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MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS  Followers

The manufacture of bricks is carried out in a number of stages. It  Followers

includes the following:
1. Selection and preparation of clay  Followers
2. Shaping and moulding of units
3. Drying
 Followers
4. Burning

SELECTION AND PREPARATION OF CLAY  Followers

As a practise, suitable deposits of clay are first located and thoroughly tested
for the quality of brick making. Clay for bricks is prepared in the following
order. Q U A N T I TY- C A L C U L AT O R
a. Unsoiling: The top layer of the soil is taken out. This is because the clay in
the top layer is full of impurities and, hence, it is to be rejected for the QUANTITY-CALCULATOR
purpose of preparing bricks.
b. Digging: The clay which is dug out is spread on level ground, just a little
deeper than the general ground level. The height of the heap of clay is about
60–120 cm. H O W T O C A L C U L A T E C E M E N T,

c. Cleaning: The clay should be made free from stones, pebbles and SAND AND COARSE AGGREGATE

vegetable matter. If these particles are in excess, the clay is to be washed and
QUANTITY IN CONCRETE?

screened, which is considered to be uneconomical. Minimum And Maximum Spacing

d. Weathering: The softening of clay is done by exposing it to the Of Beam, Column, Stirrups, Slab

atmosphere. The period of exposure varies from weeks to full seasons.

& Footing

e. Blending: The clay is made loose and any ingredient to be added is spread MINIMUM SIZE OF CONCRETE

out at its top. Blending indicates intimate mixing. A small portion of clay is SLAB, BEAM & COLUMN

taken every time for mixing.

f. Tempering: In this stage, the clay is brought to a proper degree of hardness Staircase Design | How to

and it is made fit for moulding. Water in the required quantity is added and Calculate Number of Riser and

the whole mass is mixed so as to form a mass of uniform character. A large-

Treads of Staircase?

scale tempering is usually done in a pug mill. The process of grinding clay with A L L YO U W A N T T O K N OW A B O U T

water and making it plastic is known as pugging. MASON TOOLS – BEFORE BUYING

A pug mill consists of a conical iron tub with a cover at the top. It is fixed on a
IT

timber base which is made by fixing two wooden planks at right angles. The
diameter of the pug mill at the bottom is about 80 cm and at the top is about FOR INTERIOR GENERAL
1 m. A vertical shaft with horizontal arms is provided at the centre of the iron WO R K , C I V I L C O N ST RU C T I O N
tub. The small wedge-shaped knives of steel are fixed on the horizontal arms. C O N T R A C T S S E RV I C E S
Openings are provided at the top and bottom for charging clay and water and PROVIDED BY OUR

removing the mix respectively. The height of the pug mill is about 2 m. HOMESLIBRO TEAM.
Moulding
Moulding is the process of making rectangular-shaped brick units from
properly tempered clay. The two types of moulding are

a. Hand moulding
b. Machine moulding.

Hand moulding CLICK TO VISIT

This is presently the most common method for brick manufacture. This is TA G S

adopted where manpower is cheap and readily available. The moulds used
for hand moulding are rectangular boxes made from well-seasoned wood or THINGS CIVIL ENGINEER SHOULD KNOW

steel open at the top and bottom. Hand moulding is of two types: QUANTITY SURVEY

i. Ground moulding
CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS INTERIOR TIPS

ii. Table moulding CONSTRUCTION TIPS

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CHECKLISTS FOR CIVIL ENGINEER

Ground moulding QUANTITY-CALCULATOR

In this method, the ground is first levelled and fine sand is sprinkled over it.
The mould is dipped in water and placed over the ground. The clay is pressed
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in the mould in such a way that it fills all the corners of the mould. Any surplus CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS ELECTRICAL TIPS

earth from the top of the mould is removed using a cutting wire or a metal INTERVIEW QUESTIONS SURVEYING

with a sharp edge, which has to be dipped in water every time it is used. The STRUCTURAL DESIGN LABORATORY TESTS

mould is then lifted up and the brick is left on the ground. The mould is
dipped in water and placed close by and another brick is moulded in the same
P LU M B I N G- T I P S FORMULAS

