Bricks

Dr. Attaullah Shah

 History of Bricks:
 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.
 A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using
various kinds of mortar.
 Bricks dated 10,000 years old were found in the Middle East.
 Examples of the civilizations who used mud brick are the ancient Egyptians and the
Indus Valley Civilization, where it was used exclusively. In particular, it is evident from
the ruins of Buhen, Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa.
 The first sun-dried bricks were made in Mesopotamia (what is now Iraq), in the ancient
city of Ur in about 4000 BC
SIZES OF BRICKS AS PER IS CODE
 Types of Bricks - shape

1. Subclass A

 smooth rectangular face with sharp corners.

2. Subclass B
 slightly distorted corners and round edges
 On the basis of field practice
1. First class bricks
 Fully burnt, deep red, cherry or copper color.
 Smooth and rectangular surface
 Free from flaws, cracks and stones
 No impression should be left on the brick when a scratch is made by a finger nail.
 Metallic or ringing sound
 Water absorption: 20 % of its dry weight
 Crushing strength >10N/mm2
Uses: exterior wall brick works, short columns and arches.

2. Second class bricks

 Small cracks and distortions are permitted.
 water absorption of about 22% of its dry weight is allowed.
 The crushing strength > 7.0 N/mm2.
Uses: Internal walls and compound walls.
3. Third Class
 Under burnt
 Soft and light-colored
 Dull sound
 Water absorption is about 25 per cent of dry weight.
Uses: It is used for building temporary structures.

4. Fourth class
 Are over burnt
 Badly distorted in shape and size
 Brittle in nature.
Uses: The ballast of such bricks is used for foundation and floors
REQUIREMENT OF GOOD BRICKS
1. Sizes and shape
 Uniform size and have rectangular plane surfaces.
2. Color
 Copper colored ,free from cracks and with sharp and square edges.
3. Structure
 Fine ,compact and uniform structure in broken form.
4. Hardness
 Should be hard so that finger nail doesn’t make impression on its surface.
5. Soundness
 Clear metallic ringing sound when stuck with another brick.
6. Porosity
 Should not absorb more than 20% of its dry weight of water.
7. Strength : minimum crushing strength of 10.5 N/mm2
8. Resistance to fire.
9. Efflorescence.
10. Durability.
 Types of brick bonds
1. Stretcher/running bond
 Bricks are laid as stretcher on the face
 Used for walls having a thickness of half brick
 Used in cavity walls, garden walls, partition walls,etc
2. Header bond
 Bricks are laid as header on the face
 Used for walls having a thickness of one brick
 Used in curved brick wall, footings,etc
3. English bond
 Strongest and commonly used for all wall thickness
 Alternate courses of header and stretcher
 Queen closer is placed after first header
4. Flemish bond
Alternate courses of header and
stretcher
Types
1. Single Flemish bond
 Composed of double Flemish bond
facing and English bond backing
 Appearance of Flemish bond and
strength of English bond
 Not suitable for thickness< one and
half brick
2. Double Flemish bond
 Both front and back are same
 Alternate header and stretcher are laid
in each course
 Better appearance than English bond
5. English cross bond
 Modification of English bond
 A header is introduced next to the Quoin stretcher in every alternate stretcher course.
6. Dutch Bond
 Another modification of English bond
 Every stretcher course starts at Quoin with three quarter bat
7. Raking Bond
 Bricks are placed in inclined direction in the space between external stretcher of the wall
8. Zigzag Bond
 Laid in zigzag pattern
 Used for ornamental panel in brick flooring

Raking bond
SUPERVISION OF BRICK WORK
1. The bricks to be used for the site should conform to the specifications laid down by
the designer.
2. The bricks should be soaked in water before use for a period for the water to just
penetrate the whole depth of the bricks.
3. The bricks should be properly laid on their beds.
4. All joints should be properly flushed and filled with mortar of greater consistency
so that no cavity is left in between.
5. For the thicker walls, the joints should be grouted in every course in addition to the
bedding and flushing.
6. The brick work should be carried out perfectly in line.
7. The bricks should be perfectly in level.
8. The vertical faces should be checked by means of a plumb bob and the inclined
surfaces , if any should be checked by means of wooden templates.
9. The brick work should be done in proper bond suggested by the designer.
10. Use of brick bats should be minimum.
11. The mortar to be used should be of specified quality.
12. The bricks should be raised uniformly.
13. Where cross-wall is to be inserted later, steps or toothing or recesses should be
provided during construction.
14. At plinth, window sill, floor or roof level and at the top of parapet wall, the bricks
course should be laid with brick on edge.
15. When piers are tied up or buttresses, counterforts are used with wall, they should be
built up course by course, so as to maintain proper bond with main wall.
16. Iron fixtures such as hold fasts for doors etc., should be embedded in cement mortar
or in cement concrete.
17. All the joints of the wall face should be raked to a minimum depth of 10 to 15 mm
when the mortar is still green.
18. Where plastering or pointing is not to be done, the mortar joints should not be raked.
19. After construction, the brick work should be kept wet for one to two weeks.
20. It is desirable to provide about 18mm to 25 mm thick expansion joint after every 30 to
45 m length of the wall.
21. For carrying out brick work at higher level, single scaffolding should be adopted.
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 or hail.
 Brick will not require constant maintenance.
 Brick will not devalue.
 Brick will not limit your personal expression.
 Brick will not limit your design options. 
 COMPOSITE MASONRY
 Composite masonry is the one which is
constructed out of two or more types of
building unit or of different types of
building materials.
 The Composite masonry may be adopted
due to two reasons:
i. Improvement in the appearance of walls
ii. Use of available materials, to obtain
optimum economy.

