CE-201

BRICKS

Lt Col G M Faruque
CE Dept, MIST
e-mail: faruquegm@yahoo.com
 Review
 Definition

 Historical development of Bricks

 Constituents of Brick clay

 Functions of Chief Ingredients

 Harmful Ingredients

 Characteristics of good Bricks

 Laboratory and Field tests of Bricks

 Broad classification of Bricks

 Manufacturing of Bricks

Five Steps: (After selection of brick clay)

1. Preparation of clay

2. Pugging or tempering of clay

3. Moulding of bricks

4. Drying of bricks

5. Burning of bricks
 Manufacturing of Bricks
1. Preparation of clay
 Involves operation like unsoiling the top loose earth, then
digging, cleaning, weathering & blending of the earth.

 After removing the top unsuitable soil, the clay is dug out and
is spread on the levelled ground and is left exposed to
atmosphere for softening.

 Digging the earth before rain is advantageous; the full

monsoon can be utilized for weathering the earth.

 After weathering, the earth is chemically analyzed. If any

difference of any ingredients is observed, it should be added
correspondingly.
 Manufacturing of Bricks
2. Tempering of clay
 Involve breaking up of prepared clay, watering and
kneading till the earth becomes a homogenous mass.
 Water is added in the required quantity.
 The whole mass is kneaded manually or mechanically with
using Pug-mill, so as to make the mass plastics (property of
being permanently deformed without cracking)
 Manufacturing of Bricks
3. Moulding of bricks
 After tempering of clay, bricks should be moulded as soon
as possible. Otherwise the pugged clay may become stiff
and moulding of brick may become difficult.
 Mould are made slightly greater in size than the standard of
brick to compensate for shrinking on drying and burning.
 Two types: hand moulding and machine moulding.
 Hand moulding: Ground moulding and table moulding.
 Manufacturing of Bricks
4. Drying of bricks
The objectives of drying of bricks are:
 To remove as much of moisture from bricks as possible, so
as to save fuel and time while burning.
 To compensate for shrinking on drying and burning to avoid
the changes of cracking and distortion during burning
 To increase the mechanical strength of bricks so that they
can be handled without any damage of the raw bricks.
 Manufacturing of Bricks
5. Burning of bricks
 Imparts strength and hardness to bricks and makes them
dense and durable.

 At about 1100°c, the two main constituents of brick-silica

and alumina combines with each other and bricks become
dense and strong.

 For burning bricks, various types of kiln are used

 Burning of Bricks
Kiln: is a system or arrangement to burn the raw bricks in
very large numbers.

 For burning bricks, various types of kiln are used.

 Kilns first started in pits, walls were then added. The

addition of a chimney stack, improved the air flow or
draught of the kiln, thus burning the fuel more completely.

 After the firing process is complete, both the kiln and bricks
are cooled

 Two types: Intermittent (periodic) kiln and continuous

(tunnel) kiln.
 Intermittent Kiln

 They are fired on an intermittent schedule and is

not firing all the time.
 Also called Periodic
kiln.

 The kilns are loaded, the kiln is sealed and internal

temperature is increased according to the schedule.
After the firing process is completed, both the kiln
and materials are cooled, then unloaded.
 Continuous Kiln
 The periodic kiln was improved in efficiency by
placing several kilns in line with connecting passages.
 Continuous kilns are always firing, so they never
cool.
 A revolutionary type of continuous kiln is the Hoffman
kiln.
 Continuous Kiln
1. Hoffman kiln, 2. Bull’s trench kiln, 3. Tunnel kiln
Hoffman kiln
- Circular in plan
- Chimney is placed at the central point
- Eight / twelve chambers or compounds(1,2,3…12) are
arranged around the chimney.
- each chambers has a door(O1, O2…. ) in the external wall.
It is used for loading and unloading of the bricks.
- all the chambers have communicating doors(D1,D2 ….) in
the wall separating each other.
- each chambers is connected to the chimney with radial
flues(R1,R2……).
- kiln has a permanent roof; fuel holes are provided to drop
fuel in the kiln from the top.
Hoffman kiln
External doors

Radial Flues

Chimney

Communication door
The Hoffman kiln
 The Hoffman kiln
 A Hoffmann kiln consists of a main fire passage surrounded
on each side by several small rooms. Each room contains a
pallet of bricks. In the main fire passage there is a fire
wagon, that holds a fire that burns continuously. Each room
is fired for a specific time, until the bricks are fired
properly, and thereafter the fire wagon is rolled to the next
room to be fired.

 This kind of kiln is particularly efficient. This efficiency is

a principle advantage of the Hoffmann kiln, and is one of
the reasons for its original development and continued use
throughout history. Each room also has an outside door,
through which recently-fired brick is removed, and
replaced with wet brick to be dried and then fired in the
next firing cycle.
Operation of Hoffman kiln

C – Chimney
F – Fuel Holes

D1, D2 ……D12 - Communication Doors

O1, O2 ...….O12 - Outer Doors
R1 , R2 ...….R12 - Radial Flues
 Operation of Hoffman kiln

At any Stage
Chamber 1 : Loading
Chambers 2,3,4,5 : Drying and Preheating
Chambers 6,7 : Burning
Chamber 8,9,10,11 : Cooling
Chamber 12 : Unloading

