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Quality evaluation of bricks of different brick kilns in Punjab Province

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Article  in  Journal of Food Agriculture and Environment · January 2014

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Meri-Rastilantie 3 B, FI-00980 Journal of Food, Agriculture & Environment Vol.12 (1): 496-498. 2014 www.world-food.net
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Quality evaluation of bricks of different brick kilns in Punjab Province (Pakistan)

Attiq-ur-Rehman Tariq 1, 2
, Rab Nawaz 3*, Muhammad Saleem Khan 2, Muhammad Waseem Ashraf 2,
Shahzadi Tayyaba 2 and Nisar Ahmad 1
1
Building Research Station, Lahore 54000, Pakistan. 2 Government College University Lahore (GCUL), Lahore 54000,
Pakistan. 3 Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Gujrat (UOG), Gujrat 50700, Pakistan.
*e-mail: RNUAF@yahoo.com, nawazait@gmail.com
Received 22 November 2013, accepted 23 January 2014.
Abstract
Clay bricks are commonly used for construction of buildings in Pakistan. This study evaluated the quality of clay bricks prepared in different brick
kilns in Punjab province. Sample specimens were collected and tested for water absorption rate and compressive strength in the laboratory. The
compressive strength is also tested in simulation by making 3D model of single brick in ANSYS and in the laboratory. Very high water absorption rate
was found to be by bricks collected from brick kilns of Vehari (23.6%), Pakpatan (21.9%), Gujrat (21.6%) and Rawalpindi (20.2%). Water absorption
rates for brick specimens collected from Lahore, Hafizabad and Sargodha were 10.7%, 11.7% and 12.8%. Compressive strength for samples collected
from brick kilns located in Vehari, Pakpatan, Gujrat and Rawalpindi was found to be 1045.3, 908.0, 1113.3 and 1162.7 PSI, respectively. Very high
compressive strength was found for samples collected from Lahore, Hafizabad and Sargodha, i.e. 2812.7, 2002.7 and 1833.0 PSI. There was a good
correlation (R2=0.77) between water absorption and compressive strength of the bricks.

Key words: Pakistan, clay bricks, compressive strength, water absorption rate, brick testing.

Introduction Materials and Methods

The most frequently used product in Pakistan’s local construction
industry is the soil brick. However, there is lack of relevant
information about the quality of bricks in developing countries as
compared to that in developed countries. Brick is a ceramic material
mainly used in Pakistan’s local construction industry. Its
production process includes forming rectangular blocks of clay
and firing at very high temperature (900-1200°C) 1. The production
process of bricks includes digging the clay, preparing the clay,
forming, drying, ring and distributing the bricks. There are many
technological combinations that can be used during the brick
production. The brick makers in developing countries like Pakistan
are generally reluctant to adopt modern technologies due to the
availability of cheap labour. This results in lower prices of the
bricks but also lower quality of the product 2.
In developed countries, modern techniques have been followed
and most appropriate raw materials (soil) are selected; whereas, in
Pakistan, traditional methods are still being used and the physical
quality of the final product is not considered. There is a huge
technology gap between the developing and developed countries 3.
The quality of bricks is an important factor for good quality of
brick work. As temperature difference is always present, the brick’s
burning in a kiln can never be uniform. Therefore, zones of optimum
temperature, high temperature and low temperature are present.
Hence, manufactured bricks are non-uniform with different
categories like, proper burnt bricks, high burnt bricks and under
burnt bricks. Many brick kilns in Punjab province (Pakistan) are
manufacturing bricks from different types of soil. There is a need
to evaluate the quality of bricks prepared in these kilns. Brick’s
quality was evaluated on the basis of water absorption and
compressive strength tests.
Collection of brick samples: Samples of bricks were collected
from brick kilns located in different districts of Punjab province.
Selected districts include D.G. Khan, Vehari, Pakpatan, Jhang,
Okara, Sargodha, Hafizabad, Lahore, Gujrat and Rawalpindi. The
collected specimens were brought to the testing laboratory of
Building Research Station, Lahore for conducting tests to evaluate
their quality.
Structural analysis of the bricks: The structural analysis of quality
number one bricks was conducted in finite element software
ANSYS. This behaviour has studied in finite element software
workbench module. Single brick was considered for structural
analysis. The 3D model was built to study the mechanical
properties.
Laboratory tests: Water absorption and compressive strength
tests were conducted in the laboratory. The procedure of these
tests is given below:
Water absorption test: This test was conducted to determine the
amount of water absorption (%) by specimen of bricks collected
from different brick kilns of Punjab province. A sensitive weighing
balance was used in the test. The determination of water
absorption was done using the procedures as described in Chinese
National Standards (CNS) 4.
The weight of three samples (bricks) was measured for all the
selected brick kilns.
The specimen was dried in an oven at the temperature of 105-
115°C till its mass became constant.
The specimen was cooled at room temperature.

