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Comparative Study on Fly Ash Bricks and Normal Clay Bricks

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 IJSRD - International Journal for Scientific Research & Development| Vol. 4, Issue 09, 2016 | ISSN (online): 2321-0613

Comparative Study on Fly Ash Bricks and Normal Clay Bricks

P.P. Gadling1 Dr. M.B. Varma2
1
Student 2Professor
1,2
Department of Applied Mechanics
1,2
Government College of engineering Aurangabad (MH), India
Abstract— This paper presents Fly Ash brick properties, achieve a certain strength depends on the amount of free
manufacturing process material required for preparing the lime available in the fly ash[5].Fly ash does not modify the
clay bricks and fly ash bricks as per Indian standard code hydric properties of the bricks but it does make them lighter.
provisions, inspection and quality control. The textures of In fact, all the bricks with fly ash have a lower density. Fly
the bricks with Fly Ash were very similar to that of clay ash bricks show less damage than conventional bricks when
bricks; the sample with the additive contains spherical Fly exposed to salt crystallization cycles. This improvement is
Ash particles. These particles of Fly Ash led to a reduction due to the reduction of the surface area of the bricks, i.e. the
in the density of the bricks and a substantial improvement in reduction of the volume of the smallest pores, the ones that
their durability. Use of this additive could have practical cause the most damage to the bricks due to soluble salt
implications as a means of recycling and for achieving cost crystallization. The addition of fly ash can enhance the
savings in brick production. The absorption coefficient, quality of the brick, although for restoration purposes if too
shape and size, density, weight, porosity, thermal much fly ash (P10 wt. %) is added, this can spoil the
conductivity and compressive strength of Fly Ash bricks aesthetic appearance of the buildings being restored, due to
compare with normal clay bricks that delivered good results. excessive color differences. Bricks with larger amounts of
From the present study, it can be concluded that Fly Ash fly ash could, however, be considered for use in the
bricks used as an alternative to clay bricks. construction of new buildings [6].
Keywords: Fly Ash Brick, Compressive Strength,
Absorption Coefficient, Clay Bricks II. RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE
Continuing use of clay bricks in the construction industry
I. INTRODUCTION will lead to extensive loss of fertile top soil. This could be a
During the India day by days the growth of development is devastating environmental hazard. High demand for clay
increased that requires of electricity generated from the bricks would result in price hike of clay bricks. To keep the
thermal power plant and this plant gives residue in the form cost of building materials in a reasonable range, we should
of Fly Ash in major quantity. The rate of generation of Fly option for alternative building materials like fly ash bricks
Ash far exceeds the increasing growth rate of its user. In the and hollow or solid blocks. Modern Fly ash bricks are
next ten years, the target of 95 % use of Fly Ash likely bring manufactured using high end pre-programmed hydraulic
into existence [1]. If one considers the expected generation machines. Bricks from these machines are tested for its
of Fly Ash over the next two decades, the volume projected quality and durability and strength.
is gigantic and its use program will have to be far more
A. Experimental Procedure:
challenging than what is perceived today. In construction
industries clay bricks were used in 180 billion tons of Clay Bricks: The process of making a brick has not changed
common burnt clay bricks are consumed annually much over the centuries or across geographies. The clay is
approximately 340 billion tons of clay about 5000 acres of mined and stored in the open. This makes the clay soft and
top layer of soil dug out for bricks manufacture, soil removes unwanted oxides then mixed with water to get the
erosion, emission from coal burning or fire woods which right consistency for Moulding. Mixing is done manually
causes deforestation are the serious problems posed by with hands and feet. A lump of the mix is taken, rolled in
brick industry. Continuing use of clay bricks in the sand and slapped into the mould. Initially, moulds were
construction industry will lead to extensive loss of fertile top made of wood of size 22 X 10 X 7.5 mm (8.66 X 3.93 X
soil [2]. 2.95 inch), now metal moulds are used. Sand is used so the
This could be a devastating environmental hazard. brick does not stick to the mould. The mould is emptied
High demand for clay bricks would result in price hike of onto the drying area, where the bricks are arranged in a
clay bricks. To keep the cost of building materials in a herringbone pattern to dry in the sun. Every two days they
reasonable range, we should opt in for alternative building are turned over to facilitate uniform drying and prevent
materials like fly ash bricks and hollow or solid blocks. The warping. After two weeks they are ready to be burnt. The
material required for the fly ash bricks as Fly ash, lime and green bricks are arranged in a kiln and insulation is provided
gypsum are available in mutual proximity in many regions. with a mud pack. Fire holes left to ignite the kiln are later
An economical alternative to conventional burnt clay bricks sealed to keep the heat inside. This is maintained for a week.
will be available if these materials can be used to make Firing like other operations also depends on the knowledge
bricks and hollow blocks of adequate strength. Lime and and experience of the brick maker. After the kiln is
gypsum are usually available either from mineral sources or disassembled, the bricks are sorted according to color.
may be procured from industrial wastes [4]. High fineness, Colour is an indication of the level of burning. Over burnt
low coal content, and rounded particle shape are, in general, bricks are used for paving or covering the kiln while slightly
favorable properties for use in cement and concrete. The under burnt bricks are used for building inner walls or burnt
amount of cement or lime or lime plus gypsum required to once again in the next kiln.

