5/24/2022

CE 301
Engineering Materials
(4 Credit)

Bricks

Abdullah Al Mahin
Lecturer, CE, MEC
Contact: [email protected]

Department of Civil Engineering

Bricks
• Brick is an artificial kind of stone made of clay whose chief characteristics are
a plasticity when wet and stone like hardness after being heated to high
temperature.

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Advantages of Brick over Stone

 Bricks have greater fire resistance than stone or concrete masonry

 Its size enables easy handling and placement in walls

 It can be easily adapted to small-scale and large-scale structures to give

pleasing appearance and texture

Factors that affect the quality of Bricks

 Chemical properties of the clay used

 Preparation of the clay

 Process of drying

 Different degrees of burning

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Constituents of Bricks and their function

• Brick clays are produced by blending together various clays (surface clays,
shales, and fire clays) to produce the desired chemical composition and
physical properties.
• Clays can be divided into
 Calcareous clays
containing 15% Calcium Carbonate
which gives yellow color when burnt
 Non-calcareous clays
 containing silicate of alumina, feldspar, and iron oxide
 Iron oxide gives buff, red or salmon color, when burnt

Chemical Composition of Brick clay

Chemical analysis of good brick clay should give the following chemical composition:
Compounds Percentage
Silica 55 %
Alumina 30%
Iron oxide 8%
Magnesia 5%
Lime 1%
Organic matters 1%
Total 100%

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Composition of good Brick earth

• Alumina
Chief constituent of all kinds of clay
Imparts plasticity to clay so that it can be molded
If in excess, it makes the brick warp and crack on drying and burning
• Silica/sand
It imparts uniform shape to bricks
Its presence prevents cracking, shrinking and warping
Its excess destroys cohesion between particles and makes the brick brittle
• Lime
It should be present in very small quantities not exceeding 5%
It helps in fusing sand(alone infusible) which then acts as cementing material for brick
particles.
The excess of lime causes the brick to melt and loose its shape

Composition of good Brick earth

• Oxide of iron
It is added in small quantity 5-8 %
It helps fuse sand
Imparts red color on burning
• Magnesia
A small amount of MgO imparts yellow color to the brick
It decreases shrinkage
Its excess leads to decay of brick
• Organic matter
Small quantity will assist burning of bricks
Excess is bad- if it is not completely burnt, the bricks will be porous

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Harmful constituents of Brick Clay

• Iron Pyrites
Causes crystallization and disintegration of bricks on burning
• Alkalis
These are mainly the chlorides and sulphates of calcium, magnesium, sodium
and potassium
They produce a dark greenish hue on the surface of bricks on drying
They cause the bricks to fuse, twist and warp
Absorb moisture from the air and on drying will cause efflorescence
• Stone Particle
Small particles of stones do not allow the clay to be mixed thoroughly and
uniformly
These make bricks porous, weak and non-uniform
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Characteristics of Good Bricks

• Bricks should be uniform in color, size and shape
• The standard dimension is 240 x 115 x 70 mm (9.5 x 4.5 x 2.75 inches) [as per P.W.D.
specification]
• They should be sound and compact
• They should be free from cracks and other flaws such as air bubbles, stone nodules,
etc.
• They should not absorb more than about 1/5 of their own weight of water when
immersed in water for 24 hours (15 to 20 % of dry weight)
• The average compressive strength of bricks should be in the range of 2500 psi [as
per ‘LGED’ Road Structure Manual-B’]
• The percentage of soluble salts should not exceed 2.5% in burnt bricks. Because the
presence of excess soluble salts causes efflorescence
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Characteristics of Good Bricks

• They should be neither over-burnt nor under-burnt
• The weight should be generally 2.7kg (6lb) per brick and the unit weight should
be generally 2000 kg/m3 (125 lb/cft)
• They should be low thermal conductivity as it is desirable that the buildings
made of them should be cool in summer and warm in winter
• They should be non inflammable and incombustible
• Bricks should not change in volume when wet
• They should give clear ringing or metallic sound when struck by another brick or
hammer

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Dimensions of Bricks
•Prescribed size of bricks as per PWD specification

