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Good Hints and Tips On Brick-Making
Good Hints and Tips On Brick-Making
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4. In a block yard, the best way to store cement is in a silo, but unless you run a fair sized operation, you
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
1. A good mix should compact well in order to make a dense block normally the denser the block , the
higher the strength
2. A good mix should extrude well from the mould and have enough internal cohesion not to crumble
during and after the extrusion.
The factors that will decide this are:
1. Start out with the stipulated proportions that are given to you- leave the experimenting until you have
sorted out general problems that tend to occur in your startup phase.
2. The mix ration of 8:1 is the recommended proportion for making bricks and blocks. Please understand
3.
that this refers to equal parts for both the cement and the aggregate, i.e. 8 wheelbarrows of
aggregate mixed with 1 wheelbarrow of cement. Often a common mistake is mixing 8 wheelbarrows of
aggregate with 1 pocket of cement. Obviously this is not going to work.
If you are going to measure the cement with a tin for example be very sure as to how many tins fill
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up a wheelbarrow!
4. Be sure that workers understand how to mix properly keep instructions on aggregate: cement ratios
5.
6.
7.
8.
very simple.
Mix thoroughly making sure there are no dry sections in your mix.
Add water slowly into the dry mix if you are mixing by hand.
If mixing with a pan mixer, first add the dry ingredients before adding the water.
Oxide is added before the water is added.
Sand and stone are fragments of rock and differ only in size.
Sand particles will pass through a sieve with 4.75mm square openings. Stone particles will not.
Sand and stone vary greatly in grading , shape and texture and together with the variations in the
performance of cement , can influence the strength of your final product.
Sometimes it is necessary to mix bad sand with another aggregate in order to equalize the proportion
of particles, in other words al particles end up being more or less the same size.
If your sand is not of a good quality , try adding a small amount of builders lime to your mixture to
improve the quality
9 MM STONE
6.7 MM STONE
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This stone is another that cannot be used on its own for blockmaking.
This is a stone that mixes well will all other sands, however too much of it and you will create a problem so
experiment with it.
3:
CRUSHER SAND
This type of sand, as the name implies, is produced in a crushing plant. It is a good sand for blockmaking as
it blends both with coarse as well as fine particles to give good finishes and cohesiveness.
It can be used as follows:
z On its own
z Blended with medium natural sand.
z Blended with a medium natural sand & stone
z Blended with a small proportion of stone
z All sand particles will pass through a sieve with 4,75 mm square openings
4:
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7:
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1. FEASIBILITY STUDY
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Material Costs (Presume that 1 m3 of looses aggregate will yield 0,7 m3 of block volume)
Wastage
Maintenance costs of site and equipment
Output: number of blocks per day
Labour costs
Cost of finance
2. SELECTING A SITE
This site should have provision for stockpiling aggregates and storing cement, a production area, a
stacking area, staff facilities, an office and access between different areas and facilities:
Aggregate Stockpiles
Aggregates must be stored in such a way that they do not become contaminated by soil, leaves etc
Ideally different aggregates should be separated by partitions and it must be ensured that rainwater
is able to drain away by keeping the aggregate stockpiles; this can help to drain the water away.
Ideally aggregates should be stockpiled on a concrete slab.
If this is not possible, the layer of aggregate in contact with the soil should not be used for
production
Aggregates should not be stockpiled under trees
Partitions should be erected between piles of different types of aggregate.
Cement Store
The best way to store cement is in a silo.
For smaller blockyards, this is too expensive and cement should be stored in the bags in which it is
delivered in a weather proof room/area.
Bags should be stacked on a plastic tarpaulin or on closely spaced wooden strips so that they do not
absorb damp from the floor.
There should be space in this area to store about a weeks supply of cement.
At the very least, cement should be stored in stacks raised above the ground and completely covered
with tarpaulins.
1
2
3
4
Production Area
The size of this area depends on the method of producing blocks
A stationary machine, which uses pallets, needs a relatively small area with space around it for
operators.
A mobile egg laying machine needs a fairly large slab on which blocks are made
Details of laying a production slab;
A flat concrete slab , big enough for at least two days production is required
As a rough guideline, a slab of 50m2 in area is suitable for a production of 1 000 bricks or 200 blocks
The block production should have a minimum slope of 1 in 100 to ensure proper drainage
The minimum thickness of the slab is normally 125mm. In the case of producing with a small had
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Size of Stone- mm
19,0 or 26.5
13,2
Size of Stone
Proportions by volume
Cement
1
1 bag
1
1 bag
Sand
2
75 L
2
75 L
Stone
2
75 L
1 1/3
55 L
Sand
m3
Stone
m3
8,7
10
TINS
1
0,7
0,8
TINS
4
0,7
0,8
TINS
4
1.5
19,0 or 26,5
13,2
Wall Foundations- 20mm stone
Ordinary grade concrete for walkway
paving, steps, light duty floors, general
re-inforced concrete work- 20 mm stone
7. The amount of water is not given in the table because it depends on the materials used.
Use enough water to make a workable mix that can be properly compacted.
