PARTITION WALLS
Building Materials & Construction
Civil Engineering Department
S.V.N.I.T,Surat.
Introduction
A partition wall may be defined as a wall or
division made up of bricks, studding, glass or
other such material and provided for the
purpose of dividing one room or portion of a
room from another.
 Partition walls are designed as non-load
bearing walls. It may be of folding,
collapsible or fixed type.
 If partition walls are load bearing then they
are called as ‘internal wall’.
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Advantages of partition walls
Divide the whole area into a number of
rooms.
 Provide privacy to the inmates from sight
and sound.
 Are light in weight and cheaper in cost of
construction.
 Occupy lesser area
 Easily constructed in any position.
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Requirements of a Good Partition Wall:
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Thin in cross-section so that maximum floor area can
be utilized.
Provide adequate privacy in rooms both in respect of
sight and sound.
Constructed from light, sound, uniform,
homogeneous, durable and sound insulated materials.
Simple in nature, easy and economical in
construction having proper coherence with the type of
building structure.
Offer sufficient resistance against fire, heat,
dampness, white ant or fungus, etc.
Rigid enough to take the vibrations caused due to
loads.
Strong enough to support sanitary fittings and heavy
fixtures.
Types of partition walls:
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Brick partitions,
Hollow block partitions,
Clay block partitions,
Concrete partitions,
Glass block partitions,
Wooden partitions,
Straw board partitions,
Plaster slab partitions,
Metal partitions,
Asbestos cement partitions, and
Double glazed window.
Brick partition
Constructed with plain bricks, Reinforced
bricks, bricks-nogged or hollow bricks.
 Plain brick partition of half brick thickness is
not more than 2m in height.
 In reinforced brick partition of half brick
thickness, reinforcement in the form of wire
mesh or hoop iron or steel bars is provided.
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Brick nogging partition wall consists of
brickwork built up within a framework of
wooden members.
 Brick partition is fire-resistant and soundproof.
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Hollow Block and Clay Block Partitions
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Hollow concrete block partitions are built of
individual units of concrete.
Clay blocks used are well prepared from clay
or terra-cotta, and they are either solids or
hollow.
Hollow clay blocks of section 30*20 cm with
thickness varying from 5 cm to 15 cm can also
be used.
The blocks are provided with grooves on top,
bottom and sides, surfaces are kept glazed in
different colures.
They
do not change their volume and are in
lighter in weight.
Hollow clay blocks
Acoustic Clay Hollow Partition
Wall
Concrete partition
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It can be either precast or cast in-situ.
Special concrete posts are used for the
construction of precast concrete partition
walls.
Concrete block
Glass partition
Are made from sheet glass or hollow glass
blocks.
 Provides good aesthetics and allow light
 Are damp, sound and heat proof.
 Easy to clean and maintain.
 Sheets of glass are fixed in the frame work of
wooden or metal.
 Hollow blocks doesn’t need timber
framework.
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Wooden partition
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Lighter in weight and easy to construct.
Neither sound-proof nor fire-proof.
Not suitable for damp locations.
Are of two types
Common partitions
Are comprised of vertical
members known as studs
bridged between upper
horizontal(head) and lower
horizontal(sill) member.
Trussed partitions
Are designed on the principle
of truss are useful where it is
possible to provide supports
only.
Head
Stud
Sill
Wooden partition wall
Strawboard partitions
Useful where removal of partitions is
frequent.
 Made of compressed straw covered thick
paper or hardboard.
 Easy to construct.
 Heat and sound proof partitions.
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Strawboard Partition( with glass also used)
Plaster slab partitions
Are made of burnt gypsum or plaster of paris
mixed with sawdust.
 5cm to 10cm thick slabs are prepared in iron
or timber moulds.
 To form rigid joints suitable grooves are
provided in the plaster slabs.
 Nails and screws can be easily driven into
these slabs.
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Incomplete Partition wall of Plaster and expandable metal
Metal partitions
Are light in weight, fireproof and strong.
 Are easy to construct and shift.
 Insulated material is filled into hollow
spaces.
 Used for office and industrial buildings.
 Are also formed of metal lathes supported
and fixed by wires.
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Skeleton metal partition
Asbestos Cement partitions
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Light in weight, impervious, durable, water
tight and fire-proof.
Asbestos cement sheets are made of asbestos
cement sheets and fixed into timber
framework.
Sheets are placed in position and joined by
cement mortar.
Are mostly adopted in works of temporary
character.
Double Glazed window
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Used for acoustic insulation.
Air space between two panes is kept 50mm
or more.
Air contained within narrow cavity is quite
‘stiff’
Transmits vibration at low frequencies.
Double glazed window
Movable partitions
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Movable partitions are used where the walls
of a room are frequently opened to form one
large floor area.
There are three
types of
partitions:
Sliding: Sliding
partitions consists of
series of panels that
slide in tracks fixed to
the floor and ceiling.
The machine if the
partition is similar to
those of sliding doors.
Sliding & folding:
Sliding and folding
partitions operate in a
similar manner to
sliding folding doors.
They are normally
used for smaller spans.
Screens: Screens are
usually constructed of
a metal or timber
frame. It is fixed with
plywood and
chipboard inside. The
screen supported with
legs for free standing
and easy movement.
Foldable partition wall
Portable Partitions
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Rolling mobile folding partitions which
provide temporary walls
The portable wall partition has two full panel
end members which provide support,
rigidity, privacy, and noise reduction.
They fold and are on wheels enabling
mobility and ease of storage.
Three common uses are:
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To divide space quickly where non-mobile
permanent room dividers may be unavailable
or unpractical.
As a cost effective way to create a classroom
or meeting room in existing space.
Convenient sight divider to conceal door
openings to restrooms, commercial kitchens,
and other backroom areas.
Portable Partitions are commonly used in:
Arena’s
 Churches/Houses of Worship/Funeral Homes
 Conference/Convention Centres
 Government/Corporate offices
 Hotels/Restaurants
 Residences
 Salons and Spas
 Schools of all levels
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References:
Dr B.C.Punamia, Building Construction
 S.P.Arora and S.P.Bindra, Building
Construction
 Robert Jantschek, Portable wall partition with
full panel end members.
 www.niceduniya.com,Principles of design of
partitions walls.
 Images are taken from google image search
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