EXCHANGE OF TECHNICAL

INFORMATION ON BRICK
SECTOR OF PAKISTAN
PREPARED BY

COUNCIL FOR WORKS AND HOUSING RESEARCH

MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN
FOR

SWISS RESOURCE CENTRE AND CONSULTANCIES

FOR DEVELOPMENT
DECEMBER 08, 2009
 BACKGROUND OF BRICK
MANUFACTURING IN PAKISTAN
Brick industry in Pakistan contributes approximately
1% of the Gross National Product (GNP).

There are around 4000 brick units operating in

Pakistan and these units are growing at the rate of 3%

The total annual production of bricks in Pakistan is

estimated over 22 billions.

The annual production value of bricks and tiles during

the year 1995-1996 was Rs. 1527 Millions.
Contd..

The employment cost of brick making in 1995-96

was Rs. 310 millions.

More than 2 million families help in making the

number of bricks grow.

This manufacturing also involves thousands of

fragile hands of children, bonded labour
Contd..
Fuel used for firing in the brick kilns is generally coal,
firewood, agro waste materials, gas and other waste
materials.

The Bulls Trench Kilns (BTK) is popularly used in

Pakistan and produces nearly 70% of the bricks in the
country.

Majority of the brick kiln owners do not seek

government assistance (financial and technical) for fear
of taxation. Hence the brick making units continue
working under the conventional and traditional
techniques of brick production that has depleted over
the years.
 Comparison Of Different Brick
Sizes
L B H
(inches) (inches) (inches)
Pakistan Standard PS 208:1962 7-5/8 3-5/8 3-5/8

British Standards BS 3921 :1985 8-5/8 4-1/4 2-5/8

Bricks Commonly Used In 9 4-1/2 3

Pakistan

Bricks Commonly Used In 9 6 3

Hyderabad
 Limiting Values Of Crushing
Strength For Clay Bricks
(In Accordance to PS 208:1962)

Grade Mean for twelve Minimum for

halved bricks individual halved
(in psi) bricks (in psi)

A 4000 3000

B 2500 2000

C 1500 1200
SIGNIFICANCE OF DIFFERENT
CONSTITUENT MATERIALS IN
CLAY FOR BRICK MAKING
 Silica as SiO2
Or Free Sand
Desirable Proportions 60 % – 70 %

Free sand helps to preserve the form of the brick

at high temperatures (i.e 850 oC to 950 oC).

It also prevents shrinkage, cracks and warping of

bricks during the burning process.

Larger proportions will destroy the structure of

the brick and will make it brittle.
 Alumna as Al203
or Pure Clay Desirable Proportions:15 % – 20%

• Alumna makes brick material plastic

• It gives the brick the required hardness.

• Aluminum Silicate is formed when Alumna is burnt

with the silicates at high temperature.

• This product is significant in giving the structural

strength to burnt brick.

• The proportion of Alumna and Sand should be 20: 80,

to avoid the brick from becoming too brittle (with
high silicate content) or de-shaped (due to high
Alumna content).
 Other Impurities
Desirable Proportions 5 % - 25 %
Impurities in clay exist as oxides and act as fluxes.
They help in lowering the maturing temperature of
clays.

Calcium Oxide, CaO (0 to 5 % ) combines with silica

(Si02) to form calcium silicate. This contributes in
giving hardness and structural strength to the brick.

Ferric Oxide, as Fe203 (3 to 10%) gives necessary

colour. If there is excess of iron, it make the brick
material a dark blue. If there is magnesium along with
iron it gives the brick material a yellow colour.

Magnesium Oxide as MgO (0-2%) gives yellowish

colour to the brick
CONVENTIONAL BRICK
MAKING IN PAKISTAN
1. LOADING AND UNLOADING OF RAW MATERIALS
2. MANUAL MIXING
3. MOULDING ON GROUND
4. DRYING OF GREEN BRICKS ON GROUND
5. TRANSPORTATION OF GREEN BRICKS
FROM OPEN YARD TO KILN
6. FIRING OF BRICKS IN KILN
7. FINAL PRODUCT OF BURNT BRICKS
PROBLEMS OF CONVENTIONAL
BRICK MAKING
No uniformity in batch preparation is maintained
during loading and unloading of raw materials

When manual mixing is done on the ground,

excessive water is used for blending and
kneading of clay. This effects the shape of brick.

