Lecture 6 - Bricks

 Describe the different type of bricks and its uses

 Explain the manufacturing of bricks
 Describe harmful ingredient to bricks and it chemical compositions
 Explain the properties of bricks
i. Brick Definition
ii. Subdivision of Clay Bricks
iii. Clay Brick Qualities
iv. Chemical Composition
v. Harmful Ingredients
vi. Manufacturing of Clay Bricks
vii. Properties of Clay Bricks
viii.Specially Shaped Clay Bricks
What is a Brick?
 It is described as building units which are easily
handled with one hand.

 Single standard metric of actual size 215 x 102.5 x 65

mm.

 Indentation (frogs) and perforation (cylindrical holes

passing through thickness of the bricks) may be
provided for:
o Strong bond between each brick and the wall as a
whole
o Reduce material cost and overall cost of the brick
o Reduce the effective thickness of the brick →
reduce firing time
 For greatest strength, brick with a single frog should be laid up since this ensures that the frog
is filled with mortar.
 Clay Bricks (BS3931) is made by pressing clay sample into a mold, then immediately extracting
it into a formed unit and heated to sinter the clay.

1. Common Bricks 2. Facing Bricks 3. Engineering Bricks

3 subdivision
of clay bricks • Ordinary bricks • Designed to give • Designed for
not designed to attractive strength and
provide good appearance durability
finished • Free from • High density and
appearance or imperfection well fired
high standard
• Cheapest brick
available
• Mixture of pure clay • To melt grains of • To give the same
and sand sand benefits as lime
• Easily molded when • To bind particle of • Gives out the red
mixed with water brick clay together color
• Dried without
cracking or warping

Should contain Should contain

A good brick
small quantity small amount
should be…
of lime of oxide of iron
  Silica or Sand
o Prevent shrinkage, crack and warping of brick
o Too much sand result in brittle brick
35-50% by 20-30%
weight by weight  Clay or Alumina
o Makes brick plastic and hard
Sand Clay o Unless mixed with sand, would cause shrink,
crack, warp in drying and burning process

 Lime and Oxides

Silt o Helping grains of sand to melt and bind clay
particles together + impart red color
o If in excessive, would give out a dark blue color
20-35% by weight  Magnesia and Iron Oxide
o Result in a yellow brick color
Pebbles of Stones and Gravel
• Do not allow clay to be mixed uniformly resulting in weak, porous brick.
• Brick containing grit would have cracks and cannot be readily cut or
worked

Alkaline-Salts
• Act as hygroscopic substances
• Absorb moisture from the atmosphere (in damp conditions)
• On drying, greyish white deposit (efflorescence) would be visible and
spoils the building appearance
• Common salt generally present in soils (sulphate)

Limestone
• Large quantity of limestone would be detrimental to brick
• If burnt in a brick would cause slake afterwards and split the
brick

Vegetation and Organic Matter

• Would result in porous brick
• Formation of small pores on bricks from the evolution of gas
during burning of carbonaceous matter
 Clay
Preparations Drying

Moldings Firing
1. Clay Preparations
 The preparation of clay consists of
o Digging our clay
o Crushing/Grinding
o Mixing

 Water is added to the clay to increase its plasticity

o This process is called Tempering

 In some instances, chemicals may be added for

specific purposes;
o Barium Carbonate to react with soluble salts
producing insoluble products, which then
reduces the efflorescence, crystallization
damage, chemical attack on mortar
  Different molding techniques were used to increase the brick’s moisture content.
2. Moldings
i. Semi-dry process (machine molding)
o Utilizes 10% moisture content
o Material compacted into mold in high pressures, up to 4 stages.
o After pressing, the face of brick may be sanded, or textured to produce
‘rustic’ appearance

ii. Stiff Plastic Process (machine molding)

o Tempered to a moisture content about 15%
o A stiff plastic consistency is obtained
o Clay being extruded & compacted into mold under high pressure
o A brick with low absorption and good strength are usually produced when
good compaction, thorough firing and low moisture content conditions are
met.
o Most engineering bricks are made this way.

iii. Soft mud process (hand molding)

o Utilizes clay in very soft conditions, that is moisture content up to 30%
o Town ash added to provide combustible materials to assist firing or
improve appearance
o Clay pressed into molds which are sanded to prevent sticking
3. Drying  To prevent bursting during firing.

 Must achieved uniformly to permit even drying

shrinkage without cracking.

 Enables bricks to be stacked in the kiln without

becoming distorted by weights of the bricks above
them.

 Also enables firing temperature to be increased

more rapidly without problems.
o The usual problems are bloating of bricks, which
is a results when gases or vapor e trapped within
the bricks.