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 Comparative Study on Fly Ash Bricks and Normal Clay Bricks
(IJSRD/Vol. 4/Issue 09/2016/163)

Fly Ash Bricks: Fly ash, cement, and sand are depicted figure 4 and crunch at end. However, in fly ash
manually fed into a pan mixer where water is added to the bricks crevice fall out less than that of clay bricks depicted
required proportion for homogeneous mixing. The figure 5. The experimental effect or response of bricks
proportion of raw material may vary depending upon the remark in table 1(see.figure 1,2,3). On study of fly ash
quality of raw materials. After mixing, the mixture is bricks benefits as given bellow.
allowed to belt conveyor through feed into automatic brick Experimental Set –A
making machine where the bricks are pressed automatically. paramete
Then the bricks are placed on wooden pallets and kept as it Compressive Strength psi (N/mm2)
r
is for two days thereafter transported to open area where Sample
they are water cured for 10 -15 days. The bricks are sorted 1 2 3 4
No.
and tested before dispatch. Normal
593.20( 522.13 1203.8
B. Materials: clay 593.20 (4.09)
4.09) (3.6) 1(8.3)
bricks
Fly Ash: Two types of fly ash are commonly used in
Fly Ash 587.40 826.71 1556.25(10.73 641.06(
concrete: Class C and Class F. Class C are often high- Bricks (4.05) (5.7) ) 4.42)
calcium fly ashes with carbon content less than 2%;
Experimental Set –B
whereas, Class F are generally low-calcium fly ashes with
param
carbon contents less than 5% but sometimes as high as 10%. Compressive Strength psi (N/mm2)
eter
In general, Class C ashes are produced from burning sub-
Sampl
bituminous or lignite coals and Class F ashes bituminous or 1 2 3 4
e No.
anthracite coals. Performance properties between Class C
and F ashes vary depending on the chemical and physical Norm
652.66 651.2
properties of the ash and how the ash interacts with cement al clay 548.24 (3.78) 798 (5.5)
(4.5) (4.49)
in the concrete Class F fly ash possess only pozzolanic bricks
properties whereas class C fly ash possess both cementitious Fly
1130 1102.
and pozzolanic properties. Many Class C ashes, when Ash 1150 (7.93) 1160 (8)
(7.71) 2 (7.6)
exposed to water, will react and become hard just like Bricks
cement, but not Class F ashes. Most, if not all, Class F ashes Experimental Set –C
will only react with the byproducts formed when cement paramete
Compressive Strength psi (N/mm2)
reacts with water. The fly ash classified by their grinding r
particle it also known fly ash Blaine fineness of fly ash is Sample
1 2 3 4
divided into 40F(2013ft2/lb) (4125cm2/g), 60F(3262ft2/lb) No.
(6686cm2/g), and 90F(4700ft2/lb) (9632cm2/g) which used Normal 677.
887.6 623.66
in replacing of cement with 15, 30 , 45 and 60% by binder clay 822.36(5.67) 32(4
(6.12) (4.31)
mass[3]. bricks .67)
Cement: Portland cement is the basic ingredient of 1189
Fly Ash 1112.4 1131.29
concrete. Concrete is formed when portland cement creates 1160 (8) .30(
Bricks 3(7.62) (7.8)
a paste with water that binds with sand and rock to harden. 8.2)
Cement is manufactured through a closely controlled Table 1: Compressive Strength for trial mix
chemical combination of calcium, silicon, aluminum, iron
and other ingredients. Ordinary Portland cement of 43
grades was used for the entire work.
Crush Sand: In a replacement of fine aggregate
(sand) in fly ash bricks, crush sand there used its cost
effective than the fine aggregate. There no specific grade for
the crushed sand to maintain the quality of bricks.
Inspection and Quality Control: The Bureau of
Indian Standards has formulated and published the
specifications for maintaining the quality of product and
testing purpose in IS: 12894:2002.Compressive strength
achievable 870-3626 psi (6-25N/mm2).Water absorption: 5 Fig. 1: Fly Ash Bricks Vs Clay Bricks-A
– 12 %; Density is 12.5 lb/gal (1.5 gm./cc) Coefficient of
softening (depending upon water consistency factor), Unlike
conventional clay bricks Fly Ash bricks have high affinity to
cement mortar though it has a smooth surface, due to the
crystal growth between brick and the cement mortar.

