BRICKS

Bricks are rectangular units of construction material. Bricks

are used in masonry construction, walls, and pavements.
COMPARISON BETWEEN BRICK MASONRY AND STONE MASONRY

Sr. Brick masonry Stone masonry

no.
1. It is cheaper than stone masonry
2. It is cheaper in places where clay
is available
3. Brick masonry gives less aesthetic
view
4. Brick masonry offer better fire
resistance than stone
5. Mortar joint in brick work are less
6. Bricks are uniform in size so much
skill is not required for proper
bond.
7. Plastering increases the life of
brick from decaying.
8. Brick masonry is light weight
It is stronger than Brick
masonry
It is cheaper in places
where stone is available in
abundance
Stone masonry gives more
aesthetic view than
brickwork
Stone masonry offers less
fire resistance
Mortar joint in stone work
are more
The size of stone is not
uniform therefore greater
care and skill is required.
Plaster does not stick
nicely to a stone surface.
It is difficult to apply any
finishing to the stone
surface
Stone masonry is heavier

Standard Size of Brick- 190mm*90mm*90mm

Nominal Size of Brick- 200mm*100mm*100mm (Including
mortar thickness.)
COMPOSITION OF BRICK
There are six major ingredients of brick. The general
percentage of these ingredients in brick is given below:
Ingredient Percentage in brick
Silica (SiO2) 55%
Alumina (Al2O3) 30%
Iron Oxide (Fe2O3) 8%
Magnesia (MgO) 5%
Lime(CaO) <5%
Organic Matter 1%

1. Alumina- Alumina is the main constituent of clay. It acts as

a cementing material in raw brick. Brick clay is plastic due
to the presence of alumina. This plasticity ensures that
bricks can be molded. An excess amount of alumina in clay
may cause the bricks to shrink, warp or crack on drying and
burning as any other cementing material.
2. Silica- Good quality bricks contain 50-60% silica. It is
present in both free and combined form. As frees sand, it
remains mechanically mixed with clay. In combined form,
it reacts with alumina to form alumino silicates. Silica
prevents raw bricks from cracking, shrinking and warping.
Although, excess silica destroys cohesion between the
brick clay particles and makes brick brittle and weak.
3. Lime-Bricks should contain a little amount of finely
powdered lime not exceeding 5%. It prevents shrinkage of
raw bricks. Excess lime causes bricks to melt, as more than
the required amount of silica will fuse. The bricks then lose
their shape and become disfigured.
4. Iron Oxide-Bricks contain a small quantity of Iron Oxide.
Iron Oxide acts a flux like lime, thus helps silica to fuse at
low temperature. It imparts a red color to bricks upon
burning. Iron also increases the durability and
impermeability of the bricks.
5. Magnesia-A small proportion of magnesium decreases
shrinkage and gives a yellow tint to the bricks. An excess
amount of it causes bricks to decay.
HARMFUL INGREDIENTS IN THE BRICK
1. Lime- Excess lime melts the bricks and disfigures it. If
CaCO3 exists (in the purest form, i.e., if it contains at least
95% CaO) in lime-lump in brick clay, it converts into
quicklime on burning. When these bricks come in contact
with water, quicklime slakes and expands and causes
disintegration of bricks.
2. Alkalis- Alkalis are mainly salt of Sodium (Na) and
Potassium (K).It acts as a flux in the kiln and causes fusion,
warping, and twisting of bricks. Alkalis absorb moisture
from the atmosphere and cause dampness & efflorescence
in bricks.
3. Pebbles, Stones & Gravels- Their presence does not allow
thorough mixing of earth, thus the bricks produced are
weaker. Such bricks cannot be broken at the desired
section and they break very irregularly.
4. Iron Pyrites (FeS)- Iron Pyrites causes crystallization &
disintegration of bricks while burning. It discolors bricks in
the form of black slag.
5. Organic Matter-Organic matter in bricks makes bricks
porous resulting in low density and weaker bricks.
QUALITIES OF GOOD BRICK
1. Bricks should be uniform in color, size and shape. Standard
size of brick should be maintained.
2. They should give clear metallic ringing sound when struck
with each other.
3. They should be free from cracks and other flaws such as air
bubbles, stone nodules etc. with sharp and square edges.
4. Bricks should not absorb more than 1⁄5 of their own weight
of water when immersed in water for 24 hours (15% to
20% of dry weight).
5. The compressive strength of bricks should be in range of
15 to 35 MPa. (Not less than 5Mpa)
6. Salt attack hampers the durability of brick. The presence of
excess soluble salts in brick also causes efflorescence.
7. Brick should not change in volume when wetted.
8. The brick should have low Thermal conductivity and should
be sound-proof.
9. The bricks should not break into pieces when dropped flat
on hard ground from a height of about 1 meter.
10. Generally, the weight per brick should be approx. 3.1kg.
MANUFACTURING OF BRICKS
There are four different operations are involved in the process
of manufacturing of bricks:
1. Preparation of clay
2. Molding
3. Drying
4. Burning
CLASSIFICATION OF BRICKS
1. First Class Bricks- These are thoroughly burnt and are of
deep red, cherry or copper colour. The surface should be
smooth, rectangular and sharp. These should be free from
flaws, cracks and stones. No impression should be left on
the brick when a scratch is made by a finger nail. Water
absorption should be 12–15% of its dry weight when
immersed in cold water for 24 hours. Uses: First class
bricks are recommended for pointing, exposed face work
in masonry structures, flooring and reinforced brick work.
2. Second Class Bricks- Small cracks and distortions are
permitted. A little higher water absorption of about 20–
22% of its dry weight is allowed. The crushing strength
should not be less than 7.0 N/mm2. Uses: Second class
are recommended for all important or unimportant hidden
 masonry works and centering of reinforced brick and
reinforced cement concrete (RCC) structures.
3. Third class bricks-These bricks are under burnt. They are
soft and light-colored. They produce a dull sound when
struck against each other. Water absorption is about 25
per cent of dry weight. Uses: It is used for building
temporary structures.
4. Fourth class brick- These bricks are over burnt. Badly
distorted in size and shape. Brittle in nature. Uses: The
ballast of such bricks is used for foundation and floors in
lime concrete and road metal.