Bricks are not sufficiently compacted when wet

clay lumps are put in the mould placed on the
ground. This results in voids and entrapment of
excessive moisture content in green bricks. Thus
more fuel and burning time is required for firing
the bricks in the kiln.
contd

The green bricks prepared by the conventional

ground moulding techniques have to be turned
over, again and again for sun drying before they
are sent to the kilns for burning. Sun drying
process takes at least 4 to 7 days. This extends the
production time of the bricks.

Nearly 5% bricks are damaged during shifting of

bricks from ground to kiln site. Transportation is
not efficiently managed. Donkey carts and manual
shifting increases cost of production.
contd

Inappropriate fuel with low calorific values and

high toxic emissions are used in the kilns thus
creating environmental problems.

More fuel having less calorific value are required

to attain the desired temperature for burning of
bricks.

The final quality of burnt bricks is non-uniform

and unsatisfactory.
COMMON DEFECTS
IN BRICKS
 MOISTURE EXPANSION

In hot and humid climate,the clay expands

laterally due to moisture intake.This
expansion can be up to 0.5 to 0.8%. This
creates cracks in plastered surfaces.
DEFECTS IN SHAPE
 Slumping

The lower face of the brick becomes wider in contrast

to the upper face with a slight bulge running along the
length of brick. This is caused by moulding too soft
clay materials.
 Rounded corner

When the moulder fails to press enough clay into

the mould, to fill it completely,then the edges get
rounded off.
 Raised corners

This is a common defect in bricks caused by the

corners of the cake sticking to the mould during
the removal of cake from the mould.
 Lip on bed face

This defect is caused by leaving excess clay over

the edges during moulding.
Contaminated Under Surface

One of the main cause of imperfection in the shape

is due to improper drying floor. The foreign
materials laying on the floor get transferred on to
the brick face (usually pebbles in the sand or clay)
 Stacking Defects

De shaping occurs particularly in the lower

region,because the clay being in the plastic
state,yields to hand pressure.
 Banana Shape

This defect occurs due to uneven drying.

 Multiple Distortions

Some bricks loose their shape during the production

process due to rough handling of the moulds or due to
over burning.
 SALT ATTACK ON BRICKS
¾ This defect is caused by the presence of
salts in Natural Clay viz Calcium sulphate

¾ White patches appear on the surface

during the baking process.

¾ This phenomenon is called efflorescence.

 Problems Of Brick Making
In Punjab & Sindh
In Punjab and Sindh, the Brick Kiln Owners want
to eliminate the practise of sub-standard manual
brick making.

These brick kiln owners are interested in

improving the quality of bricks by adopting
improved moulding systems for brick making.

The production cost of 1000 bricks in Punjab is

approximately 30% higher than the production
cost of 1000 bricks in Sindh due to higher cost of
fuel (primarily coal) in Punjab.
 VARIATION IN WATER ABSORPTION OF BRICKS
FROM DIFFERENT DISTRICTS OF PUNJAB
(Maximum Limit For Water Absorption is 15%)

30

25
WATER ABSORPTION (%)

20

15

10

DIFFERENT DISTRICTS OF PUNJAB

(SOURCE: BRS Lahore)
 VARIATION IN COMPRESIVE STRENGTH OF
BRICKS FROM DIFFERENT DISTRICTS OF PUNJAB
(Minimum Compressive Strength is 2000 psi)
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH (PSI)

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

DIFFERENT DISTRICTS OF PUNJAB

(SOURCE: BRS Lahore)
 Problems Of Brick Making
In NWFP Provinces

The main problem faced in NWFP brick

kilns is the hazardous emissions from kiln
chimneys due to the use of sub-standard
fuel in brick kilns viz. rubber tyres and
other wastes used for burning in brick
kilns.
BRICK PRODUCTION SYSTEMS
DEVELOPED

BY

CWHR
 BRICK PRODUCTION SYSTEMS
DEVELOPED BY CWHR

In order to make the production and

manufacturing of bricks more efficient, a
project was undertaken by the Council for
Works and Housing Research under the
National Technology Development Plan
namely:

Development of Efficient Brick Kiln.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT
To design and develop brick moulding machines suitable
for manufacturing clay bricks in the conventional Brick
Kilns in Pakistan.

