Civil Engineering Materials

by
Dr. Prashanth J.

Civil Engineering Department

National Institute of Technology Silchar
 Chapter 9

BRICKS as
BUILDING MATERIAL
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INTRODUCTION
A brick is an artificial kind of stone made of
clay whose main characteristics are a
plasticity when wet and stone like hardness
after being heated to high temperature.

Bricks are one of the oldest types

of building blocks.

They are an ideal building

material because they are
relatively cheap to make, very
durable, and require little
maintenance.
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Bricks are one of the
oldest known building
materials dating back to
7000 BC where they were
first found in southern
Turkey and around
Jericho.
The first bricks were sun
dried mud bricks.
The first sun-dried bricks
were made in
Mesopotamia (what is
now Iraq), in the ancient
city of Ur in about
4000 BC. 4
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 etc.
* Brick will not require constant maintenance.
* Brick will not devalue.
* Brick will not limit your personal expression.
* Brick will not limit your design options.
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CONSTITUENTS OF BRICK
A good brick-clay should be such a mixture of pure clay and sand
that when prepared with water, it can easily be moulded and dried
without cracking or warping.
Sl. Constituent % Function Excess Leads to
No.

1 Alumina 20 to 30 Plasticity Shrinkage and

warping
2 Sand 50 to 60 Prevents cracking and Brittleness
shrinkage
3 Lime 10 Prevents shrinkage Swells and
Helps binding disintegrate
4 Iron oxide 4 to 5 Gives red colour Becomes dark blue
Impermeable and durable
5 Magnesia Small Imparts yellow tint and Decay of bricks
quantity decreases shrinkage 6
HARMFUL INGREDIENTS IN BRICK
A small quantity of organic matter will assist burning bricks. Excess
is bad, because if it is not completely burnt, the bricks will be
porous.

Small quantity of alkalis will lower the fusion point of clay. If

alkalis remain in the brick, they absorb moisture. When this
moisture evaporates, it leaves grey or white deposits on the brick
surface (known as efflorescence). This affects the appearance of the
building.

Pebbles prevent uniform and thorough mixing of clay, which results

in weak and porous blocks.

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ADDITIONAL RAW MATERIALS
Fly Ash – replacement to clay or additive to brick earth

Sandy Loam – to control drying behavior of highly plastic soil

containing expanding group of clay minerals.

Rice Husk Ash – soils showing excessive shrinkage (ex. Black

soil)

Basalt Stone Dust – to modify the shaping, drying and firing

behavior of bricks.

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Bricks are blocks of tempered clay moulded to suitable shapes
and sizes while it is still in plastic condition, dried in the sun and
burnt, if desired so as to make them more strong, hard and
durable.

The length, width and height of a brick are interrelated as below:

Length of brick = 2 × width of brick + thickness of mortar

Height of brick = width of brick
Size of a modular brick should be 19 × 9 × 9 cm and 19 × 9 × 4
cm.

Non-modular bricks 9
Modular bricks
MANUFACTURING OF BRICKS

• Preparation
of clay

• Moulding

• Brick Drying

• Brick
Burning

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Unsoiling – Digging – Cleaning – Weathering – Blending – Tempering

Brick making steps – Step 1 11

 Hand Moulding—Machine Moulding—Extrusion

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Brick making steps – Step 2
Brick making steps –
Step 3

Drying
To reduce the moisture content

Stacking of bricks – 7 to 14 days

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 Brick making steps –
Step 4
Firing
Clamp burning

Kiln burning

Over-burnt leads to brittleness

Under-burnt leads to softness and
hence less load carrying capacity

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Packaging

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VIDEO

MANUAL BRICK MAKING

MECHANICAL BRICK MAKING

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CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD BUILDING
BRICKS
Shape and size Uniform with straight edges
Colour Deep RED
Texture and Compactness No fissures and holes
Hardness and Soundness No finger nail impression
A metallic sound when two bricks struck
together
Compressive strength Not less than 10 N/mm2
Water absorption Not more than 20%
Density 17 to 19 kN/m3
Shear strength 5 To 7 N/mm2
Fire Resistance High
Soluble salts Free
Breakage When dropped from 1m height it should
not break. 17
TESTS ON BRICKS

 Crushing strength test (Compression Test)

 Water Absorption test

 Efflorescence test

 Hardness test

 Soundness test

 Dimension test
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COMPRESSION TEST
• Crushing/compressive 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 3.50 N/mm2.
• If it is less than 3.50 N/mm2, then it is not useful for
construction purpose.
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WATER ABSORPTION TEST
✓ 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 weigh 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. 20
EFFLORESCENCE TEST
✓ 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.
✓ Bricks placed in water of 2.5 cm depth till water is absorbed
or evaporated.
✓ After drying again placed in water of 2.5 cm depth.
✓ Examined for efflorescence.