Brick Brick
(in mm) (in inch)
240 x 115 x 70 9.5 x 4.5 x 2.75

115 mm

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Field Testing of Bricks

• Take a brick and try to make a mark on its surface with nail. If you can do this,
it is not a good brick. If not, it is sufficiently hard and compact.
• Take a brick and strike it with a hammer or another brick. If it gives a clear
ringing or metallic sound, it is a good brick.
• Surface of good bricks should be smooth having square edges, and free from
cracks and voids.
• Color, shape, size and structure of bricks should be uniform.
• Take two bricks and form a ‘T’ and drop from a height of 1.2m (4ft) to 1.5m
(5ft) on a more or less solid surface. If they break, they are not good bricks. If
they remain unbroken, they are good bricks.
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General 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, or flaws of any kind.
They should not absorb more than one fifth of their 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 are slightly irregular in shape, size or rough on the surface.
3. Third class bricks: These are bricks which are not well burnt sufficiently and of
uniform shape and size for use in unimportant constructions.

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General Classification of Bricks

4. First Class Bats: These are broken bricks of the same quality as first and
second class bricks.
5. Second class Bats: These are broken bricks of the same quality as third class
bricks.
6. Picked Jhama bricks: These bricks are uniformly vitrified throughout but must be of
good shape, heavy and of selected quality. They musts not be spongy.
7. Jhama Bricks: These are well burnt bricks but not quite so well shaped as picked
jhama bricks.
8. Jhama Bats: These are broken bricks of the classes picked jhama and jhama bricks.

9.
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Uses of Bricks
1. Construction of walls of any size
2. Construction of floors
3. Construction of arches and cornices
4. Making khoa (broken bricks of required size) to use as an aggregate in
concrete
5. Manufacture of surki (powdered bricks) to be used in lime plaster and lime
concrete

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Special Bricks
• Bricks are usually made rectangular but they are also made in various special forms
to meet the different situation where they are used also to suit to the taste of the
users. Such bricks are called purpose made bricks and are more costly than ordinary
bricks.

• These are:
Perforated bricks used in building walls
Hollow bricks used in hollow walls in building
Checkered bricks used in bricks masonry
Plinth bricks
Jamb bricks – bricks chamfered and rounded to the desired shape at one corner
Klinker (paving brick) for internal flooring
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Tests for Bricks

1. Absorption
2. Crushing strength
3. Hardness
4. Presence of soluble salts
5. Shape & size
6. Soundness
7. Structure

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Tests for Bricks

Water Absorption
Water Absorption in Bricks is carried out by immersing it in water for 24 hrs.
It is again weighed and the difference in wt. indicates the amount of water absorbed by
Bricks.
It should not in any case exceed 20% of wt. of dry Bricks.

Crushing Strength
Crushing strength of a brick is found out by placing it in a compression testing machine.
It is pressed till it breaks.
The min. crushing strength of bricks is 55 kg/cm2.

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Tests for Bricks

Hardness Test
In this test, a scratch is made on brick surface with the help of finger nail.
If no impression is left on the surface, the brick is treated to be sufficiently hard.

Shape and Size

In this test, a brick is closely inspected.
It should be of standard size as per PWD specification.
Its shape should be truly rectangular with sharp edges.

Soundness Test
In this test, two bricks are taken and then struck together with each other, the bricks should
not break and a clear ringing sound should be produced.

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Tests for Bricks

Presence of salts
The soluble salts, if present in bricks will cause efflorescence in the surface of bricks.
For finding out the presence of soluble salts in a brick, it is immersed in water for 24 hrs.
It is then taken out and allowed to dry in shed.
The absence of grey or white deposits in its surface indicates absence of soluble salts.
If the white deposit cover about 10% surface, the efflorescence are said to be as moderate; when
deposits are to be more than 50%, the efflorescence become heavy and it is treated as serious
when such deposits are converted into powdery mass.

Structure
A brick is broken and its structure is examined. It should be homogeneous, compact and free from
any defects .