III. RESULT AND DISCUSSION

A comparison between the bricks that conducted from
experimental work. The fly ash bricks and clay bricks are
tested on universal testing machine(UTM). The crevice
occur in normal clay brick at end of brick corner which Fig. 2: fly ash bricks Vs clay bricks-B

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 Comparative Study on Fly Ash Bricks and Normal Clay Bricks
(IJSRD/Vol. 4/Issue 09/2016/163)

(9.00 N/mm2) (as against 507 psi [3.50 N/mm2] for

handmade clay bricks). The bricks possess high compressive
10
strength which eliminates breakages/wastages during
Compressive
Strength
transport and handling. When a structure is formed using
5 Normal clay Fly Ash bricks the possibility of cracking of plaster is
bricks reduced due to lower thickness of joints and plaster and
Fly Ash basic material of the bricks, which is more compatible with
0
Bricks cement mortar.
1 2 3 4 Thermal Properties: These bricks have got thermal
Sample No. conductivity around 0.90-1.05 Webster/m2 (20-30% less
than those of concrete blocks). These bricks do not absorb
Fig. 3: fly ash bricks Vs clay bricks-C heat; they reflect heat and gives maximum light reflection
which causes less heating of huge structures.
Sound Insulation of Fly Ash Bricks: It provides an
acceptable degree of sound insulation. The sound produced
at one side of a wall made using Fly Ash bricks do not let
the sound waves pass easily to the other side of the wall due
to its compactness. Hence they may be considered for the
abatement of the noise pollution.
Durability and Moisture Resistance: Fly Ash
blocks are highly durable. When their joints are properly
joined, the bricks are ready to be directly painted with the
paints available in the market or with the cement paint
without plaster. The bricks, usually, are rectangular faced
having sharp corners, solid, compact and uniformly shaped.
The bricks are said to absorb the moisture approximately 6-
12% than that of 20-25% for handmade clay bricks thus they
help reducing dampness of the walls.
Fig. 4: Normal Clay bricks after Test Toxicity and Breath-ability: There are no positive
evidence and studies that suggest about toxic fume
emissions or the indoor air quality of structures built with
Fly Ash bricks. Fly Ash as a raw material is very fine so
care has to be taken while its handling and transport to avoid
any kind of air pollution in the view of occupational safety.
Once it is flue, it can remain airborne for long periods of
time, causing serious health problems relating to the
respiratory system. But block manufactured from Fly Ash
has no such problems.
Sustainability: We can conclude that Fly Ash is a
cocktail of unhealthy and hazardous elements like silica,
mercury, iron oxides, calcium, aluminum, magnesium,
arsenic, and cadmium. It poses serious environment and
health hazards for a large population who live in the nearby
area of the plants. But the brick is better off, during the
process of brick making the toxins associated with Fly Ash
gets changed into a non-toxic product. The mixing of with
Fig. 5: Fly Ash bricks after Test lime at ordinary temperature leads to the hydration of
Appearance: The bricks have the appearance which calcium silicate and formation of a dense composite insert
is very pleasant like cement; Due to smoothness and finish block. Thus it has the potential of being a good building
on their surface they require no plastering for building work. material. In India about 100 million tons of Fly Ash is
These are compact, uniformly shaped and free from visible produced annually by the numerous thermal power plants,
cracks. They are lighter in weight than ordinary clay bricks which could cause serious contamination of land,
and are less porous. The color of these bricks can be altered groundwater, and air but due to the practice of Fly Ash
by the addition of admixtures during the process of brick bricks now it is safe and sound.
making. The size of these bricks can vary but they are BuildAbility, Availability, and Cost: The
generally available in the same sizes of the normal clay compressive strength of Fly Ash blocks is so high that it
bricks. eliminates breakages/wastage during handling and gives a
Structural Capability: These bricks do not cause neat finish, with a lower thickness of joints and plaster. The
any extra load on the design of structures due to its construction technique does not change in the case of Fly
comparable density and thus provide better resistance to Ash bricks and remains as same as in the case of regular
earthquakes and other natural calamities. The compressive bricks which ensures an easy change of material. Masons do
strength of Fly Ash and lime bricks is average 1305 psi not require additional training while construction. Though

