Construction and Building Materials 18 (2004) 445–454

Development of an innovative interlocking load bearing hollow block

system in Malaysia
Waleed A. Thanoon, Mohd Saleh Jaafar*, Mohd Razali Abdul Kadir, Abang Abdullah Abang Ali,
D.N. Trikha, Amad M.S. Najm
Serdang, Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

Received 17 April 2002; received in revised form 14 February 2003; accepted 9 March 2004

Abstract

The paper describes the development of a new interlocking hollow block masonry system appropriate for load bearing masonry
wall construction. The developed system is an alternative to the traditional bonded masonry system where the blocks in the wall
are integrated through mortar layers. In the system developed, the blocks are stacked on one another and three-dimensional
interlocking protrusions are provided in the blocks to integrate the blocks into walls. This paper includes the background, concept
and procedure used to develop an efficient interlocking hollow block system, which may be used in the construction of load
bearing walls. Twenty-one different block models have been investigated and analysed with respect to weight, bearing and shear
areas, shape, ease of production, ability to accommodate vertical and horizontal reinforcing stabilising ties and efficiency of the
interlocking mechanism under imposed loads. The blocks, developed under the name ‘PUTRA BLOCK’, have been used to
construct a single-storey house at Universiti Putra Malaysia. The system provides a fast, easy and an accurate building system.
䊚 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Masonry system; Putra block; Interlocking load bearing hollow block; Dry construction; Modular coordination

1. Introduction be used in the construction of both non-load bearing

and load bearing walls.
The use of structural masonry may result in cheaper The main feature of an IHB system is the elimination
and faster construction compared with framed building of the mortar layers as the blocks are interconnected
construction for low-rise buildings. Interlocking hollow through key connections (protrusions and grooves). The
block (IHB) system is promoted as a new building interconnections between the blocks have to be designed
technique that may result in even greater economy. The to withstand the stresses, which develop in a wall under
use of interlocking load bearing hollow blocks in build- applied loads.
ing construction speeds up the construction process as a In the development of the new interlocking block
result of the elimination of mortar layers. Further, due system, the following features are sought to be included:
to the self-aligning features of the interlocking hollow ● Efficient interlocking mechanism in different direc-
blocks, the walls can be assembled at much faster speed tions to withstand the different forces (shear and
compared to mortared masonry construction. In Malay- bearing), which develop under applied loads.
sia, the supply of houses by both the public and private ● Self-alignment to ensure accurate and simple con-
sectors is still far from meeting the demand especially struction.
in low cost housing sector. The proposed system using ● Meeting modular coordination requirements.
interlocking hollow blocks (IHB) may provide the ● Construction of both load bearing and non-load
solution to overcome this shortage as these blocks can bearing walls.
● Production is similar to that of normal hollow blocks
*Corresponding author. so that the manufacturing machinery is easily
E-mail address: [email protected] (M.S. Jaafar). fabricated.

0950-0618/04/$ - see front matter 䊚 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2004.03.013
446 W.A. Thanoon et al. / Construction and Building Materials 18 (2004) 445–454

Fig. 1. Interlocking block developed by R. Thallon w10x.

2. Background align and secure them during placement. Grouting is

used to finally fill all the cores.
There have been several attempts to develop mortar- In the Haenar w6x interlocking hollow block system,
less hollow blocks in different parts of the world in the for the construction of load bearing walls, three types
recent past. R. Thallon w10x developed interlocking of blocks are used as shown in Fig. 2, The alignment
blocks, which were used to construct a single-storey in Haenar blocks is achieved by providing interlocking
house. These interlocking blocks used are shown in Fig. keys at the sides, while the interlocking between the
1. During the manufacturing process, the blocks are blocks is ensured by providing a key (small projection)
passed through a machine that grinds the top and bottom at the top of the blocks in addition to the inside inclined
surfaces to a tolerance of 0.12 mm. These parallel and web at the bottom. The inside web acts as a support to
smoothly ground surfaces allow the blocks to be laid up the top key to interlock the blocks. This interlocking
with ease without mortar. The blocks also have male mechanism is efficient to ensure self-alignment and easy
and female interlocking mechanism at their sides to help construction. Both horizontal and vertical reinforcement

Fig. 2. Haenar Interlocking System w6x.