8. When ordering concrete from a ready mix suppliers specify a strength of30 MPa at 28 days and 19
mm stone. Slump should be 75 mm if the concrete is to be hand compacted by mechanical
vibration and 125 m for hand compaction
9. To prevent uncontrolled cracking of the slab, it should be divided into panels which should be kept as
square or as close to square as possible.
10. It is not necessary to reinforce the panels with steel rods or mesh.
Stacking Area
An area big enough to stack two weeks production is needed for curing and drying
To avoid muddy conditions, a layer of concrete stone, about 100 mm thick should be enough.
Staff Facilities
These include toilets, ablutions, and perhaps change rooms
Minimum requirements of local authorities should be met.
Office
An office should be provided for all but the smallest of yards
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On site Access
Pathways and roadways between the different parts of the yard should be wide enough for
barrows, trolleys or trucks and this area may have to be paved or covered with aggregate to
make them usable in wet weather.
Paving would in any case be necessary where trolleys are to be used to move blocks.
4. EQUIPMENT
Block yard equipment consists essentially of: a means of moulding blocks, a concrete mixer and various
general purpose tools and equipment.
BLOCKMAKING EQUIPMENT
1. There are two basic types; stationary machines that mould blocks, one or more at a
time , on pallets or egg laying machines that mould blocks on a concrete slab.
2. Both types come in differing sizes from small hand operated devices , which have
limited output , and a range of electrically powered machines of high output.
3. Doubell Machines are available from the small QAA range, through the very popular
JJMK2 AND JJMK3 ranges to the very successful Hyperstat range.
4. Machinery can either be manually operated or electrically operated, depending on
the needs of the customer.
5. Please check the brochure of the Doubell machinery which gives an idea of expected
daily production as well as costing on the production
Materials for blockmaking have been discussed previously under the headings;
Cement
Aggregate
Water
6. MIXES
*The aim should be to find a mix that will produce blocks that have an acceptable texture and be strong
enough, but as cheap as possible. Because cement is more expensive than aggregates, the lower the
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After +/- 3 Hours the bricks/blocks must be sprayed lightly with water so as to keep them damp until
stacking, which is done after 24 Hours.
For the next few days the stock pile must be kept wet and if possible covered with old sacks, grass or
anything that would prevent them from drying out in the initial stages.
Bricks/ blocks should not be used for a minimum of 10 days preferable 20 days for the best results.
Other information on brickmaking is available from Portland Cement Institute.
7. PRODUCTION
Aggregates and cement should be ordered in good time. Stocks should be sufficient to prevent stoppages
due to lack of material.
As a rough guide using an aggregate: cement ratio of 8:1 by loose volumes, three and a half bags of
cement and a cubic metre of aggregate will be enough to make about 400 bricks.
The number of blocks produces from the same quantity of material will depend on block size and whether
they are solid or hollow.
Mixing
Hand mixing should be done with shovels on a level concrete slab or steel plate.
First spread the aggregate out to 50 to 100 mm thick. Then distribute the cement, and stone if any,
evenly over the surface and mix. Continue with this process until the right amount of water has been
mixed in.
For machine mixing, first mix aggregate and cement then add water gradually while mixing until water
content is correct.
8. QUALITY CONTROL
Quality of bricks should be controlled so that strengths are adequate to avoid breakages or
rejects. Mixes should be as economical as possible. Ideally, blocks should be regularly tested for
strength and mixes and production modified as necessary.
Strength can be assessed by knocking 2 blocks together and listening for the ringing sound which
shows a good strength block. A dull thud probably means that they are too weak.
Shrinkage- Concrete masonry units shrink slightly after manufacture. In order to avoid this
happening in the wall, blocks should be allowed to dry out for at least seven days before being used for
construction.
As a brief guide to your costing, the following information is also given:
SIZE
190 x 190 x 390
140 x 190 x 390
190 x 190 x 390
Stock Bricks 73 x 105 x 220
Paving Bricks 100 x 200 x 55
POCKET OF CEMENT
1
1
1
1
1
NUMBER OF BLOCKS
+/- 30
+/- 35
+/- 42
+/- 200
+/- 300
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