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 Comparative Study on Fly Ash Bricks and Normal Clay Bricks
(IJSRD/Vol. 4/Issue 09/2016/163)

these bricks are abundantly and widely available closer to [7] Giuseppe Cultrone, Eduardo Sebastian “Fly ash
thermal power plants all over the country for obvious addition in clayey materials to improve the quality of
reasons, finding dealers in all major cities and towns solid bricks” published in Journal of Construction and
wouldn’t be a problem. Building Material 23, (2009) pp.1178-1184.
Comparison between Clay Brick and Fly Ash Brick
1) Normal clay bricks have varying color as per soil
whereas Fly Ash bricks have a uniform pleasing color
like cement.
2) As normal clay bricks are handmade they have an
uneven shape, on the other hand, Fly Ash bricks are
uniform in shape and smooth in the finish.
3) Normal clay bricks are lightly bonded whereas there is
a dense composition in the case of Fly Ash bricks.
4) Plastering is required in case of normal clay bricks
whereas no plastering is required in case of Fly Ash
bricks.
5) Fly Ash bricks are lighter than clay bricks.
6) The compressive strength of Fly Ash bricks is more
than that of clay bricks
7) Fly Ash bricks are less porous than that of clay bricks

IV. CONCLUSIONS
1) Fly ash used as wasted product and environment is
directly protected by reducing solid waste disposal.
2) The average compressive strength of fly ash brick is
1305 psi (9 N/mm2)
3) In clay bricks, fly ash can also be used for the
manufacturing process. The result of 40% fly ash with
60% Clay will be the good combination.
4) Fly ash used as raw material replacing of clay to make
fired bricks is an effective measure of saving land and
decreasing pollution. The properties of the bricks
improved with the firing temperature.
5) Fly ash does not modify the hydric properties of the
bricks but it does make them lighter. In fact, all the
bricks with fly ash have a lower density
6) Fly ash bricks show less damage than conventional
bricks when exposed to salt crystallization cycles. This
improvement is due to the reduction of the surface area
of the bricks.

REFERENCES
[1] Ujjwal Bhattacharjee, Tara Chandra Kandpal
“Potential of fly ash utilization in India” Energy 27,
2002, pp. 151-166
[2] Samitinjay Sadashivrao Bansode “Comparative
Analysis between Properties of Steel Slag, Fly Ash,
and Clay Bricks” Geo-Congress(ASCE) 2012 pp.
3816-3825
[3] M. B. Varma and P. P. Gadling “Additive to Cement –
A Pozzolanic Material-Fly Ash” International Journal
of Engineering Research ISSN:2319-
6890(online),2347-5013(print) Volume No.5 Issue:
Special 3, 27-28 Feb. 2016 pp. 558-564
[4] Sunil Kumar “A perspective study on fly ash–lime–
gypsum bricks and hollow blocks
[5] For low-cost housing development” Construction and
Building Materials 16, 2002 pp. 519–525.
[6] K. Wesche “Fly Ash in Concrete” edition published in
the Taylor & Francis e-Library, ISBN 0-203-62641-9
Master e-book ISBN, 2005. pp. 168

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