496 Journal of Food, Agriculture & Environment, Vol.12 (1), January 2014
 The weight of the specimen (M1) was measured by balance.
The dried specimen was immersed in clean water at a
temperature of 27±2°C for 24 h.
The specimen was removed from the water and traces of water
were wiped out with damp cloth.
The weight of the specimen (M2) was measured by balance.
Water absorption (%) by mass was calculated by the following
equation:
M2 − M1
W (%) = × 100
M1
The average water absorption was calculated, for all samples
of a brick kiln.
Compressive strength test: It is the most important engineering
quality parameter for materials used in building construction. This
test was conducted to determine the compressive strength of the
bricks against vertical loading. The procedure 4 followed for this
test is given below:
External dimensions of the specimen were taken.
The specimen was marked for identification.
The specimen was weighed and recorded in grams.
The specimen was set into the machine following all set-up
procedures.
The specimen was gradually loaded until it cracked/broke.
The ultimate load was recorded.
Results and Discussion
Structural analysis: The simulation result of deformation in
ANSYS parametric design language is shown in Fig. 1. It has been
observed that the stress values are well below the yield strength
of material.
Water absorption rate of bricks: The water absorption rate refers
to the weight of moisture in the pores compared to the sintered
specimen’s weight. It is an effective parameter for evaluating the
quality of clay bricks. The less water that inltrates the brick, the
greater its durability and resistance to the natural environment
are expected 5. The internal structure of the brick is a key factor
affecting water absorption rate. Thus, it must be intensive enough
to avoid the intrusion of water. The results of the water absorption
tests for different specimens from brick kilns are presented in Fig.
2. Water absorption rate was found to be very high by bricks
collected from brick kilns of Vehari, Pakpatan, Gujrat and
Rawalpindi, amounting to 23.56, 21.91, 21.55 and 20.15,
Figure 1. Deflection in the brick at applied force.
Journal of Food, Agriculture & Environment, Vol.12 (1), January 2014
25
Water absorption rate of bricks
Water absorption rate (%)
20
15
10
5
0
an har
i tan ng ara ha ad e jra
t i
Kh Ve akpa Jha Ok god fizab hor Gu ind
Sar La alp
D.G P Ha Ra
w
Bricks kilns of Punjab Province
Figure 2. Water absorption rate of bricks of different brick kilns of Punjab
Province.
respectively. The pore size and volume determine the capacity
of bricks for uid storage and the ease of uid circulation within
the bricks (materials), both unavoidably favouring their
deterioration 6. The weight loss on ignition for a normal clay
brick is 15%. The weight loss is related to the development of
the porosity and the densication. It has an effect on the
compressive strength of the heated samples 7. It has been found
that addition of material rich in boron compounds (up to 30%)
can improve the brick quality in term of water adsorption,
compressive strength and density without compromising on
brick’s other qualities 8. Water absorption rates for brick
specimens collected from Lahore, Hafizabad and Sargodha were
found to be 10.72, 11.73 and 12.77%, respectively. Low water
absorption is an indicator for high compressive strength and good
quality of bricks.
Compressive strength of bricks: The results of compressive
strength testing of the bricks made from clay are shown in Fig. 3.
Compressive strength for samples collected from brick kilns located
in Vehari, Pakpatan, Gujrat and Rawalpindi was found to be 1045.33,
908.00, 1113.33 and 1162.67 PSI, respectively. Low compressive
strength for these bricks is due to very high absorption rate of
water and low firing temperature in brick kilns of these districts.
This may lead to poor quality of bricks for construction purposes.
The main technical problem is a high breakage rate due to weak
bricks, poor quality, no standardization and lack of scientific
knowledge. Poor production techniques and selection of inferior
quality clays are also possible reasons for high breakage rate. It
has been found that while using sludge as a clay substitute to
produce an engineering quality of brick, the proportion of sludge
and firing temperature are two important factors affecting the
quality of brick 9. Higher compressive strength can be achieved
by adding 10% ash content in the ash-clay bricks 10.
Very high compressive strength was found in
samples collected from Lahore, Hafizabad and
Sargodha, i.e. 2812.67, 2002.67 and 1833.00 PSI,
respectively. Water absorption rate of the specimens
from these brick kilns was low. Bricks fired to high
burning temperature (~1000°C), were more durable
than those fired at low temperatures 11. It showed
temperature dependence of brick’s strength. This
indicates good quality bricks for construction. High
heating temperature (1000°C) produces a significant
densication, which causes increased compressive
strength due to total volume shrinkage, decreased
water absorption rate and an increased density.
497
 3500
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Conclusions
Water absorption and compressive strength tests were employed
to evaluate the quality of bricks. Water absorption rate was found
to be very high for bricks collected from brick kilns of Vehari,
Pakpatan, Gujrat and Rawalpindi, amounting to 23.56, 21.91, 21.55
and 20.15, respectively. Water absorption rates for brick specimens
collected from Lahore, Hafizabad and Sargodha were found to
be 10.72, 11.73 and 12.77%, respectively. Low water absorption
is an indicator for high compressive strength and good quality
of bricks. Compressive strength for samples collected from brick
kilns located in Vehari, Pakpatan, Gujrat and Rawalpindi was found
to be 1045.33, 908.00, 1113.33 and 1162.67 PSI, respectively.
Very high compressive strength was found for samples collected
from Lahore, Hafizabad and Sargodha, i.e. 2812.67, 2002.67 and
1833.00 PSI, respectively. There was a good correlation
(R2=0.77) between water absorption and compressive strength
of the bricks.

Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge the Building Research Station
Lahore, Pakistan for providing necessary facilities for testing brick
samples.

498 Journal of Food, Agriculture & Environment, Vol.12 (1), January 2014

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