Range Report: Penetration Testing of Residential Brick Walls (Pic Heavy)

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  • melensdad

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    While I think you guys has a load of fun I don't think your test was valid because the bricks were loose stacked and were not attached to the backerboard.

    You may think I'm being picky but if a test is supposed to replicate real life then bricks should have been mortared together. I've done a fair amount of tile setting and individual tiles are pretty fragile but when they are set in place you can pound on them with a hammer and it takes a good deal of effort to damage them. Its a situation where the system of mastic and grout work together with the backerboard and the tile itself to make something that is greater than the sum of its parts. I believe (but obviously haven't tested) the same is true with a brick wall.

    As you point out early in your post, the brick wall is a stack of bricks, secured not only together with mortar, but also secured to the wooden backerboard with metal straps. The backerboard is itself very solid because its part of the 2x4 or 2x6 structural wall that is rigid. So a rigid wall structure, reinforced with the plywood sheathing that doubles as the backerboard for the brick forms a very solid, immoveable wall structure.

    In your INGO box-o-truth it appears that the bricks and backerboard are simply held in place by grooves in the frame of the box-o-truth.

    Now in your box-o-truth system when a bullet hits the wall, the bricks can bounce vertically, as well as having the ability to independently move laterally.

    I'm not trying to be overly critical, just pointing out that the energy of the bullet hit is dispersed through the 'loose' wall in your system, but in a real wall hits what is, in effect, a monolithic solid combined of several different materials that are bonded together.

    All that said, it looks like a fun test and I'd have enjoyed shooting the bricks too!
     

    lovemywoods

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    Just carry spares and swap them out between hits...

    Impressive tests though. The results suprised me, I had no idea brick was so bullet resistant.

    Please allow me some brief musings!

    In a way, the brick isn't bullet resistant. Just the opposite. The brick is brittle. It takes in the energy from the bullet and dissipates it via fracture lines. The more energy the bullet has, the more the brick fractures. Instead of 2 or 3 big chunks, we saw dozens of smaller pieces formed when the rifle rounds hit the brick.

    The brick is destroyed in the act of stopping the bullet. That's why the 2nd and 3rd bullet strikes went right into the water jugs. I believe this is similar to the way ceramic body armor plates work.
     

    esrice

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    In your INGO box-o-truth it appears that the bricks and backerboard are simply held in place by grooves in the frame of the box-o-truth.

    Now in your box-o-truth system when a bullet hits the wall, the bricks can bounce vertically, as well as having the ability to independently move laterally.

    The drywall and backerboard were indeed held in place by the grooves. The bricks, however, were stacked and then compressed with shims, as to be imoveable and replicate (somewhat) a wall structure. They could not bounce vertically or move laterally. We did recognize that bullet impacts could impart enough energy to push the broken pieces out the side of the box, however.

    If our tests had shown that bullets could zip through these bricks, then I might've suggested that we test further, implementing those things you touched on, like using an actual mortared wall. But, since we found them to be quite resistant as they were tested, I see no reason to try an even tougher, more resistant structure.

    Unless, of course, you surmise that perhaps the more-rigid structure would allow enough energy to remain that the bullet would pass through. We considered that as well.
     
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    Sylvain

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    Now you shoud do a test to find out what is bullet proof inside a home.
    Pillow, phone book (how many pages do you need to stop what round and caliber?), laptop, couch, my underwear (without me in them) and such ...

    We hear so many myths about common objects that would be bullet resistant.
    I bet just like this test with bricks surprised many people we would be just as surprised with some items.
    Some objects may be stronger than we think and some may no stop a bullet like we think it would.
    I know I would be surprised if my pillow stops a bullet but I would be happy too knowing that I dont need to spend lots of money on Kevlar panels to bulletproof something.
    While you are at it you may just as well build your own home made bulletproof material and see how it holds up.
     

    lovemachine

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    I'm surprised at the results as well. I can't believe rifle rounds wouldn't go thru.

    So, as long as you don't miss the intruder, and get all your "missed rounds" in one place on the wall, you're A-OK! :yesway:


    I'm very sorry I missed all the fun. I hope next time, (if there is a next time!) I can be there! :D

    Thanks for the awesome review guys!
     

    thompal

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    -- Some older brick homes are made of more than one layer of brick or brick and block layers. They would provide even more protection.

    Excellent report! Thank you!

    One question I have is 'does brick become harder or more brittle as it ages and is exposed to the elements?' Were these "fresh" bricks, or were they aged bricks that had been taken from an old building?
     

    HamsterStyle

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    They were approximately 32 years old and bedded in sand on a patio.

    The testing was amazing. I would like to see a couple of the higher powered calibers possibly done again with mortar or have the bricks wedged from the sides as well. Just to see what happened to the energy that was displaced to the sides. But all in all, I would feel comfortable in a brick home discharging a weapon in a defensive situation.

    I can't thank you guys enough for the opportunity to come down and participate. The food was awesome as well. The brownies had chocolate chips in them and I had milk served in a frosty mug. :D. Once again, thanks a million guys and I'll volunteer anytime that you guys need assistance with testing or maintenance or anything at all.