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Manufacturing of Clay Brick

1. Preparation of brick clay
 Unsoiling, Digging , Cleaning, Weathering , Blending , Tempering

2. Molding the bricks

 Hand Molding , Machine Molding
3. Drying the bricks
 Natural , Artificial

4. Burning the bricks

 Burning in clamps, Burning in kilns

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Preparation of the Brick Clay

 Unsoiling: Top layer of 20cm depth is removed as it contains impurities.
 Digging: Clay dug out from ground is spread on levelled ground (just a little deeper
than the general level) in about 60cm to 120cm heaps.
 Cleaning: Stones, pebbles, vegetable matter, etc. are removed and lumps of clay are
converted into powder form.
 Weathering: Clay is exposed to atmosphere from few weeks to full season for
softening and mellowing. (Preferably dug before monsoon)
 Blending: Clay is made loose and any ingredient to be added to it is spread out at
top and blended by turning it up and down in vertical direction.
 Tempering: Clay is brought to a proper degree of hardness, then water is added to
clay and whole mass is kneaded or pressed under the feet of men or cattle. For large
scale, tempering is usually done in pug mill.
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Preparation of the Brick Clay

Figure: Pug mill used for tempering of clay

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Molding
Clay, which is prepared from pug mill, is sent for the next operation of molding.
Following are the two ways of molding
• Hand Molding
• Machine Molding

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Hand Molding
 Molds are rectangular boxes of wood or steel, which are open at top and
bottom. Steel molds are more durable and used for manufacturing bricks on
large scale.
 Bricks prepared by hand molding are of two types
• Ground molded bricks
• Table molded bricks

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Hand Molding: Ground Molding

Ground molded bricks:
 Ground is first made level and fine sand is sprinkled over it. Mold is dipped in
water and placed over the ground to fill the clay
 Extra clay is removed by wooden or metal strike after the mold is filled
 Mold is then lifted up and raw brick is left on the ground
 Mold is then dipped in water every time. Lower faces of ground molded
bricks are rough and it is not possible to place frog on such bricks
 Ground molded bricks of better quality and with frogs on their surface are
made by using a pair of pallet boards and a wooden block

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Hand Molding: Table Molding

Table molded bricks:
 Process of molding these bricks is just similar to ground bricks on a table of
size about 2m x 1m

Figure: Ground Molding Figure: Table Molding

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Drying
 The damp bricks, if burnt, are likely to be cracked and distorted. Hence molded bricks
are dried before they are taken for the next operation of burning.
 Bricks are laid along and across the stock in alternate layers. The drying of brick is by
the following means
• Artificial drying
• Circulation of air
• Drying yard

 Period for drying – usually about 3 to 10 days

for bricks to become dry.

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Burning of Bricks
• Bricks are burnt to impart hardness, strength and make them dense and durable.
• Heating clay up to 640°C produces physical changes. If such clay is cooled back, it
absorbs moisture from air and gets hydrated back to its original state. Such
poorly burnt clay is unstable.
• However, if clay is heated up to 700-1000°C chemical changes take place by
which alumina and silica in clay fuse together resulting in a compound which is
strong and stable.
• Burning of bricks is done either in clamps or in kilns.
Clamps are temporary structures and they are adopted to manufacture bricks on small scale.
Kilns are permanent structures and they are adopted to manufacture bricks on a large scale.

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Burning of Bricks: Clamp Burning

1. Clamp is trapezoidal shape in plan with
shorter end slightly in excavation and wider
end raised at an angle of 15 degree from
ground level.
2. In clamp burning, a temporary structure of
bricks and fuel are placed in alternate
layers. The lower most layer contains more
fuel and the quantity of fuel is subsequently
reduced in the upper portions.
Figure: A typical Clamp

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Burning of Bricks: Clamp Burning

3. A brick wall with mud is constructed on the short end and a layer of 70cm to 80cm
thick fuel (grass, cow dung, wood or coal) laid on the floor.
4. Each brick tier consists of 4 to 5 layers of raw bricks. Bricks are spaced not too close
to each other, some space is left so that fume gases could be circulated freely.
5. A second layer of fuel is then placed, and over it another layer of raw bricks is put
up. The total height of clamp in alternate layers of brick is about 3 to 4 m.
6. When clamp is completely constructed, it is plastered with mud on sides and top
and filled with earth to prevent the escape of heat.
7. The period of burning is about one to two months and allowed the same time for
cooling.
8. Burnt bricks are taken out from the clamp.

