BRICKS

(CHAPTER-2)
INTRODUCTION
 The most common building material.

 Used in form of walls, columns, roofs, floors etc.

 Durable, strong, reliable, low in cost and easily

manufacturable.
 COMPARISON OF STONE AND BRICK
Stone
It is heavier than brick
It is obtained from rocks.
It absorbs heat more than a brick
Water absorption less than 5%
It is uniform in color and can be shaped to
desired shape.
It has high durability which depends upon its
chemical composition and its physical
structure.
Particularly suitable for construction work in
industrial areas as it is acid and smoke proof.
Quarrying, dressing and transportation are
costly.
Labour cost for laying is high
Brick
It is lighter than stone.
Made from clay
It absorbs less heat comparatively.
Water absorption less than 16%
Uniform in color shape and size.
Its durability is less than that of stone.
Acid and smoke resistance is good but less than
that of stone.
Overall cost of manufacture is less than stone.
Easily laid to form walls of required uniform
thickness, and hence reduces the labour cost than
that of stone.
CONSTITUENTS OF BRICK CLAY
 Alumina or clay: (20-30%) by weight
 is a principle constituent.
 Provides plasticity and makes brick hard.

 Silica or sand: (30-50%) by weight

 It adds hardness to brick and prevents from
shrinkage, crack and wrap.

 Lime:
 Helps silica to melt and binds particles of brick
together.
 Should present in finely divided state otherwise
it lump of limestone results in disintegration of
brick after absorption of moisture.
CONSTITUENTS OF BRICK CLAY…….
 Iron Oxide:
 Helps grain of sand to melt and helps to bind
particles.
 Imparts pleasing red color to brick. But excess
percentage results in darkening of color.

 Magnesia:
 Imparts yellowish color and reduce shrinkage
 Excess amount leads to decay of brick.

 Manganese:
 Small proportion along with iron makes brick
darker.
HARMFUL INGREDIENTS IN BRICK EARTH
 Lime stone and kankar nodules: causes bricks to
split and crumble to pieces.

 Alkalies: causes twist, wrap of brick during burning.

 Pebbles of stone and gravel: effects in uniformity of

bricks.

 Iron pyrites: causes brick to split.

 Vegetation and organic matter: is not completely

burnt, makes brick porous.
QUALITIES OF GOOD BRICKS
 Size and shape:
 Should be uniform in color
 Have rectangular plane surface with parallel sides
and sharp right angled edges.
 Standard size of 230x110x55mm
 Length of the brick=2 x width of brick +thickness
of mortar joint
 Color

 Should be copper colored

 Color should be uniform and bright.
 Structure

 Show fine compact and uniform structure in

broken form
QUALITIES OF GOOD BRICKS……..
 Soundness:
 Should give clear metallic ringing sound

 Hardness:
 So hard that finger nails should not be able to make
any impression on its surface after scratched.

 Porosity:
 Should not absorb more than 20% of its dry weight
after 24 hrs immersion in water

 Strength:
 Minimum crushing strength of 10.5 N/mm2
SOME PICTURES OF EFFLORESCENCE
QUALITIES OF GOOD BRICKS…….

 Resistance to fire:
 Should have adequate resistance to fire

 Efflorescence:
 Should not contain alkaline salts that cause
efflorescence and results decay of brick

 Durability:
 Able to resist effects of weathering agencies.
CLASSIFICATION OF BRICKS

 Sun dried or katchha bricks

 Burnt or pacca bricks

SUN DRIED OR KATCHHA BRICK

 Bricks are dried with the

help of sun

 Only used in construction

of temporary and cheap
structure

 Should not be used at

places exposed to heavy
rain
 BURNT OR PACCA BRICKS

 Bricks are burnt in kilns or

clamps after moulding and drying.

 Are hard, strong and durable and

used for permanent construction.
Further classified into:
 First class brick
 Second class brick
 Third class brick
 Over burnt bricks
 Under burnt bricks
FIRST CLASS BRICKS
 Well burnt and perfect
regular shape.
 Edges are sharp and well
defined.
 Smooth, clean surface and
free from cracks.
 Water absorption shall not
be more than 20% of its
dry weight.
 Should emit clear metallic
sound.
 Should not show sign of
efflorescence.
 Should not break when
dropped from 1m height.
 SECOND CLASS BRICK
 Should be well burnt or
slightly over burnt.
 Should not absorb 22% of
water.
 Shape, size and color of brick
should be generally regular
and uniform, slight
distortion and surface cracks
may be allowed.

 Bricks does not show

appreciable sign of
efflorescence.
 THIRD CLASS BRICKS

 Generally under burnt

 Soft and light colored

 Emit dull sound when struck

against one another.

 Size and shape not regular,

 Should not absorb 25% of
water.

 Suffer intensive efflorescence

 Not used for important and
permanent works
OVER BURNT BRICKS
 Over burnt vitrified bricks

 Are distorted and cannot be used in masonry

works.

 Used for making aggregates and for road metals

UNDER BURNT OR PILLA BRICKS
 Do not have any strength

 May .burnt again in kilns or can be ground to

powder form and used as surkhi
CONSIDERATION FOR BRICK SIZE
S

H H
M
M = Mortar Joint
 MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS

The complete process of manufacturing of bricks is

divided into following categories:

 Preparation of clay
 Pugging or Tempering of Clay

 Moulding of Bricks

 Drying of Bricks and burning of Bricks

 PREPARATION OF CLAY

 Selection of site and unsoiling

 Site should posses suitable soil for
manufacturing
 Availability of materials
 Water and necessary fuel should be
adequately available
 After site selection top layer about 200mm
should be taken out.
 PREPARATION OF CLAY………………

 Soilbelow 200mm should be dug out

before monsoon. Then clean off
stones, pebbles vegetable matters
etc.

