BRICKWORKS/MANSORY

History
One of the oldest manufactured building materials
Sun-baked brick was found in the remains of structures in the Tigres-Euphrates
basin as early as 6000 B.C.
Romans also used thin bricks in thick mortar made of volcanic materials and lime.
In 1633 the first brick buildings erected in Manhattan Island (imported from Holland
& England)
These structures have survived from the Stone Age to the present day.
Brick is a popular medium for constructing buildings, and examples of brickwork
are found through history as far back as the Bronze Age.

Definition
Bricks are obtained by molding clay in rectangular blocks then, drying and burning
them.
In a place where stones are not easily available, bricks are used in construction.
Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar. Typically,
rows of bricks called courses that are laid on top of one another to build up a
structure such as a brick wall.
Brick are preferred because of its durability, strength, reliability and low cost.
Much older examples of brickwork made with dried (but not fired) bricks may be
found in such ancient locations as Jericho in Palestine, Çatal Höyük in Anatolia, and
Mehrgarh in Pakistan.

Types of Brick

Common Brick
o Suitable for building wall.
o Ordinary brick has no special strength.
o Use for internal and external wall.
o Surface need plastering.
o Sand, cement and clay.
Facing Brick
o Use on outside wall
o Look attractive
o Two sides of brick have been coated with colour before burning.
o Not suitable for work below ground.
o No need plastering.
o Clay with high quality.
 Engineering Bricks
o Very solid and hard
o Can be use for work below ground.
o Uses selected clay
Special Bricks
o Finished bricks are dense, to resist damage by exposure to weather.
o In different shapes.
o Uses fine clay.

Size and weight of Bricks

Bricks are prepared in various sizes.

Custom in the locality is the governing factor for deciding the size of a brick.
Such bricks which are not standardized are known as traditional brick.
Building Insulation Solution (BIS) has recommended the bricks of uniform size.
Such bricks are known as molecular bricks.

Brick Size
Standard/Molecular 190 mm x 90 mm x 90 mm and 190 mm x 90 mm x 40 mm
Conventional/Traditional 230 mm x 110 mm x 70 mm

The average weight of brick will be about 3.00 to 3.50 kg

 Classes of Bricks

Un–burnt Burnt
May be burnt in sunlight or when burnt in Well burnt bricks which can used for
kiln it may not be burnt well. permanent structures.
The unburnt bricks are used to construct Well burnt bricks are further classified as
temporary structures. following :-

Types of burnt bricks.

These bricks are table molded and burnt in kilns.
It should be thoroughly burnt (without being
vitrified) and have rectangular plane surfaces with
parallel sides and sharp straight right-angled
edges.
First class brick It should have firm compact and uniform texture.
First class bricks are mainly used for face-work or
superior work of structure.
The structure constructed with these bricks doesn’t
need palstering.
The bricks are ground molded and burnt in kilns
and generally used to meet the requirements of
first class bricks except that these may be slightly
chipped, distorted or may have surface crack.
Second class brick

These bricks are ground molded and burnt in

clamps.
They are not hard and have rough surfaces with
irregular distorted edges.
These bricks are used in unimportant and
temporary structures and in places where rainfall
Third class brick
is less.
The structures constructed with these bricks need
plastering.
These bricks are over burnt bricks with irregular
shapes and used as aggregate in foundations,
floors.
They are stronger due to over burning.
Fourth class brick
 Properties of Bricks
They are durable.
They are low cost material.
They possess good strength.
They are easily available.
Bricks are light compared to stones.

Terminology
As the most common bricks are rectangular prisms, six surfaces are named as
follows:-
Top and bottom surfaces are called Beds
Ends or narrow surfaces are called Headers or header faces
Sides or wider surfaces are called Stretchers or stretcher faces[

Uses of Bricks

Bricks are used in wall construction of building.

Bats of brick are used in concrete in foundation work.
Construction of walls of any size
Construction of floors.
Construction of arches and cornices.
Construction of brick retaining wall.
Making Khoa (Broken bricks of required size) to use as an aggregate in concrete.
Manufacture of surki (powdered bricks) to be used in lime plaster and lime
concrete.
 Properties of Good Bricks

Bricks should be table-mounted, well-burnt in kilns, copper coloured, free from

cracks and with sharp square edges.
Bricks should be uniform in shape and of standard size.
Bricks should give a clear ringing sound when struck with each other.
Bricks when broken should show homogeneous and compact structure free from
voids.
Brick should not absorb water more than 15 percent of weight for the first class
bricks and 15 to 20 percent by weight for second class bricks, when soaked in
water for 24 hours.
Bricks should be sufficiently hard. No impression should be left on brick surface
when scratch with finger nail.
Bricks should not break into pieces when dropped flat on the hard ground from a
height of one meter.
Bricks should have low thermal conductivity.
Bricks when soaked in water for 24 hours should not show deposits of white salts
when dried in shade.
The Compressive Strength of brick shall not be less than 55 kg/cm².

