Brick Masonry

Unit 2 Brick earth, method of Brick manufacture, testing of bricks, classification.

 Bricks:
Definition: A moulded rectangular block of clay baked

by the sun or in a kiln until hard and used as a building and paving material. Bricks are obtained by moulding clay in rectangular blocks of uniform size and then by drying and burning these blocks. Advantages: Uniform size Properly arranged Light in weight (no lifting appliances required) So bricks easily replace stone

Composition of good brick earth

(1) Alumina -Should contain 20-30% -Plasticity to earth (imparts) -Chief constituent (2) Silica-

-Should contain 50-60%

-Either as free or combined -prevents cracking, shrinking and warping of raw

bricks -Imparts uniform shape to the bricks -durability of bricks depend upon silica proporsion.

 (3) Lime -Should contain <5% - Present in a vey fine powdered state -prevents shrinkage of raw bricks (4)Oxide of iron

-Should contain 5 to 6%
-Helps as lime to fuse sand -Imparts red colour to bricks (5) Magnesia: - Small quantity of magnesia in brick earth imparts

yellow tint to bricks and decreases shrinkage.

Method of bricks manufacture:

1. Preparation of clay 2. Moulding

3. Drying
4. Burning

 Preparation of clay

Clay is prepared in the following order :

Unsoiling Digging Cleaning Weathering Blending Tempering

Steps in prepation of clay

Unsoiling: Top layer of soil, about 20cm in depth,

is taken out and thrown away as it contain fall of impurities. Digging: Clay then dugout from the ground . Then spread on the leveled ground, just a little deeper than the general level of ground Height of heaps of clay is about 60 cm 120cm. Cleaning: After digging of clay, it should be cleaned of stones, pebbles, vegetable materials etc.

 Weathering: Then clay is exposed to atmosphere

for soften or mellowing . It takes a few weeks to season fully. Blending: Clay is made loose and any ingredient to be added to it, is spread out at its top. It means intimate or harmonious mixing. Tempering: Clay is brought to a proper degree of hardness and it is made fit for the next operation of moulding. In this process water is required . to obtain homogeneous mass of clay of uniform character. Pug mil is required for this process (grinding process)

2. Moulding
- Moulding is next to clay preparation

Two ways for moulding

Moulding

Hand moulding

Machine Moulding

Hand Moulding
o Rectangular boxes open at top and bottom

o may be of wood or steel

o should be form well seasoned wood o Longer sides are kept slightly projected to serve

as handles. o Strips of brass or steel are sometimes fixed on the edges of wooden moulds to make them more durable o Mould s are made longer by about 8 to 12% in all directions as bricks shrink during drying and burning. o Hand moulding are of two types

Hand Moulding Bricks Ground moulded Bricks Table moulded Bricks

Ground moulded bricks

Ground is first levelled and fine sand is sprinkled

over it Mould is dipped in water and placed over the ground Lump of tempered clay is taken and it is dashed in the mould Clay is passed or forced in the mould to fill at the corners. Extra or surplus clay is removed either by wooden strike or metal strike or frame with wire and this strike always dipped in water every time. Then mould is lifted up and raw brick is left on the

 Then mould is dipped in water and it is placed

just near the previous brick to prepare and their brick Fine sand or ash may be sprinkled insider the surface of mould instead of dipping the mould in water A frog is a marked, of depth about 10mm to 20mm which is placed on raw brick during moulding and serves tow purpose. Indicates the trade name of the manufacture Affords a key for mortar when the next brick placed over

 Table moulded bricks

just similar as ground moulded .

In this case, the moulder stands near a table

of size about 2m1m. Clay , mould, water pots, stock board, strikes and pallet boards are placed on this table. Bricks are moulded on the table and sent for further process

Machine moulding :
Achieved by machines
It proves to be economic when huge quantity are

to be manufactured at the spot Helpful for moulding hand and strong clay.

Machine moulding

Plastic clay machine

Dry clay machine

Sl.No Plastic clay machine Dry clay machine .

i). Contain a rectangular opening of size equal to length and width of a brick. Strong clay is first converted into powder form

ii).

Pugged clay is placed in the A small quantity of water is machine and as it comes added to form a stiff plastic out through the opening , it paste is cut into strips by wires fixed in frames.

iii).