way. If the mould is dipped in water every time, such preparation of bricks is ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

known as slope moulded bricks. If fine sand or ash is sprinkled on the inside CIVIL ENGINEER SOFTWARES

surface of the mould instead of dipping the mould in water, such bricks are
called sand moulded bricks.
In pallet moulding, bricks of higher quality and with frogs are produced. The
frogs are made using a pair of pallet boards and a wooden block. A frog is a
mark of depth about 10–20 mm made on raw bricks during moulding. The
frog is provided for mainly two purposes:
i. It serves as a key of mortar when other bricks are placed over it.
ii. It indicates the trade name of the manufacturer.

Table moulding
The process of moulding operations are carried out on a specially designed
moulding table. The clay, the mould, water pots, stock board, etc. are placed
on this table. The bricks are moulded similar to the ground moulding on the
table. The cost of brick moulding increases when table moulding is adopted.

Machine moulding
The moulding can also be achieved by using machines. It is quite economical
when bricks are produced in huge amounts. The machine moulding is broadly
classified into two categories:
i. Plastic clay machines
ii. Dry clay machines

Plastic clay machines

The machines contain rectangular openings of size equal to the length and
width of a brick. The pugged clay is placed in the machine and as it comes out
through the openings it is cut into strips by wires fixed in frames. Hence, it is
known as wire cut bricks.
Dry clay machines
In this machine, the strong clay is first converted to powder form. A small
quantity of water is added to the stiff plastic paste. Such paste is placed in the
mould and pressed by machines to form well-shaped hard bricks. These
bricks are known as pressed bricks.
The machine moulded bricks have regular shape, sharp edges and corners;
they are heavier and stronger than hand-moulded bricks.

DRYING
The drying of bricks is necessary, firstly to make them strong enough for
rough handling during subsequent stages and secondly to save fuel during
burning. For drying the bricks are laid longitudinally in stocks of bricks with
the width equal to two bricks. The drying of bricks is achieved by either
natural or artificial methods.

The important facts to be remembered while drying of bricks is as follows:

a. The bricks are generally dried by natural process. But when bricks are to be
rapidly dried, artificial drying may be adopted. In artificial drying, bricks are
made to pass through driers in the form of tunnels or hot channels or floors.
The tunnel driers are more economical than hot floor driers.
b. The brick in stocks should be arranged in such a way that sufficient air
space is left between them for circulation of air.
c. Special drying yards should be prepared and accumulation of rainwater
should be prevented.
d. The period of drying depends upon the prevailing weather conditions.

BURNING
Burning of dried bricks is essential to develop the desired engineering
properties, like hardness, durability and resistance to decay. Three chemical
changes are known to take place in the brick earth during burning, namely
dehydration, oxidation and vitrification.
Dehydration is completed within 425–750°C temperature range and it results
in the expulsion of most of the water from the bricks.
During oxidation, carbon and sulphur are eliminated as oxides, whereas the
fluxes are also oxidized.
Oxidation starts at the range of dehydration temperatures and is completed
at about 900°C.
Vitrification is the extreme reaction and occurs when heating is carried out
beyond 900°C. This is commonly not required in building bricks although in
other clay products like sewer pipes it is necessary.
Burning of bricks is either done in clamps or kilns. Clamps are temporary
structures while kilns are permanent structures. Clamps are adopted to
manufacture bricks on a small scale while kilns are adopted to manufacture
bricks on a large scale.

CLAMPS
The shape of the clamp is generally trapezoidal. The brick wall is constructed
on the short end and a layer of fuel is placed on the prepared floor. The fuels
generally used are cow dung, litter, husk of rice, wood, coal, etc. The thickness
of the fuel layer varies from 70 to 80 cm. The layer consisting of 4 or 5 courses
of raw brick are then put up. Sufficient space for the circulation of air is
provided. Alternate layers of fuel and bricks are placed over this. The total
height of the clamp is around 3-4 m. When nearly one-third of the height is
reached, the lower portion of the clamp is ignited so as to burn the bricks in
the lower part when the construction of bricks in the upper part is in
progress. After construction is complete, it is completely plastered with mud
in order to prevent the escape of heat. The clamp is allowed to burn for 1 or 2
months and cooling is also done for 2 months and later the burnt bricks are
taken out.