 Types of composite masonry:

1. Stone-composite masonry
2. Brick stone composite masonry
3. Cement concrete masonry
4. Hollow clay tile masonry
5. Reinforced brick masonry
6. Glass block masonry
 1. Stone Composite Masonry
 Consists of combination of ashlar iv. If necessary, metal cramps, dowels,
masonry and rubble masonry. lead plugs etc. should be provided
 Rubble masonry is used in backing of the
between facing and backing.
wall while ashlar masonry is used in the
facing.
 The following points should be used at
regular interval, in sufficient number:
i. Through stones should be used at
regular interval and in sufficient
number.
ii. The backing and facing portions should
be constructed in rich cement mortar.
iii. Construction of both backing and
facing should be carried out
simultaneously so that proper bond is
obtained.
 2. Brick- Stone Composite Masonry

 Bricks and stones can be

simultaneously used in three
forms:
1. Brick-backed ashlar masonry
2. Brick-backed stone slab facing
3. Rubble-backed brick masonry.
 3. Concrete Masonry

 Uses cement concrete blocks.

 Various types of concrete masonry
units, depending upon shape and size,
are manufactured, and these can be
grouped in two heads:
i. Regular Concrete Blocks
 Are manufactured from dense
aggregates.
 Used in load bearing walls
ii. Hollow Concrete Units
 Are manufactured from light weight
aggregates.
 Used both for load bearing as well as
non-load bearing walls.
 They are light in weight .
 5. Hollow Clay Block Masonry

 Made of selected clay or diatomaceous

earth, which is dried and burned.
 Used to build foundations, walls,
partitions, floors and other structural
members.
 These tiles are fire proof, resistant to
termite and free from decay caused by
the contact of moisture or chemicals.
 Because of large amount of air within
the cells of blocks, the thermal
insulation is very good.
 6. Reinforced Brick Masonry
 Is the one in which the brick masonry is
strengthened by the provision of mild
steel flats, hoop iron, expanded mesh or
bars.
 It is adopted in the following
circumstances:
1. When a brick work has to bear tensile
and shear stresses.
2. when it is required to increase
longitudinal bond.
3. When the brick work is supported on
soil which is susceptible to large
settlement.
4. When the brick work is supposed to act
as a beam or lintel over openings.
5. When the brick work is to resist lateral
loads, such as in retaining walls etc.
6. When the brick wall is to carry heavy
compressive loads.
7. When the brick work is to be used in
seismic areas, since it can also resist
lateral loads.
 Reinforced brick work uses first
class bricks with high compressive
strength.
 Dense cement mortar is used to
embed the reinforcement.
 The reinforcing material may be :
(i) Hoop iron,
(ii) mild steel bars,
(iii) mild steel flats and
(iv) expanded mesh.
 The reinforcement is laid either
horizontally or vertically.
 CAVITY WALLS
 A cavity wall or hollow wall is the one
which consists of two separate walls ,
called leaves or skins, with a cavity or
gap in between.
 The two leaves of a cavity wall may
be of equal thickness if it is a non-load
bearing wall.
 Are often constructed for giving better
thermal insulation to the building.
 Also prevent the dampness to enter
and acts as sound insulation.
 They are normally the outer walls of
the building.
 Size of cavity varies from 4 to 10 cm.
 The inner and outer skins should not
be less than 10 cm each.
 Partition Wall
 A partition wall is a thin internal wall which is constructed to divide space within the
building into rooms or areas.
 It may be either non-load-bearing or load-bearing but generally its non-load bearing.
 A load bearing partition wall is called an internal wall.
 Types of partition wall:
1. Brick partition wall
2. Clay block partition wall
3. Concrete partition wall
4. Glass partition wall
5. Metal lath partition
6. Asbestos sheet or G.I. partition wall
7. Plaster slab partition
8. Wood-wood slab partition
9. Timber Partition