BRICKS.

INSTITUE OF ARCHITECTURE,PATAN

By- CHARMI BHATT

HIREN MISTRY
HISTORY OF BRICKS.

 Bricks are one of the oldest known building materials dating back to 7000BC
where they were first found in southern Turkey and around Jericho. The first
bricks were sun dried mud bricks. Fired bricks were found to be more resistant
to harsher weather conditions, which made them a much more reliable brick for
use in permanent buildings, where mud bricks would not have been sufficient.
 In Europe early civilizations around the Mediterranean adopted the use of fired bricks,
including the ancient Greeks and roman. During the early middle ages they used of bricks
in contractions become popular in northern Europe after being introduced there from
northern western Italy.
Manufacture of bricks.

 Site selection for manufacturing of bricks.

1. The ground should be of plain surface.
2. The site should be connected with communicating roads for transporting materials etc.,
3. Good brick earth should be easily available.
4. The site should offer all facilities to the workers.
 Manufacturing process of bricks.
1. Preparation of clay
2. Moulding
3. Drying
4. Burning
1. Preparation of clay for brick manufacturing.

 Unsoiling of clay We need pure clay for the preparation of bricks. The top layer of soil
may contains impurities, so the clay in top layer of soil about 200mm depth is thrown
away. This is called unsoiling.
 Digging After the removal of top layer, the clay is dug out from the ground and spread on
the plain ground.
 Cleaning In this stage, the clay is cleaned of stones, vegetable matter etc. if large quantity
of particulate matter is present, then the clay is washed and screened. The lumps of clay
are converted into powder with earth crushing rollers.
 Weathering The cleaned clay is exposed to atmosphere for softening. The period of
weathering may be 3 to 4 weeks or a full rainy season. Generally, the clay is dug out just
before the rainy season for larger projects. 
 Blending If we want to add any ingredient to the clay, it is to be added in this stage by
making the clay loose and spread the ingredient over it. Then take small portion of clay
into the hands and tuning it up and down in vertical direction. This process is called
blending of clay. 
 Tempering In this stage, water is added to clay and pressed or mixed. The pressing will be
done by cattle or with feet of men for small scale projects, pug mill is used as grinder for
large scale projects. So, the clay obtains the plastic nature and now it is suitable for
molding.
2. Moulding of clay for brick manufacturing

 In the moulding process, prepared clay is mold into brick shape (generally rectangular).
This process can be done in two ways according to scale of project.
1. Hand moulding ( for small scale)
2. Machine moulding ( for large scale)

3. Hand moulding:-
If manufacturing of bricks is on a small scale and manpower is also cheap
then we can go for hand moulding. The moulds are in rectangular shape made of wood or steel
which are opened at the top and bottom. The longer sides of moulds are projected out of the
box to serve it as handles. If we take durability in consideration steel moulds are better than
wooden moulds. In hand moulding again there are two types and they are
a) Ground moulded bricks
b) Table- moulded bricks
a) Ground molded bricks
 In this process of ground moulding, first level the ground and sand or ash is sprinkled over
it.
 Now place the wet mould in the ground and filled it with tempered clay and press hard to
fill all corners of the mould. Extra clay is removed with metal strike or wood strike or with
wire.
 The mould is then lifted up and we have raw brick in the ground. And again wet the mould
by dipping it in water and repeat the same process. The process of dipping mould every
time to make bricks is called slop molding.
 Sometimes, the inside surface of mould is sprinkled with sand or ash instead of dipping in
water this is called sand moulding
 Frog mark of bricks are made by using a pair of pallet boards. Frog mark means the mark
of depth which is placed on raw brick while moulding. The depth may be 10mm to 20mm.
 Frog mark stats the trademark of manufacturing company and also it is useful to store
mortar in it when the bricks is placed over it
b) Table molded bricks
 This process is similar to ground molding process, but here the bricks on moulded on the
table of size 2m x 1m.
 Ground moulding is economical when compared to table molding.
Machine mouldings of bricks
1. Plastic clay machines This machines contain an
opening in rectangular shape and when we place the
tempered clay in to this machine it will come out
through this opening. Now, the rectangular strips
coming out the opening are cut by wires to get
required thickness of brick. So, these are also called
wire cut bricks. Now these raw bricks are ready for
the drying process
2.Dry clay machines Dry clay machines are more
time saving machines. We can put the blended clay
into these machines directly without tempering.
Means tempering is also done in this machine by
adding some water. When the required stiffness is
obtained the clay is placed in mould and pressed
hard and well-shaped bricks are delivered. These
are called pressed bricks and these do not require
drying they may directly sent to burning process.
3. Drying of raw bricks
 After molding process the bricks contain some amount of moisture in it. So, drying is to be
done otherwise they may cracked while burning. The drying of raw bricks is done by
natural process.
 The bricks are laid in stacks. A stack consists 8 to 10 stairs. The bricks in these stacks
should be arranged in such a way that circulation of air in between the bricks is free.
 The period of drying may be 3 to 10 days. It also depends upon the weather conditions.
 The drying yards are also prepared on higher level than the normal ground for the
prevention of bricks from rain water.
 In Some situations artificial drying is adopted under special dryers or hot gases.
4. Burning of bricks
 In the process of burning, the dried bricks are burned either in clamps (small scale) or kilns
(large scale) up to certain degree temperature. In this stage, the bricks will gain hardness
and strength so it is important stage in manufacturing of bricks.
 The temperature required for burning is about 1100oC. If they burnt beyond this limit they
will be brittle and easy to break. If they burnt under this limit, they will not gain full
strength and there is a chance to absorb moisture from the atmosphere.
 Hence burning should be done properly to meet the requirements of good brick.
Advantages of Brick Masonry

