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Chapter 2 Brick

The document defines bricks and discusses their properties, classifications, manufacturing process, and types. It provides details on: 1) Clay bricks - the most common type, made from clay minerals, with categories for common, facing, and engineering bricks. 2) The six step process for manufacturing clay bricks - from winning/storage of raw materials, processing, forming, drying, burning/cooling, to finishing. 3) Calcium silicate bricks - an alternative to clay made from sand, lime, and water, and hardened through an autoclaving process. They are accurate in size/shape and have advantages over clay bricks.

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Nur Aini
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© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
498 views

Chapter 2 Brick

The document defines bricks and discusses their properties, classifications, manufacturing process, and types. It provides details on: 1) Clay bricks - the most common type, made from clay minerals, with categories for common, facing, and engineering bricks. 2) The six step process for manufacturing clay bricks - from winning/storage of raw materials, processing, forming, drying, burning/cooling, to finishing. 3) Calcium silicate bricks - an alternative to clay made from sand, lime, and water, and hardened through an autoclaving process. They are accurate in size/shape and have advantages over clay bricks.

Uploaded by

Nur Aini
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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AP114/QSD132/NI

CHAPTER 2: BRICKS

Definition
º A brick is defined in BS 3921 as a walling unit with
coordinating or format size of 225mm(L) x 112.5mm(W) x
75mm(H) – including 10mm mortar joint.
º Actual dimension is – 215mm x 102.5mm x 65mm

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Factors that affecting the selection of bricks


º Size – flexible for any type of construction
º Dense
º Durability
º Colour and texture - natural
º Shape – ability to form different type of bonding

Bricks Classification
º Bricks may be classified by one or more of the following:
ü Varieties – common- suitable for gen. work but
unattractive appearance.
- Facing – specially made or selected to have
an attractive appearance when used
without rendering or plaster.
- Engineering – dense and strong semi-
vitreous apart from uniform and standard
size and texture.

ü Qualities –internal, ordinary (durable externally),


special (conditions of extreme exposure)

ü Types – solid, perforated (small holes exc. 25%


vol.), hollow (larger holes exc. 25%),
cellular (holes closed one end, exc. 20%)

ü Place of origin
ü Raw material – clay, calcium silicate, concrete
ü Manufacture – wire cut, pressed, soft mud process
ü Use – foundation
ü Colour – blue
ü Surface texture – sand –faced

References: Chudley, R (2005) Construction Technology 4th edition

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Clay Bricks
º Made from surface or deep mined clays that have necessary
plasticity and tensile strength.
º BS 3291: 1985
º Contain silica and alumina with metallic oxides (iron oxide-
causing red colour), calcium carbonate (causing yellow after
burning), and feldspar.
º 3 categories – common, facing, engineering. (Differentiate)
º Properties of clay bricks:
ü Compressive strength – min. 5N/mm2
ü Durability – the ability to resist damage
- Resulted from fusion of clays during
burning (higher temp, more durable)
ü Water absorption – affected by the manufacturing
process and the burning temp
- gen. 0.02% of the weight ( low)
ü Efflorescence – soluble salts (magnesium & sodium
sulphate) lose water and crystallise

MANUFACTURING CLAY BRICKS


- requires 6 steps

i. Winning & storage


Winning is the term used to describe the mining of the clay. Most
bricks are made from surface mined clays dug from open pits. The
clays are moved by truck or rail to the plant where they are crushed
and moved to storage piles.

ii. Processing the raw materials


Clays are removed from the various storage piles and bended to
produce the desired chemical composition and physical properties.
The blended clays are then moved to crushers where stones are
removed and the clay lumps are reduced to a max. of about 50mm
in diameter. This material is then moved by conveyor to grinders to

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be ground to a fine powder and passed over vibrating screens. The


fine material is placed in storage.

iii. Forming the bricks


There are 3 major methods depend on the properties of clay;
machine pressed, wire cut and soft-mud process (sand-struck/water
struck).

iv. Drying
The moisture content of green bricks (unfired, newly formed
bricks) varies depending on the clay and the process used. Once
formed, the bricks are placed in a low temperature drier kiln or
leave them in open air for 1 to 2 days.

v. Burning and cooling


Involves raising the temperature of the dried bricks to a
predetermined level. There are 2 two types of kilns in use, periodic
kiln and a tunnel kiln. The higher the burning temperature the more
shrinkage and the darker the colour of the brick. The burning

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process takes 24 to 150 hours. After that the cooling period begins
for 48 to 72 hours.

vi. Drawing and storage


After the cooling stage is complete, the bricks are removed from
the kiln, sorted graded and moved to storage. Often they are
stacked on wood pallets for loading by a forklift. Each pallet is
wrapped in plastic to keep the bricks dry.

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Reference: Richard T Kreh, Masonry Skills, 3rd edition

CALCIUM SILICATE BRICKS

º Also called sandlime bricks (BS 187).


º Standard size as clay bricks.
º Made from selected clean sand or crushed flint (hard grey stone)
mixed with lime and water. Colouring pigment can be added.
º The relatively dry mix is then fed into presses to form the
required shape.
º Then hardened in sealed and steam-pressurised autoclaves.
º Takes 7 to 10 hours to causes reaction between sand and lime.
º Resulting in a strong homogeneous brick ready for delivery.
º Very accurate in size and shape but do not have individual
characteristics of clay bricks.
º Features:
1. Beautiful
2. Economical
3. High compressive strength
4. Exceptional heat resistance
5. Good sound insulation
6. Durability
7. Security
º Specifications/sizes:

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1. 215 x 102 x 65mm


2. 215 x 102 140mm
3. 240 x 115 x 71mm
4. 240 x 115 x 115mm

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Reference: Richard T. Kreh, Sr, (1990) Masonry Skills 3rd Ed. Delmar Publisher Inc, pg.11.

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