Why is English bond a strong bond?

Answer 1

English bond refers to a type of brickwork bond used in the construction of (usually) load-bearing walls. Brick homes commonly built in the US today use a type of brickwork called a stretcher bond. Basically, a stretcher bond is a single row of bricks (about 4" thick - called a half-wythe) laid longwise end-to-end (stretchers). This type of construction is really just a brick veneer which is supported by load-bearing wall elements behind it - such as 2x4 wood frame construction, "cinder block", or a poured concrete wall.

A brick wall employing a English bond, on the other hand, is a full wythe thick (about 8" - the length of a standard brick). It's made by alternately laying a row of two bricks "longwise" side-by-side (stretchers) and then a row of bricks "crosswise" (headers). The joints are staggered so that the header bricks (and mortar) lock in the stetcher bricks in the rows above and below them and, likewise, the stretcher bricks (and mortar) lock in the header bricks in the rows above and below them.