Atlas brick and Concrete block can be used together so long as both material properties are considered. Because Concrete block is a cementitious product and shrinks upon drying, control joints should be placed in the walls to accommodate the block shrinkage. The Atlas brick's primary movement is expansion which acts as a restraining element ag ainst the block. This restraint may create greater tension forces in the block which could cause shrinkage cracks to occur at more frequent spacing.
Because Atlas are 2 to 3 times stronger than block, use block design stresses when combining both materials. Because of this, Atlas can replace a CMU building with little changes. Contact the manufacturer for suggested considerations.
