As a structure is being built using a cavity wall, there are small unseen metal components that are an integral part of any cavity wall; these are the wall ties in Eastbourne. A wall that does not contain wall ties will not be able to stand straight.
A cavity wall consists of the inner skin and the outer skin. The inner skin is the structural component and is concrete block; the outer skin is the decorative component, a brick veneer. Wall ties are important because the ratio of the thickness of the wall to its height is insufficient to keep the wall standing without intermediate supports. This “thickness ratio” is very important when designing the house. Assuming a standard brick is but 110 mm thick and the average height of a wall is five meters, the slenderness ratio is 1:45, far too high for the brick wall to support itself, the first gust of wind that came along would knock it over.
Although the inner skin is also a tall, narrow structure, it is supported by interior walls, floor joists, rafters, etc. These internal components stabilize the inner skin so the slenderness ration is not a consideration.
A house built with a cavity wall is not unlike rigid box encased in a very unstable independent structure which has no lateral stability at all and only its own weight to keep it standing. This is where wall ties in Eastbourne enter the picture. The wall ties are spaced at intervals in both the horizontal and vertical planes; the ties use the structural integrity of the inner skin to provide support for the outer skin. Once the two walls are erected, the slenderness ratio is dramatically reduced; the outer wall will last for many years.
Every cavity wall constructed house built since the end of WW2 will have been built using wall ties; unfortunately many of them are now failing. The wall ties used many years ago were galvanized steel, either flat strips or wire. Over the ensuing years many of these ties have failed due to corrosion. Today, wall ties are made from stainless steel; many of them are special design to work in cooperation with insulation placed in the cavity.
If you are finding cracks in the mortar lines of your brick veneer home then odds are that your wall ties in Eastbourne require replacement. Call upon Cavity Tech Systems Ltd to replace the failed ties with new stainless steel ties that will last indefinitely.
