Static load test of Arquin-designed CMU wall.

The Arquin Corporation has developed a new method of constructing CMU (concrete masonry unit) walls. This new method uses polymer spacers connected to steel wires that serve as reinforcing as well as means of accurately placing the spacers so that the concrete block can be dry stacked. The hollows of the concrete block used in constructing the wall are then filled with grout. As part of a New Mexico Small Business Assistance Program (NMSBAP), Sandia National Laboratories conducted a series of tests that statically loaded wall segments to compare the Arquin method to a more traditional method of constructing CMU walls. A total of 12 tests were conducted, three with the Arquin method using a W5 reinforcing wire, three with the traditional method of construction using a number 3 rebar as reinforcing, three with the Arquin method using a W2 reinforcing wire, and three with the traditional construction method but without rebar. The results of the tests showed that the walls constructed with the Arquin method and with a W5 reinforcing wire withstood more load than any of the other three types of walls that were tested