unless otherwise specified all block faces shall provide a satisfactory
bond for motor, plastering or rendering.

4.1.1.7 Each block manufactured from sulphate resisting cement shall be

color coded with a green identifying mark.

4.1.2 AGGREGATE :

4.1.2.1 Fine and coarse natural aggregates shall comply

generally with BS 882.

4.1.2.2 The chloride content of the fine and coarse aggregates,

tested in accordance with BS 812, part 4, shall not exceed 1.0% of the
weight of cement used in manufacturer of the block.

4.1.2.3 Sand for motor shall be selected beach or dune sand,

washed clean and free from clay, chalk, shells, organic materials and
other impurities. The sand shall comply in all respects with BS 1200,
table-1.

4.1.3 CEMENT: Cement shall be Portland cement to BS 12, sulphate

resisting cement shall comply with BS 4027.

4.1.4 WATER: It shall be Potable.

4.1.5 WALL TIES: Wall ties shall be Stainless steel/galvanized steel vertical twist
type complying with BS 1243 table 3.

4.1.6 DAMP-PROOF COURSE (DPC):

DPC shall be asbestos based bitumen to comply with BS 743 type 3 or plastic
type to the approval of the QPengineer.

4.1.7 BITUMINOUS PAINT: Shall be cold applied black bitumen coating solution to
BS 3416 type 1, class A.

4.1.8 REINFORCEMENT FOR BLOCK WORK: Reinforcement required to be built

into block work and horizontal joints shall be galvanized steel expanded metal
type, minimum 24 gauge to the widths specified.

4.1.9 MORTAR MIXES:

Owner: QBEC Page 3 of 7

 QATAR BUILDING ENGINEERING COMPANY
SITE WORK PROCEDURE Doc. No. SWP.CS.07
Department QA/QC Rev. 1
Title Concrete Block work Date 05.12.01

4.1.9.1Mortar mixes shall be accurately gauged by volume using approved

gauge boxes.
4.1.9.2The ingredients shall first be mixed dry until thoroughly mixed to a uniform
color before water is added to the mix.

4.1.9.3All mortar shall be used within 30 minutes of mixing. No mortar, which has
achieved its initial set, shall be used in the work, and no water is to be
added to the mortar, after the initial mix.

4.1.9.4Mortar samples shall be prepared and tested in accordance with BS 4551

and as instructed by the QPengineer.

4.1.9.5For work below floor slab level and work in contact with the ground: 1 part
sulphate-resisting cement: 3parts sand.

4.1.9.6For all other work : 1 part ordinary Portland cement : 6 parts sand.

4.2 BLOCK WORK:

4.2.1 Block work shall be constructed generally in accordance with BS 5628

part 1.1978.

4.2.2 The area is to be cleaned, all loose materials to be removed.

4.2.3 Before starting of block work, the area is to be washed with water.

4.2.4 All block shall be thoroughly wetted with water before they are laid and
tops of walls left from previous day work shall be similarly wetted before
the new work commences.

4.2.5 Block work shall rise at the rate of four courses per 900mm. A maximum
of 6 courses being built in a section in any one day.

4.2.6 Walls shall be built in stretcher bond unless otherwise specified.

4.2.7 Cutting of blocks shall be kept to a minimum. When cutting of blocks is

essential, a bolster shall be used in preference to a trowel.

4.2.8 All units shall be laid on a full bed of mortar in perfectly horizontal
courses. All perpend joints shall be in perfect vertical alignment and well
filled by buttering the ends of the unit and then sliding into position against
its neighbor. Collar joints shall be filled by buttering the stretcher side.

Owner: QBEC Page 4 of 7

 QATAR BUILDING ENGINEERING COMPANY
SITE WORK PROCEDURE Doc. No. SWP.CS.07
Department QA/QC Rev. 1
Title Concrete Block work Date 05.12.01

4.2.9 All joints shall be solidly filled and the thickness of the joints shall not
exceed 10mm. All mortar joints shall be finished flush with the general
face of the wall unless otherwise specified.

4.2.10 Hollow block at jambs, reveals of opening etc shall be filled solid with
concrete.

4.2.11 Curing of block work should be done for at least 7 days.

4.3 MOVEMENT JOINTS:

4.3.1 The movement joints to be 12mm wide as per position indicated on the
drawings. The joints shall be straight vertical and formed with uncut faces
of the blocks to each side.

4.4 EXPANSION JOINTS:

4.4.1 Expansion joints are to be as per positions indicated on the drawing.

4.4.2 The expansion joints shall be filled with bitumen impregnated fiberboard
to finish 15mm back from each face of the wall.

4.4.3 All exposed edges of the expansion joints shall be pointed with two part
gun-grade poly sulphide sealing compound 15mm deep neatly finished
flush with the wall face and colored if specified on the drawings.

4.5 BLOCK WORK ABUTTING STRUCTURAL CONCRETE:

4.5.1 Where block work abuts structural concrete columns or walls and the like it
shall be tied to the concrete with bitumen coated steel ties at 225 mm
vertical centers. The ties shall be 50X3X600 mm girth once bent, one end
shall be securely short filed to concrete and the other and solidly built into the
block work, unless otherwise specified.

4.6 REINFORCED BLOCK WORK:

4.6.1 Where specified on the drawings walls shall be reinforced with

horizontal joints reinforcement at the vertical intervals specified.

4.6.2 The width of joints reinforcement will be that recommended by the

manufacturer for each thickness of wall.

Owner: QBEC Page 5 of 7

 QATAR BUILDING ENGINEERING COMPANY
SITE WORK PROCEDURE Doc. No. SWP.CS.07
Department QA/QC Rev. 1
Title Concrete Block work Date 05.12.01

4.6.3 The joints reinforcement shall be completely bedded in the mortar and
lapped at least 75 mm at joints in the length. At corners the joints
reinforcement shall be cut neatly and butted together but not lapped.

4.7 DAMP-PROOF COURSES AND TREATMENTS:

4.7.1 Check for the requirement of DPC as per approved drawings. If

DPC is required it shall be laid horizontally in external and internal walls at
ground floor level in positions indicated on the drawings.

4.7.2 Damp-proof courses shall be laid horizontally in external walls at

the last roof level and above openings. Vertical damp-proof courses shall be
built into external cavity walls at jambs of openings and in the positions
indicated on the drawings.

4.7.3 Horizontal damp- proof courses shall be laid on a continuous bed

of cement and sand (1:3) mortar and lapped minimum 150mm at joints in the
length and lapped the full width of the wall at corners and passing.

4.7.4 All concealed wall surfaces below DPC level shall be painted with
two coats bitumen paint and enclosed in minimum 1000 gauge polythene
sheet membrane, the polythene sheet measure shall be tightly dressed up
against the wall face and turned over the top of the block work for a width of
alt least 50mm under damp-proof courses internally and on the wall courses
immediately below the finished ground level externally. The polythene sheet
membrane shall lap a minimum 100mm at all joints.

5.0 PROTECTION TO BLOCK WORK:

5.1 Block Work shall be protected from damage by wet weather

with QP approval coverings extending down both sides of exposed walls.

5.2 All work shall be protected against rapid drying out by an

approved method.

5.3 Necessary steps to protect work to prevent damage by the

building operations

6.0 RECORDS

6.1 Inspection Reports

Owner: QBEC Page 6 of 7

 QATAR BUILDING ENGINEERING COMPANY
SITE WORK PROCEDURE Doc. No. SWP.CS.07
Department QA/QC Rev. 1
Title Concrete Block work Date 05.12.01

6.2 Checklist
6.3 Mortar test certificate

Owner: QBEC Page 7 of 7