Module 1

Module Title: Prepare Masonry materials

Select materials, tools and equipment needed
in hauling and mixing
RAW MATERIALS FOR MASONRY
WORKS
• Bricks
• Stones
• Concrete blocks
• Sand and aggregates
• Cement
• Water
 BRICKS
• Bricks must be of good quality and without visible cracks for a load-
bearing wall. A hard ringing sound emitted when two bricks are struck
together indicates that they have been burnt satisfactorily. Generally, the
bricks should be true to size and shape, with straight edges and even
surface, so as to facilitate laying them into position without using too
much mortar. Inferior bricks are generally under-burnt and as a
consequence are easily broken and are very porous. These are neither hard
nor durable and are incapable of withstanding heavy loads.
 Classification of bricks

1. Facing bricks
• These bricks are thoroughly burned and uniform in
colour, and having plane rectangular faces and sharp
straight right angled edges.
• They are used in the exposed face of the brickwork
without any plaster or surface treatment.
• Facing bricks are also used for “Rat Trap Bond”
masonry walls
 Classification of bricks

2. Solid bricks
• A solid brick is a brick with less
holes or perforations of 25% of its
volume, in which frogs do not
exceed 20% of its volume
 Classification of bricks

3. Cavity bricks
• A burnt clay hollow
block or brick with holes
larger than 20mm wide,
which exceed 20% of its
volume.
 Classification of bricks

4. Special shaped bricks

• These are usually solid
bricks of various shapes
suited to a particular
construction.
 Quality of bricks
Generally common bricks are grouped into 3 classes:

Description Class 1 Class 2 Class 3

Water absorption Max. 20% Max 20% Max 20%

Crushing strength Min. 105 kg/cm2 Min. 70 kg/cm2 Min. 35 kg/cm2

 STONES
• Building stones are derived from
various types of rocks that are found in
the crust of the earth. They are natural
products and are used directly, except
for their rough sizing and dressing,
before being put in a structure.
• Stones are or can be used in almost all
parts of construction such as
foundations, walls, floors, roofs, as
well as for roads, dams etc.
 STONES
All size bolder stone try
masonry wall Sized stone pillar construction
 Classification of stones
Stones or rocks are divided into three main groups:
• Igneous (Granite)
• Sedimentary (Sand-stone Lime-stones)
• Metamorphic (Slates, Marble, Laterite)
 Quality of building stone

• The fundamental requirements of building stones are

strength, density and durability combined with
reasonable facility for working. A good building stone
must be hard, tough, compact grained and uniform in
texture and color.
• Usually, crystalline and close-grained stones are
durable.
 Signs of good quality stones
Colour: Stones should have uniform colour. Red and brown
shades and mottled colour indicate the presence of
injurious material.
Weight: Basically, the heavier and compact grained stones are the
stronger and durable they are.
Water absorption: A stone absorbing less water is stronger and more durable as
it will have less action of rainwater.
Appearance: A good building stone should be free from decay, flaws,
veins, cracks and sand-holes
 Hammer test
Quality tests Take a hammer and check the stone for its
sound. A hard ringing sound indicates that the
There are several tests stone is of good quality and has no major
possible to define the defect such as holes or cracks.
quality of a stone. Visible test
However, in the field Check the stone for any defects such as cracks,
patches with soft materials, discoloring etc.
there are basically three
Porosity or absorption test
tests where one can Weight a stone of reasonable size and place it
define the suitable for 24 hrs. into a water-bucket. A good building
stone should not absorb more than 5% of its
quality of a stone. weight of water after 24hrs immersion
 Concrete blocks
• Concrete blocks are nowadays very common and
time proofed walling materials. Concrete blocks
can be produced by hand and by machine.
• Hand made blocks are usually of lower quality,
because machine made blocks are better
compacted by a vibrator table.
• The specific use of a concrete block defines its
size and the quality. Cement and coarse sand
with small size aggregates are used with very low
water/cement ratio.
 Classification of concrete blocks
Concrete blocks are classified into two main groups:

Solid blocks Hollow blocks

 Quality of concrete blocks
The basic quality requirement of concrete blocks are; strength,
uniform in size and to a certain degree water resistant.
A good concrete block is produced and stored under a sunshade, has
an appropriate mix ratio (not more than 1: 6 for hollow blocks and 1:
10 for solid blocks) contains clean raw materials (sand, aggregates
and water) and fresh cement, is properly cured for 21 days and is
handled with care up to the point of use for masonry work.
 Hollow blocks Hollow blocks
(non load (load bearing
Description Solid blocks bearing walls) walls)

Density >1800 kg/cum >1500 kg / cum >1500 kg/cum

Crushing
strength (after
28 days) Min. 5 N/mm2 Min.2.8 N/mms Min. 3.5 N/mm2
 SAND AND AGGREGATES