 W.A. Thanoon et al. / Construction and Building Materials 18 (2004) 445–454 447

grout ingredients are the same as those used in normal

concrete with the extra requirement that the grout must
have a high degree of workability.
w7x for reinforced masonry construction, which is able
to resist earthquake. The first of the two systems is a
simple modified H-block shown in Fig. 4a, with tongue
and groove interlocking on both the bed and head joints.
It can be reinforced in both vertical and horizontal
directions. Partial grouting is required to ensure the
stability of the wall during construction prior to full
grouting.
The second system is the W-block interlocking sys-
tem, shown in Fig. 4b, which also shows the possible
horizontal and vertical reinforcement and the stacking
of the units. The horizontal joints between the courses
are staggered by using different block heights. Three
Fig. 3. Mecano Interlocking System w5x.
different types are required to construct the walls.
However, the vertical joints are made continuous along
embedded in grout has been recommended to be placed
the height of the wall.
at suitable intervals for load bearing walls.
In Malaysia, Abang Abdullah et al. w1x developed
In Peru, a system called Mecano block system has
been developed by Cetholic w5x in which no interlocking another interlocking hollow block system, as shown in
is provided so that the blocks are simply stacked on Fig. 5, based on the LEGO system. Individual blocks
each other as shown in Fig. 3. All the voids provided and full-scale walls have been tested at Universiti Putra
in the blocks are then grouted after the placement of the Malaysia for different types of loading. It has been
horizontal and vertical reinforcement in their positions. found that the compressive strength of the individual
The blocks must have accurate dimensions and smooth- blocks satisfies Malaysia code requirements w9x. The
ness. A tolerance of 0.5 mm is obtained through mould- developed IHB can be used for two-storey building with
ing under pressure. The shape of the blocks allows a good margin of safety.
two-way hollow cores for introducing the reinforcement. Mirasa et al. w2x investigated the structural behaviour
The horizontal reinforcement is placed during stacking of a new shape of interlocking block system developed
of the blocks while the vertical reinforcement is placed at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. The block chosen
after stacking the blocks for the complete wall. The has two-core of voids as shown in Fig. 6. The middle
hollow cores are then filled with concrete grout to web thickness is twice the outer web thickness. The
complete the reinforced masonry wall. The concrete outer dimensions of the block are 200(B)=150(H) and

Fig. 4. Modified ‘H’ (a) and ‘W’ (b) Block Masonry System developed at Drexel University w7x.
448 W.A. Thanoon et al. / Construction and Building Materials 18 (2004) 445–454

Fig. 5. Interlocking Hollow Block System, Universiti Putra Malaysia w1x.

400(L) mm but these do not comply with the require- It is therefore necessary to develop an IHB system,
ments for modular dimensions. which overcomes the present limitations as indicated
From the above review on the development of the above. The newly developed system should satisfy the
interlocking hollow blocks in different parts of the strength requirements and have ease in production and
world, it can be concluded that: construction features.

1. In most of the IHB systems, the interlocking mech-

anism has been used for the alignment of the blocks 3. Choice of block configurations
to speed up the construction and to reduce the labour
requirement. The interlocking keys alone are not able A number of block models have been configured
to resist the stresses, which develop under design along with their interlocking mechanism as shown in
loads due to the elimination of mortar layers. Fig. 7, the major design consideration being that the
2. Some of the IHB systems have been used to provide blocks are able to resist all the forces, which develop in
a permanent formwork for casting reinforced concrete an assembled wall. The applied loads have been calcu-
walls. lated for a five-storey residential building construction.
3. Horizontal and vertical stabilising ties in the form of The factors considered in the analysis of different
reinforced concrete beams and columns embedded in block models are the weight, the bearing and shear areas
the wall can be cast within the hollow cores inside provided by the block to resist vertical and lateral forces,
the block. the interlocking mechanism if uni, bi or three-dimen-
4. However, a number of IHB systems do not provide sional in nature and the ability of the blocks to host
continuous hollow spaces (vertical andyor horizon- vertical and horizontal stabilising ties easily. Moreover,
tal) to host ties in both directions. two groups of blocks have been investigated, the blocks
5. Most of the IHB available requires a complicated in Group 1 have block dimensions of 400=200=200
mould for casting in addition to the complicated and mm while the Group 2 blocks have the dimensions of
expensive production process. 400=200=100 mm. The detailed investigation is pre-

Fig. 6. Interlocking Hollow Block System, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia w2x.