To develop equipments for efficient mixing of raw materials

for brick making to ensure quality production of clay bricks.

To disseminate the brick manufacturing technology to the

brick manufactures by trainings, demonstrations through
audio-visual aids, seminars, workshops etc.

To commercialize the machines and devices developed by

CWHR for brick manufacturing.
 DIFFERENT BRICK MOULDING
SYSTEMS DEVELOPED AT CWHR
Manual Brick Production System

Semi Mechanized Brick Production

System

Fully Mechanized Brick Production

System
 Manual Brick Production System
This system comprises of 5 different types of
Manually operated moulding devices.

The cost of moulding devices ranges from

Rs.10,000/- to Rs.30,000/- .

These devices are manually operated and

produce bricks having uniformity of size and
shape.

These devices are suitable for small and medium

scale brick production.
MANUAL SYSTEM OF
BRICK MOULDING
 WOODEN OR METALLIC TABLE
WITH SINGLE METALLIC BRICK MOULD
METALLIC TABLE WITH 4 NOS. METALLIC MOULDS
CINVA RAM SINGLE MOULD
CINVA RAM TRIPPLE MOULD
 Semi Mechanized System
This system combines the usage of the manual moulding
devices in combination with electrically operated Soil
Crusher Machine and Pug Mill.

The Soil Crusher Machine is used for crushing dry clay lumps
for pulverizing clay.

The Pug Mill is designed for crushing dry clay and kneading it
with water.

Cost of these equipment ranges from Rs.175,000 to

Rs.200,000/- .

The semi-mechanized system produces Class ‘A’ Bricks and

is suitable for medium and large scale brick production.
SEMI MECHANIZED
SYSTEM OF BRICK
MOULDING
CRUSHER MACHINE FOR CRUSHING CLAY LUMPS
PUG MILL FOR KNEADING CLAY
 Fully Mechanized System
This system is suitable for large-scale brick
production.

The cost of equipment ranges from Rs.250,000

to Rs.300,000/-.

This system comprises the following

equipment for preparing multiple number of
good quality pressed and dense bricks:
1. Mechanized Extrusion Machine
2. Belt Driven Brick Press Machine.
3. Rotary Brick Press Machine
FULLY MECHANIZED
SYSTEM OF BRICK
MOULDING
EXTRUSION MACHINE FOR MULTIPLE
BRICK MOULDING
BELT DRIVEN PRESS MACHINE
ROTARY PRESS MACHINE FOR
MULTIPLE BRICK MOULDING
 COMPARISON
OF

CONVENTIONALLY
PREPARED BRICKS

AND

MANUAL BRICK PRODUCTION

SYSTEM DEVELOPED AT CWHR
 Scope of Work
This paper compares the quality of
bricks prepared by conventional
ground moulding technique with
the bricks prepared by Manual
Brick Production System developed
at the CWHR
contd

A comprehensive experimental programme

was carried out to compare the physical
and characteristics of brick prepared by
different moulding devices.