Quality of Bricks

Description Class-1 Class-2 Class-3

Water absorption Max 15% Max 15% to 20% Max to 20%
Compressive Above 250 Up to 200 Up to 125
Strength kg/cm² kg/cm² Kg/cm²

Soaked Bricks: The strength of brick decreases by about 25% when soaked
in water.
Structure: When bricks is broken should be homogeneous in structure,
compact and free from holes, cracks, fissures, air bubbles, lumps, pebbles,
stones and lime particle.
Shape and Size: The brick should be rectangular with straight and sharp
edges, have same dimension, no crack corners. The size of the bricks varies
slightly from region to region in India.
Soundness: The quality of the brick is said to be good if there is a clear
ringing metallic sound when two bricks struck together.
Fall Test: A brick should not break when dropped flat on the hard ground
from a height of one meter.
 Scratch Test: A good burned brick has a surface so hard that thw finger nail
cannot scratch it.
Don’t use over burnt (coloured black or red or both mixed) for construction of
the wall.
Don’t use brick that has a presence of sand.
Drop test can tell you about the strength of the brick.

Mortar
Mixture of cement, sand and water
Function of mortar
o It should have good adhesion with bricks, stones.
o It should resist penetration of rain water.
o Cheap, durable and workable.

Uses of Mortar

To bind bricks firmly in the wall of construction.

They are used in plaster work as finishing material to provide weather
resistance joints of masonry work are covered by plaster work.

Brick Bond

Bond is the arrangement of bricks in rows.

Bonding
- Combination between mortar and brickworks.
- Bricks are laid in pattern, which minimizes continuous vertical lines of
cleavage.
Bonds are designed for: -
o Appearance
o To tie together a structural or outer wall to an inner wall.

Types of bonding
English bond
- The bricks in one course or layer show their header faces, and alternately
the other layer show their stretcher faces.
- One of the strongest bond - the wall is 1 brick thick (89 nos. of
bricks/m²).
Flemish bond
- Alternate bricks are placed as header and stretcher in every course.
- 2 types- Single Flemish & Double Flemish.
- 79 nos. of bricks/m².

Stretcher bond
- A wall of 102.5 mm thick or ½ brick (single brick wall)
- Bricks are laid with every brick showing a stretcher on each side of wall
header is used at angles, jambs of openings
- Suitable for cavity wall & internal wall.
Header bond
- Every brick show header faces.
- A wall of 215 mm thick or 1 brick, but this bond is seldom used for 1
brick thick wall large nos. of brick needed.
- 118 nos. of bricks/m².
 Points Considered in Supervising Brick Masonry Constructions

Use good quality bricks.

Ensure that brick courses are perfectly horizontal.
Verticality of the wall should be ensured by frequently checking with plumb-
bob.
Whenever work is stopped brick masonry should be left with toothed end.
Use of brick bats should be avoided.
Raising walls by more than 1.5 m in one day shall be prevented.
Raise face joints to a depth of 12 to 20mm so as to be used as a key for
plastering or pointing.
Brick masonry should be regularly cured for 2 weeks.
The thickness of mortar joints shall be 10 mm both horizontally and
vertically.

Materials and Equipment Used in Brick Masonry Construction

Mortar Mix or Mason Mix Bricks

Tape measure
Hammer
Hose, level, or theodolite
Wheelbarrow
Goggles
Jointer
Trowel Level

Installation of Brickworks.

1. Initially, mix the mortar with water and blend it until a smooth and plastic
mortar is produced.
2. After that, place the mortar on foundation line evenly using trowel (25mm
thickness and one brick wide is recommended for laid mortar).
3. Then, lay the first course of stretcher bricks in the mortar. Start with second
brick, apply mortar to the head joint end of each brick, After that shove the
bricks into place firmly so that the mortar is squeezed out of all side of the
joints.
4. Utilize a level to examine the course for correct height. ensure that bricks are
plumb and level.
5. Place another mortar line alongside the first course, then begin laying the
second course.
6. Use the two half bricks to begin the second to ensure that the first two
courses are staggered for structural purposes.
 7. To finish the second course of the lead, lay three header bricks and make
sure that they are plumb and level.
8. The third and fifth courses consists of stretchers similar to the first course.
The fourth course begins with single header, followed by stretchers. Use the
level to make sure that the lead is true on each course. Lastly, this pattern of
brick laying is used till the target height is reached.

References
1. “Brick Masonry Definition, Types, and Construction - the Constructor.” Madeh Izat
Hamakareem, 18 Oct. 2018, theconstructor.org/building/brick-masonry-definition-
types-construction/25916.
2. “Brickworks.” Heeney, Gwen. 2003, Google Books,
books.google.com/books/about/Brickworks. html?id=-hM2zQ3jJEEC.
3. “Construction Technology and Building Materials”. International Labour
Organization, August 2015, https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---
ed_emp/---emp_policy/invest/documents/instructionalmaterial/wcms_447745.pdf
4. “Uses of Brick - Civil Engineering.” Uses of Brick - Civil Engineering,
civiltoday.com/civil-engineering-materials/brick/37-brick-use-construction.
5. “Characteristics of Good Bricks - Civil Engineering.” Characteristics of Good Bricks -
Civil Engineering, civiltoday.com/civil-engineering-materials/brick/69-
characteristics-and-qualities-of-good-bricks-for-construction.