An introduction to Fixing Stone Cladding

This article provides an introduction to the fixing of stone cladding. It is intended to provide an overview of the different ways of fixing stone cladding to buildings. It is not a comprehensive how to manual.

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Tranferring Loads
Before we look at ways of fixing, we need to discuss briefly the primary factors acting on the stone cladding and its fixings. The fundamental question when we fix stone is how we transfer loads back down to the ground. There are many loads to be considered, bur in essence, the main ones are as follows: Gravity (Dead Load) the self-weight of the stone unit and the potential for it to drop to the ground. Wind the changes in air pressure around the building and the potential for the stone unit to be pulled off the building. Earthquake the movement of the ground beneath the building and the potential for these vibrations to shake the stone unit off the building. Temperature the changes in dimension of the stone unit with changes in temperature and the potential for these changes in dimension to generate localised pressure on the stone units. Impact contact between people or vehicles and the stone cladding and the potential for damage or displacement as a result. Movement differential change in dimension between the structure and the cladding, and the potential for these changes in dimension to generate localised pressure on the stone units.

Fixing Methods
We can look at methods of fixing stone cladding with regard to a number of different aspects. We can consider the substrate to which the stone units are attached; we can look at the type of fixing that is used and how it connects into the stone unit; or we can consider the manner in which the fixing system accommodates the loads discussed above. As each aspect will tend to favour different methods of fixing, we have tried to combine these aspects in the following summary of stone fixing methods. Self Supported Ashlar When the individual stone units are stacked one on top of another, so that their own weight is transferred down to the ground through the stone units below, we say that the wall is self-supporting. Typically, this method of installation requires thicker units of stone, such as ashlar blocks of sandstone or limestone. Such walls are capable of standing without any other form of fixing, but in that case, we will have little resistance to wind and earthquake loads. Consequently, Australian standards require that self-supporting ashlar walls have lateral fixings to provide support against wind and earthquake loads. These lateral fixings can take many forms, from simple brick ties, to a range of other embedded metal cramps, dowels or pins. In traditional construction, lateral restraint was sometimes provided through interlocking construction with a brick back-up wall. This method of fixing is common in buildings of the early 20th century and in domestic construction. It is sometimes still used on larger buildings, as in the sandstone walls to the Museum of Sydney built in the mid 1990s.

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Mechanical Fixing The ultimate refinement of these fixing systems was to support each individual stone unit with its own shelf angle and cramp arrangement. Initially, these were distinct fixing types, and each stone panel had two shelf angles toward the base of the panel, and several cramp fixings to provide lateral support. However, refinement to simplify the fixing process led to the design of fixings that were able to provide a combination of dead load support and lateral restraint through the one component. These are commonly known as fixing brackets. In the simplest form, these can be rods or small angles through which a pin or dowel is placed at the end. The stone unit sits on the rod or angle, and is restrained by the pin ot sowel being placed in a hole or slot in the side of the stone unit. There are, however, hundreds of different variations on these mechanical fixing brackets in fact, almost as many variations as there are buildings using stone cladding! An advantage of this system is that the fixing brackets can be placed in the joints between stone units and provide support to two adjoining panels. Accommodation of movement still remains critical with this system, and unfortunately, this is often not understood by the installers of stone cladding using mechanical fixing systems. It is important that there is movement capacity in a vertical direction between the underside of a fixing bracket and the top of the panel below. This does not just mean a gap it means that the fixing pin or dowel must be able to slide in and out of the hole or slot in the top of the stone below. It is also important that there is movement capacity in a horizontal direction between adjoining panels, especially where there is a long run (greater than 3-4 metres). This brings us to the great dilemma of stone fixing whilst the installers use epoxy adhesives at the fixing locations to ensure that the front face of the stone units stays flush and aligned, and the stone units stay in the correct position, this means that the stone units are locked together and unable to move. There have been many attempts to get around this dilemma we have seen or heard of systems that use sleeves on the pins or dowels greased pins or dowels sealant in lieu of adhesive loose pins or dowels adjustable brackets.

These all work the biggest problem is the perception that they cost more money and take longer to install. We would like to challenge that perception. Ventilated Cladding Systems A development in Europe that has really only been used here for a small number of ceramic unit clad buildings is the ventilated cladding system. In this case, fixings are set into the rear face of the stone panel, usually using an undercut fixing type and a clip attached. The panels, with clips, are then hung onto a lightweight metal framing system on the face of the building and the joints left open. This approach offers many benefits, in that the connections between the fixings and the stone panel are amongst the strongest possible and each panel is hung independently from the sub-framing. It does require however, that the sub-framing is fixed very accurately, as the alignment of the stone panels is dependent on the alignment of the sub-framing.

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Adhesive The use of adhesives for installation of stone units is widespread. The most common application is the installation of stone tiles using tile adhesive systems, usually latexmodifies cementitious adhesives. The use of filled epoxy adhesives is also common, particularly for smaller units and smaller-scale installations. Adhesive fixing of stone relies on the bond typically a mechanical bond rather than a chemical bond between the adhesive and the substrate. Key factors in the strength of this bond include the surface texture of the stone, absence of dust or surface films, and the type of adhesive used. Theoretically, adhesive systems can be proven to work for the fixing of stone cladding. In practice however, there are so many factors that affect the strength of the adhesive fixing that the risk of failure is substantially greater than for mechanical fixing systems, and as most of the adhesives in the market have less that 30 years demonstrated performance, this is difficult to resolve. Summary There are many ways to fix stone cladding. Different methods are suitable for different situations. The following table summarises the general suitability of each of the methods described for three common external cladding situations:
Single-storey construction Low-rise (up to 4 storeys)

Fixing System

High-rise

Self-supported ashlar

- can be used with care

Mechanical fixing

Ventilated cladding

Adhesive

- suitable

not suitable

This excerpt is taken from Discovering Stone, edition 9, 2006 David West is a Director of the Australian Stone Advisory Association. He spent 15 years working with Arup Faade Engineering and Hyder Consulting advising on the design and installation of stone cladding on buildings all over the world. He is now the Executive Director, Architectural Conservation at International Conservation Services. Pein Lee is a Senior Designer with Arup in Melbourne, specialising in the design of stone cladding. He has worked in Malaysia, London and Italy, as well as in Australia. Pein has worked on both sides of the stone industry, growing up and working in the family stone fabrication and installation business.