BRICKS

A brick is a type of construction

material used to build walls,
pavements and other elements
in masonry construction.
  1.Removal of Top Soil.
 2.Digging and Spreading.
 3.Cleaning.
PROCESS OF  4.Weathering.
MANUFACTURING  5.Blending.
BRICKS  6.Tempering.
 7.Moulding of Bricks.
 8.Drying of Bricks.
 9.Burning of bricks.
 PROCESS OF MANUFACTURIG BRICKS.
1.Removal of Top Soil: The removal of top soil involves the loose materials present at the top of the soil for a depth of about 200
mm. These materials should be removed as they contain a lot of impurities and are not used in the preparation of bricks.
2.Digging and Spreading: After digging the soil for about 200 mm, the soil is spread on the level ground, and the heaps of
clay are about 600 to 1200 mm.

3.Cleaning: After spreading the soil on the ground, it should be cleaned of stones, vegetable matter, pebbles, etc... If excess
non-clay materials are present, the clay should be washed and screened. This whole process will become expensive and
clumsy. The lumps in soil should be crushed into a powder form.

4.Weathering: The soil is then exposed to the atmosphere for softening for a few weeks depending on the nature of the
soil, which imparts plasticity and strength to the soil.

5.Blending: To increase the quality of soil, additionally, sandy or calcareous clays may be added in suitable proportions
along with coal, ash, etc. and the whole mass is mixed uniformly with water.

6.Tempering: After adding the sufficient quantity of water, the soil is kneaded under the feet of men or cattle to make it
stiff and homogeneous. In general, for handmade bricks, the soft plastic clay could be prepared by using about 25 to 30
per cent water. For making superior bricks on a large scale of about 20,000, the earth is tempered in a pug mill.
7.Moulding of Bricks
Bricks are made in metric sizes called modular bricks, as prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards. Nominal size of the
bricks is 20cm X 10cm X 10cm, which include the thickness of the mortar and the actual size of modular brick is 19cm X 9cm X
9cm.

A brick mould is a rectangular box of steel or wood, which is open at the top and bottom of the box and inside dimensions of the
mould are 20cm X 10cm X 10cm.
Moulding of bricks can be done using either hand or machine.

Hand Moulding.
There are two types in hand moulding, i.e. ground moulding and table moulding. In this type, bricks are moulded manually and
preferred where only a small quantity of bricks is needed.

I).Ground Moulding:
The process of moulding bricks on the ground manually by labour is called ground moulding. On an average, a moulder can
mould about 750 bricks per day. When the bricks have dried sufficiently, they are moved to the drying shed and placed in an
orderly manner.

II).Table Moulding:
This moulding is done on a table of size 2m X 1m X 0.7m instead of on the ground. This table moulding process is almost similar
to ground moulding expect for some minor changes.
Machine Moulding
Moulding machines are used when a large scale of bricks are to be manufactured in less time. These types of bricks are
heavier and stronger than the hand moulded ones and possess a sharp regular shape, a smoother surface and sharp edges.
There are two types in machine moulding.

I).Plastic Method: In this method, pugged earth is used, which is placed in the machine that contains a rectangular shape of size
equal to the length and width of the brick. A beam of the moulded earth comes out of it and is cut into strips by wires fixed in the
frames. These bricks are also called wire-cut bricks.

II).Dry Method: In this method, the machine first converts the hard earth into a powder form and a small quantity of water is
added to the powder to make it a stiff plastic paste. This paste is placed in the mould and pressed by the machine to form hard
and correct-shaped bricks. These bricks are known as pressed bricks, which do not require any drying and can be sent directly to
the burning section.

8.Drying of Bricks
Moulded bricks cannot be burnt directly, as they may get damaged. So before burning they should be dried either naturally or
artificially for about two weeks.

I).Natural Drying: It is also called hack drying, which comprises placing moulded bricks in rows on their edges, slightly above the
ground called a hack. These bricks are air and sun-dried that is strong enough to use for the construction of small structures.

II).Artificial Drying: When bricks are needed to dry on a large scale, then this artificial drying is preferred. They are dried in special
dryers which receive heat from specially made furnaces for artificial drying.
9.Burning of Bricks
After the process of moulding and drying, bricks are burnt in kilns to impart hardness, strength and to increase the density of
the brick. Some physical and chemical changes take place in the burning of bricks. Heating brick to about 640°C produces only
physical changes. If a brick is heated up to 700-1,000°C, it undergoes chemical changes. During this reaction, the materials
present in brick alumina and silica fuse together to make the brick strong and stable to prevent from cracking and crumbling.

The types of Kilns used for burning purposes are

I).Clamp or Open Kiln: This is a temporary structure with some advantages like low initial cost, low fuel cost and a few skilled
labourers are sufficient to complete the process. The disadvantage is only a small quantity of bricks is manufactured at a time
and in that only 60% are good quality bricks.

II).Intermittent Kiln: When a large number of good quality bricks are needed, intermittent or continuous kilns are preferred. In
this kilns, the process of burning is discontinuous.

III).Continuous Kilns: In this process, the burning is continuous and they are of three type’s i.e., Bull's Trench Kiln, tunnel Kiln
and Hoffman's Kiln.

To get a good quality brick it has to be heated to the required temperature. The bricks begin to lose their shape and materials
get vitrified if heating of brick earth goes beyond 1,300°C.
  There are innumerable applications of bricks in the field of Civil engineering. They are widely used as a
structural as well as a non-structural(aesthetical) element in construction. When used as a structural member,
bricks are used for the construction of walls, retaining walls, arches, claddings etc, and as a non-structural
member, they can be used as fillers and for ornamental purpose.
 High-quality bricks, which possess standard shape, sharp edges, smooth surfaces, high durability, and great
strength, can be used for permanent structural construction such as buildings, dams, roads, bridge piers, etc.
 Bricks can be used for construction of walls of any size (exposed brick walls, foundation walls, fences, brick
retaining walls) floors, arches, and cornices.
 High-quality bricks are also utilized for decorative purposes for example provision of architectural effects on
structures, and may be employed in a variety of colors, textures, bonds and joints.
APPLICATION  Sun-dried or un-burnt bricks are used only for temporary structures and these bricks should be avoided where
heavy dampness and frequent rain is predominant.

OF BRICKS.  Sun-dried bricks are used only for temporary structures and these bricks should be avoided where heavy
dampness and frequent rain is predominant.
 Low-quality bricks or over-burned bricks are used as aggregate for foundation concrete and road metal
works. This is because they can break easily and not suitable for construction purpose.
 Refractory bricks or fire bricks such as silica, magnesia, chamotte, and neutral refractory are used for lining of
chimneys, furnaces, pizza ovens, and outdoor brick barbecues. This type of brick must have good thermal
shock resistance, under load, high melting point, and satisfactory porosity.
 Manufacture of surki (powdered bricks) to be used in lime plaster and lime concrete
 Bricks can be used for creating informal walkway or path to doors and walking path through flower garden.
 Holes in bricks can be used to create gorgeous planter/candleholders.
HOW BRICKS
ARE DISPOSED
OFF?
Pillars of Success