The soil used for the experimental programme

was obtained from a single source in
Hyderabad.
 Characteristics Of Clay Used For
Experimental Programme
1. Grain Size Distribution Clay: 22%
Silt + Sand: 78%
2. Specific Gravity 2.7
3. Optimum Moisture Content (OMC) 22%
4. Dry Density at OMC 103 lb/ft3
5. Liquid Limit at 25 Blows 36%
6. Plastic Limit 21%
7. Silica as SiO2 51.85%
8. Alumina as Al2O3 20.16%
9. Iron Oxide Fe2O3 5.65%
10. Calcium Oxide CaO 7.66%
11. Magnesium Oxide MgO 2.38%
12. Loss on Ignition 12.43%
Comparison Of Density And Production
Capacities Of Green Bricks Prepared By
Different Brick Moulding Devices
S.No. MOULDING DEVICE DENSITY PRODUCTION RATE
Lb/ft3 (With Single Labour)
1. Single Mould Metallic Table. 86.3 80 bricks/hr
(CWHR)
2.. Double Mould Metallic Table 87.8 78 bricks/hr
(CWHR)
3. Cinva Ram Single Mould 90.5 73 bricks/hr
(CWHR)
4. Cinva Ram Triple Mould 88.3 75 bricks/hr
(CWHR)
5. *Conventional Wooden Box 83.8 60 to 65 bricks/hr
Single Mould
 Observations

As per the moisture content test, 28%

moisture content was found suitable for the
clay used.

Physical appearance of green bricks

prepared at this moisture content using
CWHR moulding devices was good.

These bricks were smooth with no apparent

defects
Contd..

The bricks prepared by the conventional

ground moulding technique (using a
wooden box) were broken during
demoulding and were incomplete in
shape when prepared with 28% moisture
content.

After many trials the moisture content

found suitable for moulding bricks with
the conventional wooden box was 33% to
35%.
 Firing of Sun Dried Bricks

The green bricks were sent for baking at a

commercial kiln

The bricks were fired in a gas furnace for a

period of 36 hours.

The bricks were burnt at controlled rates

for different periods of time
 Firing Sequence of Bricks
Burning to 100oC over a period of 8 hours.

Increasing the temperature to 200oC over a period of

9 hours.

After 17 hours the temperature was increased from

200oC to 900oC at the rate of 50oC/hour.

This temperature was attained in about 7 hours.

The bricks were allowed to soak at a constant

temperature of 900oC for a period of 6 hours, before
putting off the gas fire in the furnace.
Thus the total firing time was 36 hours.
 FIRING CHART OF BRICKS
0
(Gas Fired At 900 C)
1000

900

800

700
Temperature in 0 C

600

500

400

300

200

100

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Time in Hours
 Characteristics Of Fired Bricks Prepared
By Manual Production System Developed
At CWHR

1. Average Crushing 2,620 psi Better than Class ‘B’

Strength Bricks

2. Average Absorption 20% Equivalent to Class ‘C’

Bricks

3. Average Linear 1.5 % Allowable linear

Shrinkage shrinkage is 6% to 7%
Salient Features of the Fired Bricks
The shape and dimensions of the bricks remained
unchanged and the bricks had not deformed in
shape.

There was slight roughness of the brick surface.

No cracks were visible on the surface of the

brick.

The bricks had lost about 13% weight after

burning.
contd

The average crushing strength of the bricks was

2,620 psi, which is better than Class ‘B’ bricks.

Some white nodules appeared on the surface of

the bricks. This could be attributed to the high
content of CaO present in the clay. (i.e 12% as
compared to desirable limits of 0 to 5%).

The high absorption rate of the burnt bricks i.e

20% is also attributed to the presence of CaO in
the clay used for brick making.
 CONCLUSIONS
The devices developed by CWHR for
manual brick production are locally
fabricated, low cost and can be used with
ease at brick kiln sites.

The brick production done by the CWHR

devices requires less ground space as
compared to the conventional ground
moulding methods.
contd

Less mixing water is required to

mould fair shapes of green bricks by
using the CWHR devices.

The time required for sun drying and

baking the bricks in the kiln is
reduced. This effects in saving fuel in
the kiln, as a large amount of energy
is required to remove the absorbed
water in the green bricks.
contd
The physical characteristics of bricks
produced by CWHR devices are superior to
Class ‘B’ and Class ‘C’ bricks manufactured
commercially by conventional moulding
methods.

The production rate or the speed with which

brick can be moulded by CWHR devices is
better than the production capacity of
conventional ground moulding method.
Thus the overall cost of production remains
the same.
contd

The CWHR devices can be operated by

unskilled manpower with very little
training. Hence these devices have
potential to promote employment and
eliminate the system of sub standard
contracted/bonded and child labour.