Bricks Note.
Bricks Note.
Bricks Note.
BRICKS
Manufacture of Bricks
Brick is one of the oldest building materials known, and its manufacture still follows the
same basic procedures of the past. The basic ingredient is clay which must have
plasticity when mixed with water, so that it can be moulded or shaped. Moreover it
must have sufficient tensile strength to keep its shape after forming and the clay
particles must fuse together when subjected to sufficiently high temperatures.
(3) Forming
The first step is tempering - the mixing of clay with water in a pug mill. Depending
on the amount of water there are three methods:
(i) The stiff-mud process - only enough water is used to produce plasticity, usually
from 12 to 15 percent by weight. For increase in workability and strength, air
pockets and bubbles are removed by forcing the plastic clay through a de-airing
machine. Then it is forced through a die extruder, which produces a continuous
column of clay of the proper size and shape, at the same time, imparts the
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desired texture to the surface. Finally the clay column is cut into sizes of proper
length.
(ii) The soft-mud process - employed with clays which contain too much
natural
water for the stiff-mud process. 20 -30 % water is used in tempering, and the
bricks are molds.
(iii) The dry-press process - uses the least water in tempering, the maximum
being
about10 percent. Bricks are formed under high pressure.
(4) Drying
Most of the moisture is removed in drier kilns. In order to get the proper size of
bricks, there must be allowance for shrinkage. Drier-kiln temperatures range
from 38 - 2040c, and the drying time varies from 24 to 48 h, depending on the
type of clay. Too rapid shrinkage must be avoided.
(5) Glazing
It is covering with a thin shiny transparent surface. Ceramic glazing consists of
spraying a coating of a mixture of mineral ingredients on one or more surfaces
of the brick. The glaze melts and fuses to the brick at a given temperature,
producing a glass like coating which is available in almost any colour.
Properties of Bricks
All properties of brick are affected by the composition of the raw material used and
the manufacturing process involved.
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Colour : it depends on its chemical composition, the heat of the kiln, and the
method used to control the burning.
For all clays containing iron burned in oxidising fire - becomes red in colour
burned in reducingfire - becomes purple tint
underburning - yields salmon colour
Overburning - produces dark red colour.
Buff clays produce the buff and brown bricks, depending on the temperature of
burning.
Texture : It is produced by the surface treatment the clay is given as it leaves the
extruding die.
Scored finishes - the clay surface is grooved
Combed finishes - produced by placing parallel scratches on the surface
Rough-texture finishes - produced by wire cutting or wire brushing the clay
surface as it emerges from the die.
Size : most clays shrink during drying and burning from 4.5 to 15 percent, and
allowances are made for this when the units are moulded. Shrinkage will
vary, depending on the composition of the clay, its fineness, the amount of
water added, and the kiln temperature.
Strength of brick : the strength characteristics of brick also vary with the raw
materials and manufacturing processes involved. For example,
the compressive strength of brick varies from 10.3 to 13.79 Mpa.
Transverse strength (when acts like a beam) - 0.79 - 19.9 MPa
Tensile strength - 30 - 40 percent of the transverse strength.
Shear strength - 30 - 40 percent of the net compressive strength.
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Average physical properties of brick
Types of Bricks.
Two types of clay bricks are manufactured in Ethiopia at present. These are :
(1) the solid clay bricks.
(2) the hollow clay bricks and beam tiles.
According to the Ethiopian standard, the solid bricks are of the following three types.
(a) Brick without holes or depression (type TS)
(b) Brick with holes up to 20 mm in diameter each and having a total cross-sectional
area not exceeding 25 percent of the base area (b X l) of the brick (type TH)
(c) Brick with depression not exceeding 25 percent of the base area and having the
maximum depth of depression not more than 10 mm (type TD)
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The nominal dimensions of solid bricks are 60mm X 120mm X 250mm with dimensional
tolerances of 2.5 mm, 5.0 mm, 8.10 mm for the height (h), the breadth (b) and the
length (l) respectively.
According to ES hollow clay bricks and beam tiles are of the following three types.
a) with two faces keyed (combed, or scared) for plastering or rendering (type KK)
b) with two faces smooth and suitable for use without plastering or rendering on
either side (type SS)
c) with one face smooth and another face keyed for plastering (type SK).
Nominal dimensions of hollow clay bricks and hollow clay beam tiles.
Nominal Dimensions, mm
Height, h Breadth, b Length, l
1. Hollow Clay Bricks
10 200 300
100 150 350
100 250 300
120 250 300
150 200 300
2. Hollow Clay Beam Tiles
140 250 250
140 400 250
160 250 250
160 400 250
For further classification based on laboratory tests refer the next article.
Testing and Classification of Bricks
Two classes of tests are used to determine the quality of building bricks :
(a) field tests.
(b) laboratory tests.
Field tests such as appearance, hammer test and hardness test can easily be made at the
construction site.
Appearance tests such as shape, planeness, colour, checks and blister form valuable
indications of quality.
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When struck with a hammer, a properly burnt dry brick free from cracks emits a highly
metallic ring.
The hardness of a brick sample can be checked by scratching its surface or broken
section with a knife. A well burnt brick will be scratched with difficulty.
According to ES the laboratory tests classify bricks based on numerical values of their
compressive strength, water absorption, saturation coefficient and efflorescence.