1.

Basic Civil Engineering

1.1 Engineering materials

1.1.2 Bricks
Brick is one of the most popular and leading construction material as it is cheap, durable and easy to
handle and work with. Brick may be made of burnt clay or mixture of sand and lime or Portland cement
concrete. Clay bricks are commonly used since they are economical and easily available. Bricks are used
for building walls, partitions, piers, footings and other load bearing structures. An indent called frog is
provided in brick for holding the mortar. So, bricks are laid with frog on the top.

1.1.2.1 CLASSIFICATION OF BRICKS

1.1.2.1.1 On Field Practice

Clay bricks are classified as first class, second class, third class and fourth class based on their physical
and mechanical properties.

First Class Bricks possess the following properties

1. They are thoroughly burnt and are of deep red, cherry or copper color.

2. The surface should is smooth and rectangular, with parallel, sharp and straight edges and square
corners.

3. They have uniform texture.

4. No impression is left on the brick when a scratch is made by a finger nail.

5. A metallic or ringing sound comes when two bricks are struck against each other.

6. Water absorption is not more than 12–15% of its dry weight when immersed in cold water for
24 hours.

7. The crushing strength of the brick is not less than 10 N/mm 2.

Uses: First class bricks are recommended for pointing, exposed face work in masonry structures, flooring
and reinforced brick work.

Second Class Bricks are supposed to have the same requirements as the first class ones except the
following:

1. They may have small cracks and distortions.

2. Water absorption is about 16-20% of its dry weight.

Uses: Second class bricks are recommended for all important or unimportant hidden masonry works and
centering of reinforced brick and reinforced cement concrete structures.

Third Class Bricks are under burnt.

1. They are soft and light-colored.

2. They produce a dull sound when struck against each other.

3. Water absorption is about 25 per cent of dry weight.

Uses: It is used for building temporary structures.

Fourth Class Bricks are over burnt and badly distorted in shape and size and are brittle in nature.

Uses: The ballast of such bricks is used for foundation and floors in lime concrete and road metal.

1.1.2.1.2 On the Basis of Manufacture

Hand-made: These bricks are moulded by hand.

Machine-made: Various types of machine made bricks are discussed below:

 Wire-cut bricks: bricks cut from clay extruded in a column and cut off into brick sizes by wires.

 Pressed bricks: when bricks are manufactured from stiff plastic or semi-dry clay and pressed into
moulds.

 Moulded bricks: when bricks are moulded by machines imitating hand mixing.

1.1.2.1.3 On the Basis of Types

Solid: They are bricks with small holes not exceeding 25% of the volume of brick. Frog should also not
exceed 20% of the total volume.

Hollow: The holes in the brick may be large and the total volume of hole may also exceed 25% of the
total volume of brick

Perforated: The holes should be small but the total volume of holes should not exceed 25% of the total
volume of brick.

Cellular: Holes closed at one end exceed 20 per cent of the volume.

1.1.2.2 INGREDIENTS OF GOOD BRICK EARTH

Various ingredients that should be present in brick and their functions are discussed below:
Silica 50-60%

Alumina 20-30%

Lime 10%

}
Magnesia<1 %
Ferric oxide <7 % Less than 20 %
Alkalis <10 %

}
Carbondioxide
Sulphur trioxide Veryless percentage
Water

Silica: Retains shape of brick, imparts durability, and prevents shrinkage and warping. Excess of silica
makes the brick brittle and weak on burning.

Alumina: It absorbs water and renders the clay plastic. The excess of alumina in the clay makes the brick
crack and wrap on drying.

Lime: It reduces the shrinkage on drying. Excess of line causes the brick to melt and the brick loses its
shape.

Magnesia: It affects the colour in burning.

Iron: It gives red colour on burning when excess of oxygen is available and dark brown or even black
colour when oxygen available is insufficient, however, excess of ferric oxide makes the brick dark blue. It
improves impermeability, durability and gives strength and hardness.

1.1.2.3 HARMFUL SUBSTANCES IN BRICK EARTH

Pebbles and Gravels do not allow the clay to be mixed thoroughly and spoil the appearance of the brick.
Bricks with pebbles and gravels may crack while working.

Iron Pyrites tend to oxidise and decompose the brick during burning. The brick may split into pieces.
Pyrites discolourise the bricks.

Alkalis when present in excess melts the clay on burning and makes the brick unsymmetrical. The
alkaline salt present in bricks, absorb moisture from air which on drying leaves powder deposit on the
brick. This effect is known as efflorescence.

Organic Matter: On burning green bricks, the organic matter gets charred and leave pores making the
bricks porous; the water absorption is increased and the strength is reduced.

Water: A large proportion of free water generally causes clay to shrink considerably during drying,
whereas combined water causes shrinkage during burning.
1.1.2.4 MANUFACTURING OF BRICKS

Preparation of Brick Earth: Following operations are involved in preparation of brick earth

 Unsoiling: Top layer of earth generally consists of stone, pebbles, gravel, roots, etc. It is
removed after clearing trees and vegetation.
 Digging: Additives such as fly ash, sandy loam, rice husk ash, stone dust, etc. are spread on
volume basis over the plane ground. The soil mass is then manually excavated, puddled,
watered and left over for weathering and subsequent processing. The digging operation should
be done before rains.
 Weathering: The soil is left in heaps and exposed to weather for at least one month in cases
where such weathering is considered necessary for the soil. This is done to develop
homogeneity in the mass of soil, particularly if they are from different sources.
 Blending: Sandy-earth and calcareous-earth are mixed to the soil to modify its composition.
Moderate amount of water is mixed so as to obtain the right consistency for moulding.
 Tempering: Tempering is kneading the soil to make the mass stiff and plastics. It is done by feet
or by pug mills. Tempering by pug mill is known as pugging.