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Clamp Burning: Advantages & Disadvantages

Advantages:
1. They are cheap and easy to build
2. There is no permanent structure to install and maintain
3. They can be built for any size giving output ranging from 3,000 to 100,000 bricks at a time
4. After firing, they do not require much attention
5. Fossil fuels as well as agricultural waste such as rice husk, saw dust, coconut husk etc. can
be used
Disadvantages:
1. Quality of the bricks is not consistent
2. These are the least energy efficient method of firing. Heat loss by radiation through walls
and from the top the top of the kiln is very high
3. They are very labor intensive, being assembled and disassembled by hand
4. They are highly susceptible to the prevailing weather conditions, especially strong winds,
which will result in a very uneven firing with many more under and over burnt bricks
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Burning of Bricks: Kilns Burning

• The kiln is a large oven used for the burning of bricks. These types of brick
burning methods consist of a permanent structure. These kilns are of two
types:
Intermittent Kilns
Continuous Kilns
Intermittent kilns:
These are intermittent in operation, which means that they are loaded, fired,
cooled and unloaded. There are two kinds of intermittent kilns:
Up-draught Intermittent Kilns
Down draught Intermittent Kilns

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Burning of Bricks: Kilns Burning

Continuous kilns
These kilns are continuous in operations. This means that loading, firing, cooling
and unloading are carried out simultaneously in these kilns. There are three
types of continuous kilns:
1. Bull’s trench kiln
2. Hoffman’s kiln
3. Tunnel kiln

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Bull’s Trench Kiln

Invented in England 1876
Widely used in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Myanmar

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Bull’s Trench Kiln

 This kiln may be of rectangular, circular or oval shape in the plan.
 It is constructed in a trench excavated in ground either fully under ground or partially
projecting above ground.
 Raw bricks are placed between the inner and outer wall.
 Dampers are in the form of iron plates and they are used to divide the kilns in suitable
sections.
 The bricks are arranged in such a way that flues are formed. Fuel is placed in flues and it
is ignited through flue holes after covering top surface with earth and ashes to prevent
the escape of heat. Usually two movable iron chimneys are employed to form draught.
 These chimneys are placed in advance of section being fired. Hence, hot gases leaving
the chimney warm up the bricks in next section. Each section requires about one day to
burn.

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Bull’s Trench Kiln

Figure: Air Flow in a Bull’s Trench Kiln

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Bull’s Trench Kiln: Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages
More fuel efficiency compared to clamps
Low initial investment
High capacity
Disadvantages
The chimney requires skilled labors
The kiln can only be operated in continuous mode
The movable chimneys have a short working life

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Assignment

Fixed Chimney Bulls Trench Kiln

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Hoffman’s Kiln
It is a continuous kiln and has a permanent roof as a result of which it can
function even during rains
It is circular in plan and is built above ground
It has a fixed chimney at the center around which the kiln is divided into 12
chambers in a ring
Each chamber has a door communicating with the outside and a flue leading
to the chimney
The door could be closed with dry brick wall having sand packing
The flue could be closed or opened as desired by operating a metal plate
known as damper

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Hoffman’s Kiln

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Hoffman’s Kiln: Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages:
Fuel efficiency
Capable of firing very large quantities of bricks evenly and with minimal wastage
Firing is controllable by the use of the dampers
A variety of biomass fuel can be used successfully
Higher percentage of good bricks
Supply of bricks is continuous and regular
Disadvantages
Expensive to built and require regular maintenance
Occupy a lot of space
Highly skilled labor is required to operate it

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Comparison: Clamp Vs Kiln burning

Item Clamp burning Kiln burning of bricks
About 25000 bricks can be burnt but the process takes very
Capacity About 20,000 to 1 lacs of bricks can be burnt
little time
Cost of fuel Cost is low because cow dust and grass etc. can be used The cost of fuel is more because powdered coal is used
Initial cost Very low as no permanent structure is to be built More as permanent structure is required to be constructed
Quality of bricks The yield of good quality brick is about 50-60% Kiln burning yields, about 80-90%. of good quality bricks
Regulation of fire Fire can’t be controlled much There is good control over the fire
Skilled supervision Not necessary throughout the process of burning Skilled labors are required
Structure No permanent structure Kiln burning of bricks requires a permanent structure
Suitable for As yield is low thus suitable for small scale Large-scale production of bricks is possible
Time taken Burning and cooling can take 2 to 6 months Burning takes 1 day and cooling takes 12-15 days

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Thank You!

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