FROG- The depression provided in the face of a brick during

its manufacturing is called frog in bricks. Depth of frog in a
brick 10 to 20 mm. Frog should be upward. The important
purpose of frog in a brick:
1. Frogs also created an extra recess for the mortar, resulting
in a stronger bond between bricks ( form keyed joint
between brick and mortar)
2. To reduce the weight of the bricks, so that the bricks can
be laid with convenience.
3. The frog indentation also provides a very suitable location
to stamp the makers name into every brick produced.

TESTS OF BRICKS
1. Absorption Test on Bricks- Absorption test is conducted
on brick to find out the amount of moisture content
absorbed by brick under extreme conditions. In this test,
sample dry bricks are taken and weighed. After weighing
these bricks are placed in water with full immersing for a
period of 24 hours. Then weight the wet brick and note
down its value. The difference between dry and wet
brick weights will give the amount of water absorption.
For a good quality brick the amount of water absorption
should not exceed 20% of weight of dry brick.
2. Crushing Strength or Compressive Strength Test on
Bricks- Crushing strength of bricks is determined by
placing brick in compression testing machine. After
placing the brick in compression testing machine, apply
load on it until brick breaks. Note down the value of
failure load and find out the crushing strength value of
brick. Minimum crushing strength of brick is
3.50N/mm2.if it is less than 3.50 N/mm2, then it is not
useful for construction purpose.
3. Hardness Test- A good brick should resist scratches
against sharp things. So, for this test a sharp tool or
finger nail is used to make scratch on brick. If there is no
scratch impression on brick then it is said to be hard
brick.
4. Shape and Size Test on Bricks- Shape and size of bricks
are very important consideration. All bricks used for
construction should be of same size. The shape of bricks
should be purely rectangular with sharp edges. Standard
brick size consists length x breadth x height as 19cm x
9cm x 9cm. To perform this test, select 20 bricks
randomly from brick group and stack them along its
length, breadth and height and compare to standard.
Result should be:
Length: 3680mm to 3920mm
Breadth: 1740mm to 1860mm
Height: 1740mm to 1860mm.

5. Color Test of Bricks- A good brick should possess bright

and uniform red cherry color throughout its body.
6. Soundness Test of Bricks- Soundness test of bricks
shows the nature of bricks against sudden impact. In this
test, 2 bricks are chosen randomly and struck with one
another. Then sound produced should be clear bell
ringing sound and brick should not break.
7. Structure of Bricks- To know the structure of brick, pick
one brick randomly from the group and break it.
Observe the inner portion of brick clearly. It should be
compact and homogeneous and free from defects such
as lumps, holes etc.
8. Efflorescence Test on Bricks- A good quality brick should
not contain any soluble salts in it. If soluble salts are
there, then it will cause efflorescence on brick surfaces.
To know the presence of soluble salts in a brick, placed
it in a water bath for 24 hours and dry it in shade. After
drying, observe the brick surface thoroughly. If there is
any white or grey color deposits, then it contains soluble
salts and not useful for construction.