 2 methods of drying:
i. Natural Drying
ii. Artificial Drying
3. Drying
i. Natural Drying
• May be done in several stages as follow:
o In a position as released from the mold
o As turned to stand on edge
o As transported and arranged in rows in hacks with spaces of less than one cm
between the bricks
• Hacks: a rough floor of old bricks or concrete, raised above the ground
• Disadvantages: long duration and lack of control process
• Advantages: Safety of the molded bricks

ii. Artificial Drying

• Carried out in chamber/kiln. As temperature increased the relative humidity
decreased as brick lose moisture.
• Temperature in dried usually <120°C and 1 – 3 days for drying depending upon
temperature, character and shape of bricks.
• Higher moisture content bricks takes a longer period.
  Firing is done to cause melting (sintering) of clay which;
4. Firing o Increase strength
o Decrease soluble salt content
o Disregard the loss of shape of clay unit.

 The main constituent of clay are Silica and Alumina. They

do not melt, since their melting point are very high.

 Main stages of firing

 100°C – Evaporation of free water
 400°C – Burning of carbonaceous matter
 900°C – Sintering of clay

 Maintaining control of temperature is important for good strength &

quality. Too low temperature impairs strength and durability.

 Stronger bricks such as engineering brick normally fired at higher

temperature.

Overburned Bloated  Too rapid of firing process would cause bloating and overburning.
9 Properties of Clay Brick
1. Strength
2. Water Absorption
3. Density
4. Other Mechanical Properties
5. Resistance to Chemical Attack
6. Behavior under Fire
7. Frost Resistant
8. Soluble Salt Content
9. Efflorescence
1. Strength
 BS3921 Test

 Strength of brick is calculated as

o maximum load / area of smaller bed
face

 May be designated as class 1,2,3,4,5,7,10

and 15 according to their compressive
strength.

 Numbers being multiplied by 6.9 to give

the minimum crushing strength N/mm2
1. Strength
a) Test for Compressive Strength of Brick

• The specimen is then

placed between the
• Frog of brick filled
with 1:3 mortar and Water plates of compression
• testing machine.
stored under damp
bags for 24 hr. • Load applied at rate of
• Brick specimen 14N/mm2
followed by immersed in
immersion in water • Maximum load at which
water for 24 hr.
for 3 days. specimen fails is noted for
compressive strength
determination.
Preparation
Testing
2. Water Absorption  An important property of clay brick

 Very low absorption would result in high durability

bricks

 In BS, water absorption test → oven-dried bricks

for 24 hr. and then boil in water for 5 hours to
ensure maximum penetration of water

 Alternative method → soak brick in water for 24

hr.

 Water absorption = [mass of water absorbed /

mass of oven dried brick] x 100
5. Resistance to Chemical Attack

 Generally very resistant to alkalis, acids

 Attacked only under extreme conditions

 However, brick required to perform under

severe acid conditions
6. Behavior under Fire

 Because itself a fired material, the

performance of brick under fire condition
is generally excellent.
 • Designated as follows:
7. Frost Resistance
1. Frost-resistant (F)
• Bricks that are durable in all building
Durability designations for clay bricks (BS 3921) situations including those where are in
saturated condition and subjected to
repeated freezing and thawing
Designation Frost resistance Soluble salt
content
2. Moderately frost resistant (M)
FL Frost resistant (F) Low (L)
• Bricks that are durable except when
FN Frost resistant (F) Moderately Normal (N)
ML frost resistant (M) Low (L) saturated condition and subjected to
MN Moderately frost resistant (M) Normal (N) repeated freezing and thawing
OL Not frost resistant (O) Low (L)
ON Not frost resistant (O) Normal (N) 3. Non Frost Resistant (O)
• Bricks that are liable to be damaged
by freezing and thawing if not
protected.
8. Soluble Salt Content  Salt can be harmful in

Brick are classified as low (L) soluble salt 1. Causing efflorescence

content if the % of the following ions do 2. Leading to problems such as sulphate
not exceed the levels stated: attack in mortar
Sulphate 0.5%
 Brick not achieving this standard must
Calcium 0.3%
comply with the normal (N) soluble salt
Magnesium 0.03%
requirement, % of the following ions do
Potassium 0.03% not exceed the level stated:
Sodium 0.03%
o Sum of contents of sodium:
i. Potassium and magnesium 0.5%
ii. Sulphate 1.6%
9. Efflorescence
 Name given to the build-up white surface deposits on brickwork when
drying after earlier saturation

 It results from dissolved salts in the brick or other sources and quire
commonly spoils the appearance of new brickwork

 Brickwork often reaches high levels of saturation during and immediately

after construction for one or more of the following reasons:
1. Brick may not have been fully protected from rain prior to laying
2. Mortar loses moisture into the brick by suction
3. Brickwork is readily saturated by weather prior to protection by a
roof.

 Efflorescence can be difficult to remove → it does not respond well to

brushing and wetting the wall tends to re- dissolve the salts allowing them
to be re-absorbed into the wall.
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