4.

ECOLOGY OF BUILDING MATERIALS: ABA 2103

Building materials

Definition

These are materials that are used in construction and building processes, they
are classified under two main categories:

1. Naturally occurring construction materials. These include:

a) Brick.

b) Stone / rock.

c) Sand.

d) Wood / timber.

e) Thatch.

f) Ice and snow.

g) Mud and clay.

2. Man-made / artificial construction materials. These include but are not

limited to:

a) Fired bricks and clay blocks.

b) Cement composites.

c) Glass.

d) Concrete.

e) Metals.

f) Fabric.

g) Foam.

h) Plastics.

i) Ceramics.

j) Gypcrete.
BRICK

A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in
masonry construction. Properly, the term brick denotes a block composed of
dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured
construction blocks.

In other definition a brick Masonry unit of clay that is formed into a rectangular
prism while plastic and hardened by drying in the sun or by firing in a kiln.

Clay Brick Cement Brick

Brick is a solid unit of building having standard size and weight. Its history
traces back thousand years (almost 7500 BCE). Clay bricks made of fired clay.
The composition of clay varies over a wide range. Usually clays are composed
mainly of silica (grains of sand), alumina, lime, iron, manganese, sulfur, and
phosphates, with different proportions. Clay bricks have an average density of
125 pcf. Bricks are manufactured by grinding or crushing the clay in mills and
mixing it with water to make it plastic. The plastic clay is then molded, textured,
dried, and finally fired.
Types of bricks:

a) Sun dried bricks; these are bricks which undergo a 3 stage preparation
process i.e. mixing the clay with water, putting the clay in a mold and
finally leaving the clay in the sun to dry out. These type of brick are
inadequately water and fire resistant, they are commonly used in small
single story structures that don’t require a lot of technical expertise.
b) Burnt clay bricks; these are clay bricks made via table molds and are
then put into large kilns at high temperature. These bricks are
characterized by standard shape, sharp edges and smooth surface. They
are more durable and have better strength in comparison to Sun dried
bricks. They can be utilized in the construction of permanent multi story
structures.
c) Fly ash bricks; this type of brick is manufactured with fly ash, cement
and water at about 1,000 degrees Celsius. The bricks have a great
resistance to freeze thaw cycles, they also contain high concentration of
calcium oxide and are thus called self-cementing bricks. Fly ash is a coal
combustion product that is composed of the particulates that are driven
out of coal fired boilers together with flue gases.
d) Concrete bricks; these bricks are manufactured from solid concrete and
can be used above and below the damp proof course level. They can also
be manufactured in different colours and sizes as required.
e) Engineering bricks; these are specialized bricks that are used mostly in
civil engineering for applications such as ground works, sewers retaining
walls etc. they are both dense and strong as they are manufactured at very
high temperatures, they also have excellent load bearing capacities, damp
proof and chemical resistance.
f) Sand lime bricks; manufactured by mixing sand, fly ash and lime. The
bricks are then formed by moulding the mix under pressure, this results
in a smoother finish and a more uniform shape. They are mostly used for
ornamentation.
Common uses of bricks

1. Construction of walls of any size

2. Used as a floor finish

3. Construction of arches and cornices/ coping

 4. Construction of brick retaining walls

5. Making Khoa (Broken bricks of required size) to use as an aggregate in

concrete.
6. Manufacture of surki (powdered bricks) to be used in lime plaster and lime
concrete.
7. As a Fire Resistant Material
8. As an Aesthetic Unit/Surface Finish

Properties of bricks

Hardness, Compressive strength, Absorption, Frost resistance, Efflorescence,

Advantages of Bricks

 Economical (Raw material is easily available)

 Hard and durable

 Compressive strength is good enough for ordinary construction

 Different orientations and sizes give different surface textures

 Very low maintenance cost is required

 Demolishing of brick structures is very easy, less time consuming and

hence economic

 Reusable and Recyclable

 Highly fire resistant

 Produces less environmental pollution during manufacturing process

Disadvantages of Bricks

 Time consuming construction

 Cannot be used in high seismic zones

 Since bricks absorb water easily, therefore, it causes fluorescence when

not exposed to air

 Very Less tensile strength

 Rough surfaces of bricks may cause mold growth if not properly cleaned

 Cleaning brick surfaces is a hard job

 Colour of low quality brick changes when exposed to sun for a long period
of time