Rat Trap Bond Advantages and Disadvantages

Rat trap bond is a modular  type of masonry bond in which the bricks are placed in a vertical position which creates a cavity in the wall while maintaining the same wall thickness as that of the conventional brick masonry wall. It is also known as a Chinese brick bond. The purpose of using this type of masonry bond is to reduce the number of bricks and mortar required as compared to the English/Flemish bond because of the cavity formed in the wall. https://civiljungle.com/rat-trap-bond/ Architect Laurie Baker introduced it in Kerala in the 1970s and used it extensively for its lower construction cost, reduced material requirement and better thermal efficiency than conventional masonry wall, without compromising the strength of the wall. In this article, we discuss the material criteria, construction, advantages, and disadvantages of rat trap bond masonry.