Definition: A brick is an artificial kind of stone made of clays whose chief characteristics are a plasticity when wet and stohe like hardness after being heated to high temperature. f Factors That Affect the Quality of Bricks: § ‘Chemical properties of the clay used Preparation of the clay Process of drying Different degrees of burning. Constituents of Brick Clay and Their Functions: ____Name ofthe constituents Percentage Silica 55% ‘Alumina 30% ; iron oxide 28% EER Magnesia 1 FRRaETE 5% Lime 1% Organic matters: 1% 1. Sil Silica exists in all clays in a state of chemical combination with alumina forming alumina and sometimes exists in a free state when itis called flint or sand. The presence of sand prevents cracking, shrinking and warping. The higher the proportion of sand, the more But too much of sand makes the brick shapely and uniform in texture shall be the brittle and weak, 2. Alumina (aluminum oxide ): { it imparts plasticity and density to clay. But too much alumina causes crack and warp during , drying and becomes very hard under the influence of heat. i 3. [ron oxide: ' | ‘The presence of iron oxide enhances the impermeable and durable qualities. tron and lime in small quantities give creamy color to brick. The color gradually deepens to red and then ; purple as the iron content goes up 8%. By adjusting the burning temperature, red color due i to iron oxide or black color due to presence of manganese, can be produced. 4, Magnesia (magnesium oxide): Presence of rhagnesia in small quantity decreases shrinkage and gives yellow tint. | it reduces shrinkage of bricks during drying and enables the silica to melt in buring and us binds the particles of brick together. ae | 6. Alkalies and organic matter: : A Stall quantity of organlé latter wil assst burning bricks. t ee 2 Page 1 of 4 +“1 Harmful Constituents of Brick Clay: 5 1. Iron pyrites: . : ee " iv} Presence of pyrites causes crystallization and disintegration of bricks on| burning, | ' 2. Alkalies: i aes " i They are mainly the chlorides and sulfates of calcium, magnesium and potassium. They produce a dark greenish hue on the surface of bricks on drying, They cause the bricks to fuse, twist and warp. Alkalies in bricks absorb moisture and on drying cause efflorescence. to pieces. Limestone in the form of kankar nodules should not be present ‘because it deteriorates the quality of a good brick. } 3: Stone particles: ( These are harmful to the uniformity of the brick texture. These make the brick porous and weak. { 4, Vegetation and organic materials: t . They make the bricks porous and weak because vegetation and organic matter get burnt j ‘during burning of bricks leaving small pores in them. | 5. Lime: : Lime, if present in excess, causes the brick to fuse too readily and the shape is lost. On ; contact with water, ime gets hydrated and swells and causes the brick to split and crumble Manufacturing Of Bricks: The following are the different steps in manufacturing bricks: ; i 1. Selection of brick clay: Brick clay should be free from harmful constituents. The sedimentary deposits of clay are quite suitable for the manufacturing of bricks. It is necessary that a few sample bricks should be made first and the suitability of the clay is judged from the product. 2. Preparation of brick clay: a. Weathering: Selected earth is excavated before the rains and spread out on the ground for sometimes. b. Blending: ‘Add sand lime, alumina and magnesia to improve the quality of brick clay. c. Tempering: Clay is cut slashed and well worked with spade and is trodden which makes it soft. A pug, ill is generally used to temper the clay. “3, Brick moulding: + Moulds are rectangular boxes with top or bottom of hard wood, iron or brass. The inner _ dimensions of the mould are kept about 1/10 larger than the size of the burnt bricks to allow 1 Ui for shrinkage on burning. Generally identification (frogs and impression) are left on the face § i ‘6f the brick during the process of moulding to indicate the name of manufacture of the { Page 2of 4sRee There are two methods of moulding: Hand moulding: Itis divided into two methods: ()) ground moulding and (I!) table moulding, ‘In ground moulding, the bricks are made on the ground, usually in woodeA mould; while incase of table moulding, they are made on a table, usually with metal moulds. b, Machine moulding: } ee two types of machines are used namely: (1) the plastic clay machine ane () the dry clay machine Brick drying: Before burning it is necessary to dry the bricks so that they are sufficiently hard to be handled and stocked in the burning kiln without any injury. Brick drying generally takes 5 to 12 days depending upon the local climatic conditions. In case of machine made bricks, drying is performed by circulating hot air or gases around the bricks. Brick burning : The bricks are burat for the following purposes: Ww To impart hardness and strength to bricks. (l!) To increase the density of bricks td make them less absorbent to water and thereby increase durability. Bricks are burn in clamps or kilns (hoffman’s kiln and trench kiln) where the temperature is raised to about 2100°F, At.a temperature.of 1200%F;. the organic matter, present. inithe bricks, is ovidized and disappear. When the temperature raised to about 2100°F, certain ‘chemical changes takes place in its constituent minerals, giving new properties to the bricks. Particles of aluming and sand bind themselves together and that increases the density and the strength of the bricks. Fusible glass in small quantity is produced by burning of alumina and sand grins. But when heated beyond 2100°F, the fusible glass is formed in.a.much ied. Vitrification softens the bricks and greater quantity and the bricks are said to be vi they begin to loose their shape. Characteristics of Good Bricks: 7 Bricks should be uniform in colo, size and shape. They should be sound and compact. They should be free from cracks and other flaws such as air bubbles, stone nodules, ete. They should not absorb more than 1/5 of thelr own weight of water when immerge in water for 24 hours (15 to 20 % dry weight). ‘The compressive strength of bricks should be inthe range of $000 to 8000 psi The percentage of soluble salt (sulfates of calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium) should not exceed 2.5 % in burnt bricks, because the presence of excess soluble salts causes efflorescence. : ; eae They should be neither over burnt nor under burnt, ive weight should be generally 6 lbs per bricks and the weight per cu ft should not be less than 125 Ibs. Page 3 of 4foe meen netes aneLform a te (7) 84 eran from 4 helgh. of 6 flan a more or less sold t+ ‘9 ‘They should have low thermal conductivity as itis desirable that the buildings built of them should be cgol in summerand. warm in winter. jy pots suspen ot 12.10, They shoulé be norinflammable and incombustible, aL Bricks should not change In volume when wetted. Heid Tests of Brick 4. Take a.brck and try,to make mark on the surface by nail I you can ma brick iat 2. Take a brick and strike it vith hammer. It gives clear ringing or metalic sound, brick. \ ; 3, Take two bricks and form a tee (T) and drop from a height of 6 ft on a more or less solid Surface. If they break, they are not good bricks. Size of Bricks: In Bangladesh according to P.W.D. specification, each’ brick should measure:9.5"-» 4.5": x'2:75". ‘When bricks are put in any construction with mortar, the size becomes 10” x 5” x3”. Classification of Bricks: 1. First class bricks: They should be of uniform size and color, thoroughly and evenly burnt. They should ring clearly when struck with a hammer or another brick. They should be well shaped with even surfaces and without cracks, rain spots or flaws of any kind. They should riot absorb’ more than one sixth of their own weight of water when wet in water for 24 hours. 2. Second class bricks: : ‘These bricks must possess the hardness and color of first class bricks but aré slightly irregular in shape, size or' rough on the surface. 7 7 Third class bricks: These are bricks which are not sufficiently welk-burnt and of uniform shape and sie; for use in un-important constructions. i 4, First class bats: | These are broken bricks of the same quality as first and second class brick. 5, Second class bats: These are broken bricks of the same quality as third class brick. 6. Picked jhama bricks: These bricks are uniformly vitrified throughout, but must be of good shape. They must not \ be spongy. 7. Jhama bricks: These are well burnt bricks but not quite so well shaped as picked jhama bricks. They must not be spongy and must be free from cinders and projecting lures and of fairly good shape. : 1, 8, Jhama bats: # These are broken bricks of the classes picked jhama and jhama bricks. ) : Page 4 of &