Sand and aggregates are

very essential building
construction raw
materials and deserve
special attention.
 Classification of sand and aggregates
• Material retained on a 4.75 mm IS (Indian Standard) sieve is classified as
coarse aggregate, and below that size as fine aggregate or sand. The
material passing a 75-micron IS sieve is generally considered to be clay,
fine silt or fine dust in an aggregate.
• Sand, which contains 90% of particles of size greater than 0.06 mm and less
than 0.2 mm, is fine sand.
• Sand, which contains 90% of particles of size greater than 0.6 mm and less
than 2 mm is coarse sand.
 Coarse
aggregate
•Natural deposits
There are mainly three
sources from where
• Crushed stones
coarse aggregates
originate namely: • Brick aggregates
 Sand • Pit sand
• Sea sand
There are mainly
four types of • River sand
sand namely • Crushed sand
Pit sand
 Quality of sand and aggregates
• The quality of the mortar is directly linked to the characteristics and
condition of the sand. Sand and aggregates must be free from clay, loam,
vegetables and any other organic material.
• Clay or dirt coating on aggregates prevents adhesion of cement to
aggregate, slows down the setting and hardening process and reduces the
strength of the mortar.
• Therefore, clay and silt content should not exceed 10%, otherwise the
sand needs to be washed.
 Sand storage
• The sand should be stored preferably under
a shade. The sand should be sufficiently
protected, such that no impurity from
animals, agricultural waste, children, trees,
etc. is possible.
Testing the sand
quality • Visible test
• Check the sand for
There are two main sand impurities such as organic
quality-testing methods, materials (mud, leaves,
namely:
roots etc.) Remove them
before using the sand
 • Hand test
Clay and silt • The sand sample is rubbed between damp hand. A clean
sand will leave the hands only slightly stained. If the hands
content test stay dirty, it indicates the presence of too much silt or clay.

• Bottle test
• Take a bottle and fill in the sand until it is half full. Fill in
The clay and silt clean water until the bottle is threequarters full. Shake up
vigorously and leave it to settle for about one hour. Clean

content test can be in sand will settle immediately, silt and clay will settle slowly
on top of the sand. The thickness of the clay and silt layer

two ways: should not exceed one-tenth or 10% of the sand below.
• This test is also called decantation test. This test is not
applicable to crushed stone sands!!
• Dirty sand should never be used in masonry because it will
reduce the adhesive value of the mortar considerably.
 Sea sand

• Sea sand is unsuitable for mortar as it contains

salts, which attract and retain moisture. In
addition the salt content in the mortar will
produce a whitish powder of efflorescence, which
discolors the brickwork or masonry.
 CEMENT
Cement is a mixture of 60 to 67% lime, 17 to 25% silica
and 3 to 8% alumina, which are intimately mixed
together with water to form into a slurry, which is
subsequently heated, dried, calcined and ground to a very
fine powder. A small proportion of gypsum is added
before grinding in order to control the rate of setting.
 Setting/Hardening

• The terms setting and hardening have different

meanings.
• Setting is the process which changes a fluid concrete to a
solid but weak state.
• Hardening is the process by which the weak set concrete
attains strength.
 Hydration of cement

When water is added to cement, the cement

hydrates and during the chemical reactions, which
take place while the cement is setting, an increase
in temperature occurs and a considerable quantity
of heat is generated.
 1. Ordinary Portland
Different types of cement Cement
2. Rapid hardening
There are total five different kinds of Cement
cements. Cements are classified by their 3. Quick setting
properties and chemical composition. The Cement
names of these five kinds of cements are: 4. Blast – furnace Slag
Cement
5. High Alumina
Cement
 Type and quality

For ordinary brick masonry work it is

recommended to use ordinary Portland cement. In
order to achieve a good mortar in strength and
durability, it is essential that the following rules
and regulations be followed:
 Cement storage
• Cement can be safely stored in bags for a few months if kept in a dry room. Paper
bags are better for storing than jute bags because paper bags perform better in regard
to quality deterioration due to moisture. During the monsoon time, the cement
storage plays an even more important role, since the relatively higher humidity
accelerates the deterioration process of the cement.
• Cement bags should be stored on a raised wooden platform (e.g. timber pallets) about
15 to 20 cm above the floor level and about 30 to 50 cm away from walls.
• The cement stack should not be more than 10 bags high. The bags should be placed
close together to reduce circulation of air.
• A cement bag should never be opened until its immediate use for mixing.
Cement storage
 Use of fresh cement

Ordinary Portland cement, which has been

stored for over six months, should not be used
for masonry work.
• The average reduction of strength in a 1:2:4 mix as a result of storage is:
Fresh cement strength 100%
Cement after 3 months, strength reduced by 20%
Cement after 6 months, strength reduced by 30%
Cement after 12 months, strength reduced by 40%
Cement after 24 months; strength reduced by 50%
 Testing the cement quality

The indication of damaged cement is given by the

presence of large lumps of set cement. These
lumps of set cement should not be used, not even if
screened again
 The freshness of cement can be tested as per
following description:
• Lump test:
• Check the cement for any small or large lumps. Remove them.
• Rubbing test:
• When cement is rubbed between fingers and thumb it should feel like a smooth powder such as flour.
• Setting test:
• If you are uncertain about your cement quality you can make a simple setting test.
• Make a stiff paste of neat cement and water and form it into a cake about 75 mm diameter and 12 to 15
mm thick. The cake should commence to set in about 30 to 60 minutes. In 18 to 24 hours the cake should
have hardened sufficiently so that it does not effortlessly scratch the surface with a thumbnail.