FIRED CLAY PRODUCTS

BRICKS
Definition
Burned clay products are building
materials that are made from suitable
types of clay by molding, drying and
burning.
Examples:
 Building bricks

 Clay roof tiles

ADVANTAGES OF FIRED CLAY PRODUCTS

Fired clay products:

 Can have high compressive strengths

 Provide excellent fire-resistance

 Weather resistant and can remain

without any surface protection
 Have no wastage
DISADVANTAGES FIRED CLAY PRODUCTS

 Relatively high fuel consumption of the

firing process
 A possible defect of burnt
bricks…"efflorescence"
 Good quality fired clay products tend to
be expensive
 Capital investments for fuel efficient
kilns are often too high
BRICKS
 Building bricks are structural units of
rectangular shape and convenient size
that are made from suitable type of
clays by winning, preparing, molding,
drying and burning.
Suitability of bricks
At present, bricks are the most favored
construction material worldwide due to the
following reasons:
 Availability-clays are available almost
universally
 Construction methods-very experienced skill
bricklayers are available in all villages,&
towns
 Size, shape and handling-Bricks are made in
ready-to-use sizes and shapes
RAW MATERIALS
Bricks are manufactured from clays.

By moistening and mixing with water,

clays become plastic, easy to mould and
are capable to retain their shape on
drying.
Clay soils are of two types:
 Residual clay &
 Transported clay

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FUNCTIONS OF THE CONSTITUENT OF CLAY

Clays generally consist of the following

chemical elements:
 Alumina- (Al2O3)
 Silica – (SiO2)
 Lime - (CaO)
 Iron oxide - (Fe2O3)
 Magnesia – (MgO)
Alumina- (Al2O3)
 Makes the major part of clay
 Responsible for plasticity of the mud
 When burnt, alumina becomes stronger and
harder.
 Excess alumina content→ brick will shrink on
drying→ cracking and warping.
 Small alumina content→ the brick will not be
molded easily and nicely.
Silica – (SiO2)
 Reduce shrinkage and warping in
burning
 Responsible for strength, hardness and
durability or long life
 A large percentage of uncombined silica
is undesirable because it leads to
brittleness of the product
Lime - (CaO)
 Acts as a binder to the clay and silica
particles leading to greater strength
 Makes burning and holding of bricks
quicker
 Excess lime case the brick to melt and
lose the shape. If it is lower than
required it acts as a flux and lowers the
fusion point of silica.
Iron oxide - (Fe2O3)
 Imparts the colors of the clay and the burnt
product
 Acts as a flux i.e. it lowers down the
softening temperature of silica
 Excess iron oxide → the brick becomes too
soft during burning → dark in appearance.
 If it is small in quantity than required it
affects the color of the brick, instead of being
brick red, they may be yellow or red.
Magnesia – (MgO)
 Gives the brick darker or even black
color
 Minimizes warping of bricks in burning
 Magnesia is present in small quantity
(1%)
MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS
The process of manufacture of bricks is
carried out in a number of stages.
1. Selection of suitable type of brick earth
2. Preparations and tempering of mud
3. Shaping and molding of brick units
4. Drying of molded bricks
5. Firing or burning of units
6. Cooling of the units
1. Selection of suitable type of brick earth

A clay soil for brick making should be such

that when prepared with water, it can be
molded, dried and burnt without cracking or
changing its shape or warping. The ideal
composition of a good brick earth is:
 Clay (Alumina) – 20-30%
 Silica – 50%-60%
 CaO, MgO – 4.5%
 Iron oxide – 4%-6%
 The earth should be free from alkalis, organic
matter and free lime.
2. Preparation and tempering of mud

A two stage process:

 Clay Wining: The operations of selecting the

earth, clearing and digging it, spreading it for

weathering.
 Tempering: the process of converting the

prepared brick earth into a homogeneous mix

of desired plasticity by mixing it thoroughly
with proper quantities of water.
3. Shaping and Molding of bricks

 Molding is the process of making

properly shaped brick units from
thoroughly tampered clay.
4. Drying of bricks

After molding, the green bricks have to be

dried.
Reasons for drying:
 To make them sufficiently rigid, strong for
handling and stacking
 To minimize the risk of rapture
 To save fuel during burning stage
Drying of bricks is achieved either by natural
methods or by artificial methods.
Drying of bricks by natural methods
5. Firing

Firing of the dried bricks is essential to

develop in them the desired building
properties such as:
 Sufficient strength

 Hardness

 Durability and

 Resistance to decay and disintegration

THE FIRING PROCESS

 When clay bricks are heated to a high

temperature, a chemical reaction occurs
in the clay which makes the brick
permanently hard, durable and resistant
to weather and water.
Methods of burning
 There are two types of firing kilns for
bricks:
 intermittent and
 continuous kilns