Efflorescence is classified as follows:

Nil 0%
Slight 10%
Moderate 10 to 50%
Heavy more than 50%
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 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.

SOUNDNESS TEST
• Soundness test of bricks shows the nature of bricks against
sudden impact.
• In this test, two bricks are chosen randomly and struck with one
another.
• Then sound produced should be clear bell ringing sound and
brick should not break. Then it is said to be good brick.

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DIMENSION TEST

• 20 pieces out of selected pieces are taken and are laid flat as
shown in Fig.
• The cumulative dimensions of the bricks should not vary more.

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FIELD TESTS ON BRICKS
To determine the quality of good bricks:
• Take a brick and try to make mark on the surface by nail. If you
can make it, it is not a good brick. If not, it is very hard and
compact.

• When two bricks are struck together, they give out metallic sound.

• Take two bricks and form a tee (T) and

drop from a height of 6ft on a more or less
solid surface. If they break, they are not
good bricks. If they remain unbroken, they
are good bricks.

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CLASSIFICATION OF BRICKS
BASED ON THE QUALITY

➢FIRST CLASS BRICKS

➢SECOND CLASS BRICKS

➢THIRD CLASS BRICKS

➢FOURTH CLASS BRICKS

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First class bricks:
• Smooth and rectangular
• Parallel, sharp and straight edges
• Thoroughly burnt with deep red colour
• Uniform texture
• Water absorption 12% to 15% of its dry weight
• Mettallic (or) Ringing sound by striking
• Crushing strength not less than 10 N/mm2
• There is no need of plastering first class bricks

• USES: First class bricks are

recommended for pointing, exposed
face work in masonry structures,
flooring and reinforced brick work.
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Second class bricks:
✓Small cracks are allowed
✓Water absorption 16% to 20%
✓Crushing strength not less than 7
N/mm2
✓USES: all masonry works

Third class bricks:

✓Under burnt
✓Soft and light
✓Dull sound
✓Water absorption is 25%
✓USES: Temporary structures

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Fourth class bricks:

➢Over burnt
➢Bad shape and size
➢Brittle
➢USES: The ballast of such bricks is used for foundation and
floors in lime concrete and road metal.

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BASED ON COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH [ IS 1077-1976]

CLASS AVERAGE COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH

(N/mm2)
35 35
30 30
25 25
20 20
17.5 17.5
15 15
12.5 12.5
10 10
7.5 7.5
5 5
3.5 3.5
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 BASED ON RAW MATERIALS
(i) Burnt Clay Bricks: Burnt clay bricks are the common type of
bricks for construction work.

(ii) Fly Ash Bricks: The advantages of fly ash bricks over clay
bricks are that they have high strength, high fire insulation,
uniform sizes for better joints.

(iii) Sand-Lime Bricks: These types of bricks offer more uniform

appearance and smooth finish than the burnt clay bricks, that’s
why it does not require plastering.

(iv) Concrete Bricks: They are low-quality bricks and also, have
low compression strength. It is the least used bricks. Concrete
bricks are used above and below the damp proof course.
Concrete bricks are also called mortar brick. 30
 BASED ON USE
(i) Building Bricks: These bricks are used for the construction of
walls.
(ii) Paving Bricks: These are vitrified bricks and are used as pavers.
(iii) Fire Bricks: These bricks are specially made to withstand
furnace temperature. Silica bricks belong to this category.
(iv) Special Bricks: These bricks are different from the commonly
used building bricks with respect to their shape and the purpose
for which they are made. Some of such bricks are listed below:
(a) Specially shaped bricks
(b) Facing bricks
(c) Perforated building bricks
(d) Burnt clay hollow bricks
(e) Sewer bricks
(f) Acid resistant bricks
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(g) Heavy duty bricks
 Building Bricks

 Building bricks are used for construction of walls in building.

each class of bricks subdivided into sub-class A and B based on
tolerance and shape.
 Sub-class A bricks have rectangular face with sharp corners &
uniform colour. Bricks with slightly distorted faces & rounded
edges are grouped under sub-class B. 32
Paving Bricks
• These bricks are specifically made for paving the surface of
highways and street.
• These bricks are usually made from shale, fire clay or a
mixture of the both.
• They are unaffected by ordinary traffic’s wear and weather.

• Their strength is minimum

of 40 N/mm2 & water
absorption not more than
5% for these bricks.