Moulding: Moulding is a process of giving a required shape to the brick from the prepared brick earth.
Moulding may be carried out by hand or by machines. The process of moulding of bricks may be the
soft-mud (hand moulding), the stiff-mud (machine moulding) or the dry-press process (moulding using
maximum 10 per cent water and forming bricks at higher pressures).

Drying of bricks: Green bricks contain about 7–30% moisture depending upon the method of
manufacture. The object of drying is to remove the moisture to control the shrinkage and save fuel and
time during burning. The drying of bricks may be by natural methods or in artificial driers. The artificial
driers are of two types, the hot floor drier and the tunnel drier. In artificial driers, temperature rarely
exceeds 120°C. In developing countries, bricks are normally dried in natural open air driers. They are
stacked on raised ground and are protected from bad weather and direct sunlight.
Burning: The burning of dry bricks is done either in a clamp or in a kiln. The kiln may be of open kiln,
intermittent kiln or continuous kiln. Bull’s Trench kiln is intermittent whereas Tunnel kiln and Hoffman’s
kiln are continuous type.

 The burning of bricks in kilns is complete within 24 hours.

OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS

1. A good soil for making bricks should contain

(1) about 30% alumina

(2) about 10% lime nodules

(3) a small quantity of iron oxides

(4) about 15% magnesia

Of these statements

(a) 1 and 2 are correct (b) 1 and 3 are correct

(c) 1, 3 and 4 are correct (d) 2, 3 and 4 are correct

2. The most important purpose of frog in a brick is to

(a) emboss manufacturer's name (b) reduce the weight of brick

(c) form keyed joint between brick and mortar (d) improve insulation by providing 'hollows'

3. Water absorption for Ist class bricks should not be more than

(a) 12% (b) 15% (c) 20% (d) 25%

4. For hidden masonry works the bricks used should be

(a) Ist Class (b) IInd Class (c) IIIrd Class (d) for any of the above

5. For centring of R.C.C. structures the bricks used should be

(a) Ist Class (b) IInd Class (c) IIIrd Class (d) IVth Class

6. Which of the following constituent in earth gives plasticity to mould bricks in suitable shape?

(a) Silica (b) Lime (c) Alumina (d) Magnesia

(a) less lime in brick earth (b) less silica and excess magnesia in brick earth

(c) excess of alumina and silica in brick earth (d) alkalis in brick earth

8. The moulded bricks are dried before burning to an approximate moisture content of

(a) 3% (b) 6% (c) 10% (d) 20%

9. In the process of brick manufacturing the pug mill is used in which of the following operation?

(a) Weathering (b) Blending (c) Tempering (d) Burning

10. Bricks are burnt at a temperature range of

(a) 500° to 700° C (b) 700° to 900° C

(c) 900° to 1200° C (d) 1200° to 1500° C

11. Excess of silica makes brick

a. Brittle on burning b. To melt on burning

c. To crack on drying d. To warp

12. Which of the following is harmful in the clay used for making bricks?

(a) Iron oxide (b) Iron pyrite (c) Alkali (d) Magnesia

13. When carbonaceous materials in the form of bituminous matter of carbon are present in the clay,
the bricks will

(a) be spongy (b) have black core (c) be porus (d) have cracks

14. Swollen structure and white blotches will be found in bricks when

(a) carbon (b) bituminous matter

(c) organic matter is present in clay used for making bricks. (d) sulphur

15. Efflorescence of bricks is due to

(a) soluble salts present in clay for making bricks (b) high porosity of bricks

(c) high silt content in brick earth (d) excessive burning of bricks

16. What is efflorescence ?

(a) Formation of white patches on the brick surface due to insoluble salts in the brick clay.
 (b) Swelling of brick due to presence of carbonaceous matter and gass

(c) Deformation of brick due to exposure to rain

(d) Impurities in the brick clay which show after burning

17. When the deposits of efflorescence is more than 10 per cent but less than 50 per cent of the
exposed areas of brick, the presence of efflorescence is classified as

(a) slight (b) moderate (c) heavy (d) serious

18. A good brick when immersed in water bath for 24 hours, should not absorb water more than

(a) 20% of its dry weight (b) 15 % of its saturated weight

(c) 10% of its saturated weight (d) 20% of its saturated weight

19. Crushed pottery is used in the manufacture of

(a) fire bricks (b) stone bricks (c) terracotta (d) clay tiles

20. The compressive strength of burnt clay bricks as per IS 1077 is

(a) 100 kg/cm2 (b) 150 kg/cm2

(c) 100 – 150 kg/cm2 (d) 35 – 350 kg/cm2

21. The deformation of the shape of bricks caused by the rain water falling on the hot bricks is known as

(a) spots (b) checks (c) chuffs (d) blisters

22. Basic refractory bricks consist of

(a) silica bricks (b) ganister bricks

(c) magnesia bricks (d) chromite bricks

23. In steel industry the bricks used for lining furnaces should be

(a) acid refractory (b) basic refractory

(c) neutral refractory (d) heavy duty

1 a

2 c

3 b

4 b

5 b

6 c

7 c

8 a

9 c

10 c

11 a

12 b

13 b

14 d

15 a

16 a

17 b

18 a

19 c

20 d

21 c

22 c

23 a