Next Stage
Chamber 12 : Loading
Chamber 1,2,3,4 : Preheating
Chamber 5,6 : Burning
Chamber 7,8,9,10 : Cooling
Chamber 11 : Unloading
 Operation
With this arrangement, the circulation of flue gas is as follows:
• Cool air enters the kiln through open doors of chambers 1 & 12 (i.e.,
O1 & O12) and passes through chambers 11,10, 9,8 (using D11, D10,
etc.) and gets heated while performing cooling of hot burnt bricks in
these chambers.
• The heated air or gases enter the burning chambers 7 & 6 (through
D7 and D6); Fuel is dropped in these chambers from the top to
perform burning.
• Aftermath, the hot gases are led to the chambers 5,4,3,2 to perform
drying & preheating of freshly loaded bricks. The communicating
door of chamber 2 with that of chamber 1(i.e., D1) is closed and the
cool gases are lead to chimney through the radial flue R2.
• Note that for this particular arrangement, all the radial flues except
R2 remain closed and all the communicating doors except D1 remain
opened. Outer loading and unloading doors remain closed except for
the two chambers, which are being loaded (O1) and unloaded (O12).
 Bull’s Trench kiln
 The kiln can be made
circular or elliptical in shape.
 It is constructed on dry land,
by digging trench, 6–9 m
wide, 2 – 2.5 m deep, and
100 – 150 m long.
 Tunnel kiln

 Dried bricks are placed on cars; the cars start at the cool
end of a long horizontal tunnel kiln and move slowly
forward through gradually increasing temperatures to the
firing zone.
 They pass through the firing zone. The firing of bricks
occurs at the central part of the tunnel and emerge through
decreasing heat zones until cooled.
Brick Construction: Causes of Deterioration
 Rising damp from subsurface moisture sources.
 Windblown moisture in the form of rain.
 Condensation due to lack of ventilation.
 Moisture infiltration through deteriorated moisture joints.
 Moisture accumulation from the encroachment of
vegetation.
 Moisture from inadequate surface drainage.
 Improper maintenance.
 Improper coatings that trap moisture.
 Failure of waterproofing, roofing, or protective coatings.
 Brick Construction Deterioration
Identification:
Brickwork deterioration can be readily identified by
visual inspection. Identifying characteristics include:

 Mildew, staining, or efflorescence.

 Soft, loose, or crumbly mortar.
 Spalling.
 Cracking.
 Deflection.
 Loose bricks.
Brick Construction: Identifying the Problem
Brickwork deterioration can be the result of individual causes or
a number of related causes acting in concert.
Spalling:
Spalling is a loss of surface material due to moisture infiltration.
It occurs when moisture inside the brick expands and contracts
due to thermal action and when moisture evaporates at the
surface of the brick.
Brick Construction: Identifying the Problem
Spalling:
 In climates where freeze-thaw cycles are frequent and
extreme, spalling is more pronounced. Expansion and
contraction, and evaporation, are mechanical actions that exert
force and stress inside the brick.
 The presence of spalling may indicate that a mortar either too
dense or too high in cement content has been used in joints.
Dense and brittle mortars obstruct the migration of moisture
from the interior of brick to the point of evaporation.
 Mortar joints act as sacrificial wicks allowing inevitable
deterioration at a location and in a material that is easily
repaired.
 The critical relationship between bricks and mortar relies that
the mortar should never be harder or denser than the brick.
Brick Construction: Identifying the Problem
Cracking:
 Cracking may occur along mortar joints or through bricks.
 Cracking can be caused by structural movement due to
expansive soils, by tree roots too close to a building, by
inherent defects in the original construction, by imbedded
materials, or by the use of rigid mortars that do not allow
normal expansion and contraction.
Brick Construction: Identifying the Problem
Cracking:
 As bricks are exposed to environmental humidity, they grow
in size, which can cause cracks at the seams of the walls.
This type of crack usually means the bricklayers who built
the wall did not provide enough space between the bricks to
provide for thermal expansion

 Cracks that follow mortar joints can be addressed through

normal treatment procedures

 Cracks through bricks indicate more severe structural

problems.

 Cracks most often occur at masonry openings.

 Efflorescence
 Efflorescence indicates that soluble salts are present within
a brick and are migrating to the surface of the brick.
 Salt efflorescence requires three elements: salt, water, and
porous materials.
 An indication of chemical reactions within the brick,
efflorescence can signal moisture-related deterioration.
 Efflorescence - Remedy
 Powdery efflorescence only requires a simple application of
Aldon "Efflorescence Treatment".
 Seal the brick with waterproofing material to prevent
efflorescence. Some sealants specifically made to keep
efflorescence off of bricks need to be applied with a spray
bottle, while others can be painted on with a brush or roller.
 Clear water repellents, silicone and acrylic coatings also
helps to remove efflorescence. The coating absorbs water
across a masonry surface and prevent efflorescence
 Calcium Deposits
 Calcium deposits, also referred to as lime buildup,
accumulates right below a material’s surface, water will
not affect its appearance.

 Calcium deposits are denser than efflorescence and usually

appear as white streaks running down a material’s surface.
 Advantages of Bricks
 Brick will not burn, buckle or melt.
 Brick will not rot and allow Termites to invade.
 Brick will not rust and corrode.
 Brick will not dent.
 Brick will not fade from the Sun's UV Rays.
 Brick will not be damaged by high winds, rain or hail.
 Brick will not require constant maintenance.
 Brick will not devalue.
 Brick will not limit your personal expression.
 Brick will not limit your design options.
 Types of Bricks
 Building Bricks
– Structural element
– Strength and durability important

 Facing Bricks
– Used as wall facing element
– Appearance important

 Floor Bricks
– Used in finished floor surface
– Abrasion resistant

 Paving Bricks
– Used in road, sidewalks & driveways
Thank You