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 Fire Clay Bricks
 Fire clay bricks are also known
as refractory bricks.
 They are used for making
crucibles & for lining furnaces.
 They are made from clay
composed of heat resistant
materials like silica, alumina,
magnesia & bauxite.
 The clay should not contain
materials like oxide of lime, Iron
& alkalis.
o They can withstand a temperature of 1300 degree Celsius.
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Cant or plinth  Bricks of special shapes are manufactured
to meet different requirements in
construction.

Coping
Squint

Cornice

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 Facing Bricks

 These bricks are used in the outer face of masonry. No plastering is

required on the exposed faces of these bricks. These bricks are made
using selected clay with colouring agents. Obviously, they are costly.
There are two classes of these bricks:
 Class I: Compressive strength not less than 10 N/mm2.
 Class II: compressive strength not less than 7.5 N/mm2.
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 Perforated Building Bricks
 Perforated bricks are manufactured with an area
of perforation of 30-45 percent. The
specifications are:
1. Water absorption should not be more than
15%.
2. Compressive strength should not be less than
7 N/mm2.
3. Dimension parallel to short side should be not
more than 20 mm for rectangular perforation
and not more than 25 mm for circular
perforation.
4. Larger dimensions of perforation should be parallel to longer side.

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Burnt clay hollow bricks

 These bricks are light and provide

good thermal insulation to buildings.
 They are lightweight and are used to
construct walls and partitions.
 Thickness of the shell should be
minimum of 11mm and that of any
web minimum of 8mm.
 Blocks should be free from cracks,
flaws & nodules of free lime.

• Minimum crushing strength prescribed is 3.5 N/mm2

• Maximum water absorption is 20%.

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Sewer Bricks
• Sewer bricks are used for construction of domestic sewage lines
and flooring in chemical plants.
• They are manufactured from surface clay, fire clay, shale or from
a combination of these.
• The average strength of these bricks should be minimum of 17.5
N/mm2, and water absorption a maximum of 10%.

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 Acid Resistant Bricks
• The bricks are white or yellowish in colour.
• The following varieties are manufactured to meet different
requirements:
• Acid bricks for acidic lining.
• Basic bricks for basic lining.
• Neutral bricks for neutral lining.

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 Heavy Duty Bricks
• They are used for heavy duty structures such as bridges,
foundations for industrial buildings, multistorey buildings etc.
• These are two classes of such bricks:
• Class 40 bricks with compressive strength 40 N/mm2.
• Class 45 bricks with compressive strength 45 N/mm2.
• The water absorption of these bricks is limited to 5%.
• Density – Not less than 25 kN/m3.

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 CLAY TILES
• Tiles are thin slabs of low melting clays used for various purposes
in engineering constructions.
• These give a very pleasing appearance and good service
properties.
• Due to the considerable mass, labour consuming manufacture,
erection and drainage problems, and appreciable transportation
charges, roofing tiles have lost their importance and are
recommended locally.

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 TYPES OF TILES
• Floor tiles are extensively used in houses and industrial buildings.
• These are durable and impervious to water, resist abrasion well
and wash easily.
• White burning and red burning clays, fire clays and shales are
used in making tiles for floor surfaces.

• Tiles for surface of walls differ from floor tiles principally in

design in degree of burning.
• Wall tiles are burned at a comparatively low temperature, glazed,
and fired again in muffle kiln at a still lower temperature.

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TERRA COTTA
• It is an Italian word, Terra means clay and Cotta means burnt.
• Terracotta is refractory clay product and is used in ornamental
parts of buildings.
• The clay used for its manufacture should be of superior quality
and should have sufficient iron and alkaline matters.
• By varying iron oxide in clay, desired colour can be obtained.
• The clay is mixed with powdered glasses, pottery and sand
ground to fine powder and pugged several times till it gets
uniform and soft for moulding.
• Terracotta is impervious, hard and cheap.
COMPOSITION
Dry clay 50–60% Ground glass 8–10%
Crushed pottery 20% Clean white sand 10–20% 44
Uses
1. Hollow blocks of terracotta are used for masonry.
2. Cornices and arches.
3. Statuettes.
4. Ornamental works.
5. Being fire proof, terracotta is most suitable as casing for steel
columns and beams.
6. Porous terracotta is used for sound insulation.

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STONEWARE
• A hard ceramic material resembling porcelain with a different
colour, usually grey or brownish is made from refractory clay
mixed with crushed pottery, stones and sand burned at high
temperatures and cooled slowly.

• The clay used for making stoneware consists of about 75

percent silica and 25 percent alumina. Iron oxide is added to
give colour.

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Uses
1. Light sanitary wares, e.g. wash basins, water closets, etc.
2. Drain pipes and fittings.
3. Road paving materials.
4. Flooring tiles and wall tiles in toilets and kitchens.

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Any Questions ???

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