 Uniform shape and size.

 Handling is easy with brick as the pieces are light in weight.
 Brick is easily available and transportation is less costly while stone needs to be brought in
from quarries that limit the supply.
 You can use any type of mortar with brick masonry.
 Brick can be used for virtually any project including thin walls, where stone is not the best
source.
 Easy to form openings for doors and windows.
 Construction cost can be reduced in brick masonry as mortar joints are thin.
Disadvantages of Brick Masonry

 Not as strong as other materials such as stone.

 Not as durable compared to stone.
 Brick masonry needs plastering done to finish a project which can raise construction costs.
 Brick absorbs water which will cause dampness and damage overtime.
 Less aesthetic appeal with brick as there is limited sizes and colors.
Properties of bricks

Aesthetic
Bricks offer natural and a variety of colours, including various textures
Strength
Bricks offer excellent high compressive strength.
Porosity
The porosity of bricks in attributed to its fine capillaries. The ability to release and absorb
moisture is one of the most important and useful properties of bricks, regulating
temperatures and humidity inside structures.
Fire Resistance
When prepared properly a brick structure can give a fire protection maximum rating of 6
hours
Sound Insulation
The brick sound insulation is normally 45 decibels for a 4.5 inches brick thickness and 50
decibels for a nine inch thick brick.

Insulation
Bricks can exhibit above normal thermal insulation when compared to other building
materials. Bricks can help regulate and maintain constant interior temperatures of a
structure due to their ability to absorb and slowly release heat. This way bricks can
produce significant energy savings, more than 30% of energy saving, when compared to
wood.

Wear
A brick is so strong, that its molecular composition provides excellent wear
resistance.

Efflorescence
Efflorescence forms on concrete structures and surfaces when soluble salts dissolved in
water are deposited and accumulated on surfaces forming a visible scum.
Uses of bricks.

 Structural uses: such as foundations walls and floors.

 Decorative/ornamental uses: May be cast to from moldings and other decorative features
may be carved also may be used in a variety of colors, textures, bonds and joints.
 May be concealed by other finish materials such as stucco, plaster or paint, or may
be exposed both on the interior and exterior.
 Bricks are also used in the metallurgy and glass industries for lining furnaces.
 They have various uses, especially refractory bricks such as silica, magnesia,
chemotic and neutral (chromo magnesite) refractory bricks. This type of brick
must have good thermal shock resistance, under load, high melting point, and
satisfactory porosity.
 Bricks are used for building and pavement . Earlier brick pavement was found
incapable of with standing heavy traffic, but it is coming back into use as a method
of traffic calming or as a decorative surfacee in pedestrian precincts.