Arrangement is made in such a way that strips of thickness equal to that of the brick are obtained

Such paste is placed in mould and pressed by machine to form hard and well shaped bricks

(3) Drying
Moulded bricks are dried before they are taken

for burning . Bricks are laid longitudinally in stacks of width equal to two bricks. A stack consists of eight or ten tiers. Bricks are laid along and a cross the stock in alternative layers . All bricks are placed on edge. Drying process are done as follows Artificial drying Circulation air Drying yard Period for drying Screens

4. Burning
This

is a very important operation in the manufacture of bricks. It imparts hardness and strength to bricks and makes them dense and durable. About 6500C is required to burn . Burning by clamps.

Kilns: A large oven which is used to burn bricks.

Tests for bricks

1. Absorption- A brick sample is taken and it is weighed dry. It is then put into the water for a period of 16 hrs. Then it is weished again and the difference in weight indicates the amount of water absorbed by the brick. It should not exceed 20% of weight of dry brick. 2. Crushing strength:The crushing strength of a brick is found out by placing it in a compression testing machine. It is pressed till it breaks. As per BIS1077 the minimum crushing or comp strength is 3.5N/mm2 are graded as A and those having above 14 N/mm2 are graded as AA.

3. Hardness: With the help of a finger nail, a scratch is made on brick surface. If no impression is left on the surface, brick is treated to be sufficiently hard.

4.Presence of soluble salts: In this test the brick is immersed in water for 24hrs. It is then taken out and allowed to dry in shade .The grey or white deposits indicates presence of soluble salts. If grey or white deposits are found on more than 50% of surface, the efflorescence becomes heavy and it is treated as serious, such deposits are converted into powder mass.

5. Shape and size: A brick should be of standard size and its shape should be truly rectangular with sharp edges standard sizes (1999)cm of 20nos are taken for stacked length wise, along the width and along the height . For good quality of bricks, the results should be. Length:360cm to 392cm Width:174cm to 186cm Height:174cm to 186cm

6. Soundness: Two bricks are taken and they are struck with each other. The bricks should not break and a clear ringing sound should be produced.

7. Structure: A brick is broken and its structure is examined. It should be homogeneous, compact and free from and defects such as holes, lumps etc

CLASSIFICATION OF BRICKS
Bricks classification

Unburnt or sundried Bricks

Burnt Bricks

First class bricks

Second Class Bricks

Third class bricks

Overburnt or jhama bricks

 Bricks can broadly divided into two categories

(1)Un burnt or Sun dried bricks Dried with the help of heat received form sun after the process of moulding. Used for temporary and cheap structures. Should not be used at placed exposed to heavy rains. (2) Burnt Bricks Burnt at 6500C temp Used in construction works Further classified into 4 types

Burnt Bricks:
(i) First class bricks Table moulded and standard shape The surfaces and edges of the bricks are sharp,

square, smooth and straight . Used for superior work of permanent nature (ii) Second class bricks Ground moulded burnt in kiln . The surfaces are some what rough and shape is slightly irregular Used where plaster work to be done

 (iii) Third class bricks Ground moulded brunt in clamps These bricks are not hard and they have rough

surfaces with irregular and distorted edge Gives dull sound when struck together Used for temporary structure (iv) Fourth Class or overburnt bricks irregular in shape and size and are available in the form of lumps Produce metallic ringing sound. Used as aggregates for making concrete to be used in foundations, floors, etc.

Sizes and weight of bricks

For India
Standard size (19cm9cm9cm) is recommended

and with mortar thickness, size becomes (20cm10cm10cm). Weight of 1m3 of brick earth is about 1800kg. Average weight of a brick will be about 3 to 3.50kg

Qualities of good bricks

Should be table moulded, well burnt in kilns,

copper-coloured, free from cracks an with sharp and square size. Should be uniform in shape and standard size Should give clear ringing sound when struck with each other Should show a bright homogeneous and compact structures free from voids. Should not absorb water> 20% by weight for 1st class >22% by weight for 2nd class

 Should be sufficiently hard (no finger nail)

Should not break when dropped flat on hard

ground forma height about 1m Should have 10w thermal conductivity and sound proof. Should not deposit white salts, when soaked in water for 24hrs. Should have crushing strength below 55N/mm2