 Lumpsof soil should be broken into

powder.
 PREPARATION OF CLAY……………
 Weathering and Blending:
 Above earth is spread out
to depth of 600 to 1200mm
and left to atmospheric
action known as
atmospheric action.
 Extends from few weeks to
some months. Results
plasticity and strength to
clay.
 The clay is mixed with
other ingredients like sand,
etc uniformly and with
proportionate quantity
with water; process is
blending.
PUGGING OR TEMPERING
OF CLAY
 It is breaking up of
prepared clay then
kneading and watering till
clay becomes homogenous
mass.
 Pugmill:
 Is a vessel for pugging
with size of 1.2m to 2m
height and 90-120cm
dia at top and about 80
cm at bottom.
 Vertical shaft provide
with wedge shape
knives results
kneading.
Pic: Pugmill
 MOULDING OF BRICKS
Moulding done by moulds
are made slightly
greater (about 10%)to
maintain standard size
of brick after drying
and burning.

Bricks moulding is
readily of two types
 Hand moulding

 Machine moulding
 HAND MOULDING

 Sub-divided into
 Ground moulding

 Table moulding

o Ground moulding:
o Mould placed flat on surface
which is well leveled and
sprinkled with sand.
o Lump of clay placed in mould
then removes superfluous
clay above level of mould
o Mould is lifted leaving brick
on surface.
BRICK MOULDING

 Table moulding:
Above process
manually done by
labour in table.

 Machine moulding:
 Process done when Fig: Table moulding
large number of bricks
have to be
manufactured.

Fig: Machine moulding

DRYING OF BRICKS
Is done in two types
 Natural drying:
 Arranging of bricks in
rows slightly raised
from ground
 Little space for air
circulation is kept after
each brick
 Artificial drying
 Is done when bricks are
required for large
numbers.
 Heating of bricks is
done in driers.

Fig: Natural Drying

BURNING OF BRICKS

Bricks after drying is

subjected to burn to
 Impart hardness and
strength
 Increase density to
reduce absorption of
water.
Burning is done by
three methods:
 Clamp or open kilns
 Intermittent kilns
 Continuous kiln.
 CLAMP OR OPEN KILN
 Suitable for ordinary
bricks as products and is
usually adopted in rural
areas.
 Size depends upon number
of bricks to be produced.
 Here bricks and fuel are
arranged in alternate
layers
 On side and top earth
coating is done to prevent
heat loss.
 After kiln started it takes
two to six months for
burning and cooling of
bricks.

Fig: Clamp Burning

 CLAMP OR OPEN KILN
Advantage of clamp burning
 No skilled labour and supervision is
required
 Fuel used is the wastes and thus
economical
 Bricks burn and coll slowly and
thus bricks produced by clamps are
strong and tough.
 Initial expenditure is very small

Fig: Clamp Burning

 CLAMP OR OPEN KILN
Disadvantage of clamp burning
 It is very slow process

 No control on fire in the clamp

 Quality of bricks is not uniform as bricks near the

bottom are over burnt and those near sides and
top are under burnt
 Clamps yield about 60% first class bricks and 40%
are over burnt or under burnt.

Fig: Clamp Burning

CONTINUOUS KILN
 Continuous burning of
bricks. Three types of
continuous kiln and
are:
 Bull’s trench kiln
 Hoffman’s kiln
 Tunnel kiln
 BULL’S TRENCH KILN
 Usually oval in plan and
is made excavating
ground of depth about
2m.
 Oval shaped kiln is
generally divided into 8
to 12 zones with opening
in each section.
 Opening used for
loading and unloading
bricks.
 For even distribution of
heat two chimneys are
provided.

Fig: Bull’s Trench Kiln

 BULL’S TRENCH KILN (WORKING PRINCIPLE)
 If fire starts at zone 7;
chimneys are arranged
at side walls of zone 8
where about 36-48
number of holes are
made for subjecting coal
powder.
 Top of stacked bricks is
covered with earth and
ash to prevent heat loss.
 Hot gases from zone 7
results drying of brick in
zone 8.
BULL’S TRENCH

36 to
48
nos.
BULL’S TRENCH KILN (WORKING PRINCIPLE..)
 As bricks go on burning
previous holes are closed
and new holes are made in
forward direction.
 Position of chimney are
altered accordingly.
 Each zone takes 24 hrs to
burn.
 As fire moves to successive
zones first burnt bricks
cools and is unloaded and
reloaded.
 Operation is continuous
and yield 25000 bricks per
day.
HOFFMAN’S KILN.

 This kiln is built above

ground and is circular in
plan.
 Chimney is placed
centrally around which
12 chambers in ring
form are arranged.
 Each chambers consist
of doors for loading and
unloading.
 Small holes are provided
at top in each chambers
for fetching of coal.
 1 2
12
3
11
4 1. Loading
2.3.4.5. Drying and
10 preheating
5 6.7. Burning
9 8.9.10.11 Cooling
8 6 12 Unloading
7
 1
12

11
1. Loading
2.3.4.5. Drying and
10 preheating
5 6.7. Burning
9 8.9.10.11 Cooling
8 6 12 Unloading
7
TUNNEL KILN
 Is in form of tunnel which
may be oval, straight or
circular in plan.
 It contains stationary fire
zone
 Raw bricks are loaded on
trolley and are moved from
one to other end.
 After bricks approach in fire
section it get dried and
preheated.
 Then after burned it is
pushed to cooling section
and after adequate cooling it
is unloaded.
 Uniform bricks of better
quality are prepared.
BURNING IN TUNNEL KILN
THANK YOU