Masonry Quality Control Plan

Every quality control plan should involve an inspection test plan. The inspection test plan consists of procedures on how a certain inspection process should be conducted. The procedure can be a written form or the inspection checklist itself. The inspection test plan covers three areas, which are pre-construction checks, in-process inspections, and testing requirements.

Pre-Construction Checks

The pre-construction checks mostly constitute the preparatory requirements for masonry works. The inspection involves assessing if masonry units meet design strength and durability, if drawings are already available on-site, and checking the surface preparedness for construction. The purpose of these checks is to ensure full preparedness for the construction process. The following checks are involved in this area:

• Material certificates
• Approved drawings
• Masonry layout
• Surface preparation

In-Process Inspections

The in-process inspection serves as an assessment procedure to verify if everything is proceeding as planned. The check ensures that all masonry procedures and constructed masonry elements are aligned with the agreed-upon quality and Approved Document A standards. Most of the checks involved in this area are visual inspections of the constructed masonry elements, which help provide immediate solutions to identified defects. These checks also prevent problems from escalating into something more critical and costly. The checks involved in this area are

• Block or Brick placement inspection
• Mortar application inspection
• Reinforcement placement inspection
• Grouting inspection
• Alignment and plumb inspection
• Bond pattern inspection
• Opening support inspection
• Movement and expansion joint inspection
• Temporary support inspection

Testing Requirements

Another important area that the inspection plan must cover is the testing methods. These testing methods will serve as verifiers if the material to be used or the constructed masonry element is aligned with the required specification. These tests are critical since the data acquired will dictate if the quality of the material or masonry work, which greatly impacts the flow of construction, follows the design and requirements from Part A. The tests involve in this area of the inspection test plan are

• Masonry unit compressive strength test
• Mortar strength and mix test
• Grout strength test
• Wall tie tensile test
• Alignment and plumb test