 W.A. Thanoon et al. / Construction and Building Materials 18 (2004) 445–454 449

Fig. 7. Different Interlocking Hollow Block Models, studied at Universiti Putra Malaysia.

sented in Ref. w11x. The investigations have led to the heavy. The weight may reduce productivity signifi-
following conclusions: cantly.
3. Most of the blocks provide sufficient interlocking
1. All of the blocks in Group 1 provide sufficient mechanism in two directions with sufficient resis-
bearing and shearing areas to resist the design vertical tance to the forces developed in the construction of
and horizontal forces, while blocks in Group 2 have one- to two-storey buildings.
a small bearing area sufficient for the construction 4. Some of the blocks are suitable for manual produc-
of partitions walls. tion but may require complicated moulds.
2. The weight of the Group 1 blocks is rather high
(greater than 20 kg) and for South–East Asian It needs to be emphasised that in addition to the
workers, the blocks may be considered as unduly strength requirements, the production of the blocks and
450 W.A. Thanoon et al. / Construction and Building Materials 18 (2004) 445–454

i.e. horizontal planning dimensions of 3M and verti-

cal planning dimensions of 1M, where 1Ms100
mm.
● Construction for both load bearing and non-load
bearing walls.
● Production is similar to that of normal hollow blocks
so that the manufacturing machinery is easily
fabricated.
● Light weight with an average weight of 12 kg per
block.
● No formwork is required for construction, so it may
be environmental friendly.
● Dry and fast construction, with minimum in-situ
casting.

Fig. 8. Putra Interlocking Block System. 4. Putra interlocking block system

the constructability of the walls using the block are Based on the study of the above configurations and
equally important factors to be considered in the devel- to achieve the objectives of ease of production and
opment of the blocks. In the development of the new constructability as well as to satisfy modular coordina-
interlocking block system, the following featuresyadvan- tion requirements, a new configuration with different
tages are sought to be included: dimensions has finally been developed called Putra
Interlocking Blocks. These blocks have three different
● Efficient interlocking mechanism in different direc- configurations as Stretcher Block, Corner Block and
tions to withstand the different forces (shear and Half Block (Fig. 8). The interlocking mechanism in any
bearing), that develop under applied loads. direction is ensured through providing a protrusion of
● Self-alignment to ensure accurate and simple 20 mm height. The physical properties of different
construction. individual block types are presented in Table 1. The
● Meeting Modular Coordination requirements, i.e. the stretcher block is the main unit used in the construction
dimensions should fit into the modular dimensions, of the wall. The Comer block unit is to be used to fit

Table 1
The physical properties of different block units

Block type Block dimension (mm) Average weight Solid volume

y Bearing area Shear area in major Shear area in minor
(kg) (m3=10 3) (mm2) direction (mm2) direction (mm2)
Length Width Height
Stretcher 300 150 200 13 5.72 24 000 12 200 4200
Half 150 150 200 8 3.78 12 000 962 962
Corner 300 150 200 14 6.23 24 000 1924 1924

Fig. 9. Interlocking mechanism along with the bearing and shear areas provided by the main block unit.
 W.A. Thanoon et al. / Construction and Building Materials 18 (2004) 445–454 451

Fig. 10. Schematic drawing for stages of wall construction using the Putra Block System.

at the junctions and the end of the walls. While the Half controlling planes to be in modular dimension of 3M or
block is used to complete the courses of the wall so 300 mm, and the vertical controlling planes to be 1M
that vertical joints will be staggered. The interlocking or 100 mm. The Half Block with the length of 150 mm
mechanisms have been designed to obviate the need for can be conveniently put in the technical zones of 150
mortar layers, so that the construction speed may be mm. This allows other spaces in the house to have
increased. The self-aligning features add to the increase modular dimensions, thus facilitating the use of other
in the speed of construction. modularly coordinated components such as windows,
The block dimensions are in conformity with the doors and built-in cabinets. It could be seen also that if
modular design rules, which require that the horizontal the typical room heights of 2800 or 3000 mm are
452 W.A. Thanoon et al. / Construction and Building Materials 18 (2004) 445–454