    Tommy
     

    lovemywoods

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    While I think you guys has a load of fun I don't think your test was valid because the bricks were loose stacked and were not attached to the backerboard.
    You may think I'm being picky but if a test is supposed to replicate real life then bricks should have been mortared together. I've done a fair amount of tile setting and individual tiles are pretty fragile but when they are set in place you can pound on them with a hammer and it takes a good deal of effort to damage them. Its a situation where the system of mastic and grout work together with the backerboard and the tile itself to make something that is greater than the sum of its parts. I believe (but obviously haven't tested) the same is true with a brick wall.

    Thanks for really thinking about this test! You rightly pointed out one concern I had from the beginning. I was trying to balance replicating ‘real life’ with ease of conducting the test. I certainly can’t claim to fully simulate an existing brick wall. I’d love to shoot an old house if I had the opportunity!


    As you point out early in your post, the brick wall is a stack of bricks, secured not only together with mortar, but also secured to the wooden backerboard with metal straps. The backerboard is itself very solid because its part of the 2x4 or 2x6 structural wall that is rigid. So a rigid wall structure, reinforced with the plywood sheathing that doubles as the backerboard for the brick forms a very solid, immoveable wall structure.

    Modern brick cladding is secured at intervals to the backer board. The backer board may be OSB, plywood, or rigid foam board. The bricks rest on the foundation on a brick shelf. The strapping to the backer is to keep the wall from shifting outward. There is normally an air gap between the backer board and brick wall. (Brick construction differs from tile construction in this way.) The brick wall and inner wall can move and flex independently if needed to accommodate temperature swings. There are often weep holes left in the lower course of bricks to allow any trapped moisture to exit. So in modern construction, the rigidity you speak of isn’t as present as you might think. Nevertheless, I acknowledge that a mortared system of numerous bricks would dissipate stresses differently.

    In your INGO box-o-truth it appears that the bricks and backerboard are simply held in place by grooves in the frame of the box-o-truth.

    In addition to the slots in the INGO Box-of-Truth, the brick stack was under some compression from wood wedges placed above it.


    Now in your box-o-truth system when a bullet hits the wall, the bricks can bounce vertically, as well as having the ability to independently move laterally.

    I'm not trying to be overly critical, just pointing out that the energy of the bullet hit is dispersed through the 'loose' wall in your system, but in a real wall hits what is, in effect, a monolithic solid combined of several different materials that are bonded together.

    All that said, it looks like a fun test and I'd have enjoyed shooting the bricks too!

    Since the bricks were wedged in, they were constrained from moving vertically by the wedges and forward and rearward by the plywood and drywall sheets. I wouldn’t characterize it as ‘loose’ however I know the compressive forces would not be as great as in a regular wall.

    I don’t know how a brick surface would react when held by the mortar. Would it be weaker or stronger?

    Another aspect to consider when comparing a real brick wall and a stack of bricks is the time frame over which the force is applied. It’s easy to assume that because a brick is part of a larger wall of bricks and mortar that it would behave in a vastly different manner. However, because the bullet strike occurs over such a short period of time, it’s possible that the physical characteristics of the target brick and perhaps a few of its neighbors are what determines the result, not the wall as a whole. This is because there may not be time for the stresses to move and react in the larger brick wall. At the point of impact, the stresses quickly rise beyond the fracture point of the brick.

    After seeing the bricks react in this test, I’m inclined to think that a real brick wall would still fracture, but with fewer chunks being ejected. I think it would still effectively stop the first bullet strike in the calibers we tested. It might resist a second strike in the same area since the brick fragments would still be held in position.
     

    lovemywoods

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    Excellent report! Thank you!

    One question I have is 'does brick become harder or more brittle as it ages and is exposed to the elements?' Were these "fresh" bricks, or were they aged bricks that had been taken from an old building?


    Hamsterstyle already gave the age of the bricks at 32 years. I would still characterize them as modern or 'fresh' brick. They were hard and brittle.

    Bricks from very old buildings can be softer because they were made that way and may have deteriorated a bit from the elements.

    On an unrelated note...your avatar picture reminded me of something else I learned at the test. Electric guitars are made of wood! When I shot the bass guitar, it splintered apart! Before that I thought electric guitars were made of some polymer material. Maybe everyone else knew this, but it was news to me! :yesway: [Electric guitars are not 'cover!']
     

    IndyMedic

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    Excellent demonstration guys. I can only dream of having a place like this to shoot. Thanks for taking the time to do this. Looks like it was a lot of fun too!
     

    lovemywoods

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    The food was awesome as well. The brownies had chocolate chips in them and I had milk served in a frosty mug. :D.


    Hamsterstyle,

    You and I must be kindred spirits when it comes to food! Your description made me think of an excited 12 year old boy describing the meal.

    I know that some of my favorite memories have an element of food in them! :)
     

    CandRFan

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    Thanks for taking the time and effort! Great thread. I was pretty surprised at some of your results. I would have expected that the rifles would have done more damage with their single shot.
     
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