KILNS
The kilns used for the manufacture of bricks are of two types:
i. Intermittent kilns
ii. Continuous kilns

Intermittent kilns
These kilns may be underground or overground in the model. They are
classified in two ways:

Intermittent up-draught kilns These kilns are in the form of rectangular

structures with thick outside walls. Doors are provided at each end for loading
and unloading of kilns. The flues are channels or passages which are provided
to carry flames or hot gases through the body of the kiln. A roof is provided to
protect the raw bricks from rain.
The quality of the bricks is not uniform; the bricks at the bottom are
overburnt and at the top are under- burnt. The supply of bricks is not
continuous and there is considerable wastage of fuel in the kiln.

Intermittent down-draught kilns These kilns are rectangular or circular in

shape. They are provided with permanent walls and a closed tight roof. The
floor of the kiln has openings that are connected to a common chimney
stacked through flues. They are so arranged that in this kiln the hot gases are
carried through the vertical flues up to the level of the roof and then released.
As a result, the bricks are evenly burnt and the performance is much better
than intermittent up-draught kilns. Here, there is close control of heat and the
bricks obtained are evenly burnt.

Continuous kilns
These kilns are continuous in operation were loading, firing, cooling and
unloading are simultaneously carried out.

Bull’s trench kiln This is one of the continuous type kilns. These kilns are
rectangular, circular or oval-shaped in the plan. These kilns are constructed in
a trench excavated on the ground. It may be fully underground or partially
projecting above the ground. The outer and inner walls are to be constructed
in bricks. Openings are provided on the outer walls to act as flue holes. Iron
plates are used to divide the kiln into suitable sections. The fuel is placed in
flues and is ignited after covering the top surface with earth to prevent the
escape of heat. Usually, two movable iron chimneys are employed to form
draught. The chimneys are placed in advance of the firing sections so that the
warm gases leaving the chimney warm up the bricks in the next section. As
the section has burnt, the flue holes are closed and allowed to cool down.
Later the fire is advanced to the next section.

Hoffmann kiln This kiln is constructed underground is circular in plan and

consists of a number of chambers. A permanent roof is provided so that the
kiln can function even in the rainy season. The chamber in Hoffmann’s kiln is
provided with the main door for loading and unloading bricks.
Communicating doors should act as flues in the open condition. A radial flue
connected with a central chimney and fuel holes are also provided. The
advantages are that the bricks are uniformly, equally and evenly burnt and
that there is no air pollution in the locality. Also, there is a saving in fuel and a
high percentage of good bricks are produced.

Tunnel kiln This type of kiln is in the form of a tunnel, which is oval, circular
or straight in the plan. It contains a stationary source of fire. The raw bricks
are placed in trolleys which are then moved from one end to another end of
the tunnel. The raw bricks get dried and preheated as they approach the zone
of fire and in the zone of fire, the bricks are burnt and pushed forward for
cooling. Later, after cooling, they are unloaded.

shows the comparison between clamp and kiln burning.

ITEM CLAMP KILN BURNING

BURNING
Structure Temporary Permanent

Initial cost Very low as no Very high as

structures are to be permanent
built structures are to be
built
Cost of fuel Low as grass, cow High as coal dust is
dung etc. is being being used
used
Quality of bricks Percentage of good Percentage of good
bricks is less, bricks is more,
around 60% around 90%
Supervision Not necessary Skilled supervision
throughout the required
process
Wastage of heat more less
capacity About 20,000– 25,000 bricks per
1,00,000 bricks at a day
time
suitability For small scale For large scale
Time for burning 2-6 months 24 hours for
and cooling burning and 12
days for cooling
 Manufacturing Process Of Bricks

Must read: Method of Laying Brickwork in Masonry Construction

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