Fig. 11. Schematic drawing for corner walls and walls with opening construction.

adopted, there is not a single block that needs to be to 0.39 (the average strength of the stretcher block is
broken to fit into the spaces required. There will be no equal to 15.2 Nymm2). This is complied very well with
wastage in the materials, and indeed, exact number of the strength ratio of traditional bonded masonry wall
blocks required for a specific house could be estimated panel. The strength ratio of the basic panel for bonded
from the architectural drawing. hollow block masonry with mortar layers of different
The configuration and the interlocking mechanism designation and block unit strength equal to 15 Ny
can easily be produced using a normal block making mm2 obtained using BS 5268: Part 1 w4x are 0.45, 0.4
machine giving special consideration to the mould used, and 0.38 for mortar designation (i), (ii) and (iii),
concrete mix and vibration time. The compressive respectively.
strength of the tested individual blocks is 94.6–118% The interlocking mechanism plays a significant role
of the concrete cube cast using the same mix. The in the distribution of the stresses developed in the block
developed blocks have been analysed theoretically w8x due to the applied load. The deformed shape obtained
and experimentally w3x. The theoretical analyses and from finite element analysis of the interlocking block
experimental results cover the structural behaviour of system under axial compression load (Fig. 9) shows
the prisms as well as full-scale wall panels under that, there is an interaction between different block units
vertical, lateral and eccentric loads. through their interlocking keys, which in turn leads to
The compressive strength of masonry walls is the higher stress concentration near the web-shell intersec-
most important parameter in the design of masonry tion. The connected parts of the blocks will resist the
structures and primarily depends on the strength of the stresses developed in the wall due to the applied load
block units. The strength ratio of the interlocking basic to integrate the blocks in the wall. The webs provide
wall panel whaving dimensions of 1.2 m (width)=1.2 lateral resistance to the shells and hence the deformation
m (length)x in terms of the average compressive strength near the web-shell intersection is minimised and high
of the main block (stretcher) unit is found to be equal stress is expected at these junctions.
 W.A. Thanoon et al. / Construction and Building Materials 18 (2004) 445–454 453

Fig. 12. Sequence of house construction using Putra Block System.

Walls can be constructed using minimal unskilled 5. Summary and conclusions

labour. In addition, the assembled blocks in the wall
provide continuous hollow voids, which can be used to This paper presents the development of a new inter-
host stabilising ties in vertical and horizontal directions locking hollow block system. Different interlocking
as shown in Fig. 10 to enhance stability and integrity block system used in different parts of the world have
of the system. At the corners or junctions of walls, the been reviewed and discussed. In an attempt to evolve a
connectivity between layers is achieved at subsequent new and innovative system, a number of block config-
layers, as shown in Fig. 11. The interlocking hollow urations have been studied for their structural perform-
block system, as developed, has been employed effi- ance as well as their interlocking mechanisms.
ciently to construct a single storey house as shown in Accordingly, a new interlocking block system named
Fig. 12. The reasonable weight and the simple shape of ‘Putra Block’ has been developed. The main features of
the blocks render the system to be friendlier to the Putra Block System are:
workers. 1. The Putra Block dimensions satisfy the modular
The construction of the 60 m2 house shows a 30% coordination requirements.
reduction in the construction time as compared to the 2. The shape of Putra Block is simple, resulting in easy
traditional system. Unskilled labour, although unfamiliar production and easy assembly of the wall.
with the system, found the system to be simpler and 3. The interlocking mechanism provided by Putra Block
easier to work with. No formwork has been used in the is sufficient to interlock the assembled blocks in
construction of the entire house. The lintels are embed- different directions.
ded within the block which further reduces the construc- 4. It is a self-aligned construction system to ensure
tion time was shown in plate (f), Fig. 12x. accurate and fast construction.
454 W.A. Thanoon et al. / Construction and Building Materials 18 (2004) 445–454

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hollow block masonry. M.Sc. Thesis, Faculty of Engineering,
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w5x Cetholic. Mortarless Masonry—The Mecano System, Housing
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