At present, there are two main methods

of burning of bricks in developing
countries:
 Clamp burning
 Kiln burning
The two main methods of burning

Clamp burning Kiln burning

Effects of improper burning

1. Over or under sized bricks

2. Glazed bricks
3. Low strength bricks
4. Cracked or broken bricks
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TYPES AND CLASSIFICATION OF BRICKS

Bricks can be
classified according
to their usage as:
 Common bricks and

 Facing Bricks
1. Common Bricks
Common bricks are those that are
used where they will not normally be
exposed to view and where there is
no claim as to their appearance. They
are suitable for general use in
construction, given that they possess
adequate strength and durability for
the location. The term relates to
appearance only.
2. Facing Bricks
 Facing bricks have a
suitable appearance
for use where they
will be exposed to
view so that they
give an attractive
and pleasant effect.
Solid and hollow clay bricks

Bricks can be classified according to

their shape and nature as:
 Solid clay bricks and
 Hollow clay bricks
 Solid Clay Bricks

According to the Ethiopian Standard, solid

bricks are of the following three types.
1. Brick without holes or depression (type TS)
2. Brick with holes up to 20 mm in diameter each and
having a total cross sectional area not exceeding 25%
of the base area of the brick (type TH)
3. Brick with depression not exceeding 25 percent of the
base area having a maximum depth of the depression
not more than 10mm (type TD).
 Hollow Clay Bricks

According to the Ethiopian Standard, hollow

and beam tiles bricks are of the following
three types.
1. With two faces keyed for plastering or
rendering (type kk)
2. With two faces smooth and suitable for use
with out plastering or rendering on either side.
(type ss) and
3. With one face smooth and another face keyed
for plastering (type sk)
Firebricks or Refractory bricks
These bricks are capable of withstanding very
high temperatures without melting or
becoming soft.
 Firebricks are manufactured in exactly the same
manner as the ordinary bricks burnt in kilns at
temperatures ranging from 13500c to 19000c.
 Firebricks are the white or yellowish white color and
are used for lining the interiors of fireplaces, ovens,
kilns, chimneys and furnaces
 Properties of Bricks

The essential properties of bricks may be

conventionally discussed under four
headings:
 Physical properties,
 Chemical characteristics,
 Thermal characteristics and
 Durability.
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1.Physical properties
 a.Shape- rectangular
 b.Size – 60 mmx120mmx250mm
 c.Color – brick red
 d.Density- density varies from 1600
kg/m3 to 1900 kg/m3 meter. A single
bricks (65x120x250) will weigh between
3.2kg to 3.5kg depending upon its
density.
2. Mechanical properties
Compressive strength is the most
important property of bricks especially
because they are to be used in load
bearing walls. The compressive
strength of a brick depends on the
composition of the clay and degree of
burning.
3.Thermal properties
The heat and sound conductivity of
bricks varies greatly with their density
and porosity. Very dense and heavy
bricks conduct heat and sound at a
great rate. They have therefore poor
thermal and acoustic (sound) insulation
qualities. For this reason, bricks should
be so designed that they are light and
strong and give adequate insulation.
4. Durability
By durability of bricks is understood the
length of time for which they remain
unaltered and strong when used in
construction.
The durability of bricks depends on a
number of factors such as: absorption
value, frost resistance and
efflorescence.
 Tests for Clay Bricks
Two types of tests are used to determine
the quality of building bricks.
A. Field test
B. Laboratory test
A) Field tests:
such as appearance, hummer
 Appearance test is that: shape, plainness, color etc.
 When stroked with hummer, 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
or fingernail. A well-burnt brick will be scratched with
difficulty.
 A rough test for the strength of the brick is to let it fall
freely from a height of about one meter on to a hard
floor. It should not break.
B) Laboratory tests
1. Compressive strength test
2. Water absorption test
3. Efflorescence test and
4. Saturation coefficient test will be done
on a solid brick.
Minimum Compressive Strength

Minimum Compressive Strength

Class
Average of 5 bricks Individual bricks
(N/mm2) (N/mm2)
A 20 17.5

B 15 12.5

C 10 7.5

D 7.5 5.0
Qualities of good brick
1. It should have a regular shape, surface and red colored
appearance.
2. It should confirm in size to the specific dimensions
(60mmx120mmx250mm)
3. It should be properly burnt.
4. Absorption should not exceed 25% in any case.
5. A good building brick should posses requisite compressive
strength, which in no case should be less than 35kg/cm2.
6. Bricks should be hard enough so that it is not scratched by
fingernail.
7. A good brick has a uniform color and structure through its body.
End of presentation