Bricks

JSPMs
Rajarshi Shahu College of Engineering (II) Shift Polytechnic

Tathawade, Pune-033
Brick
A brick is building material used to make walls, pavements and other elements
in masonry construction. Traditionally, the term brick referred to a unit composed of clay, but it
is now used to denote any rectangular units laid in mortar. A brick can be composed of clay-
bearing soil, sand, and lime, or concrete materials. Bricks are produced in numerous classes,
types, materials, and sizes which vary with region and time period, and are produced in bulk
quantities. Two basic categories of bricks are fired and non-fired bricks.
Block is a similar term referring to a rectangular building unit composed of similar materials, but
is usually larger than a brick. Lightweight bricks (also called lightweight blocks) are made
from expanded clay aggregate.
Fired bricks are one of the longest-lasting and strongest building materials, sometimes referred to
as artificial stone, and have been used since circa 5000 BC. Air-dried bricks, also known as mud
bricks, have a history older than fired bricks, and have an additional ingredient of a mechanical
binder such as straw.
Bricks are laid in courses and numerous patterns known as bonds, collectively known
as brickwork, and may be laid in various kinds of mortar to hold the bricks together to make a
durable structure.
CONSTITUENTS OF GOOD BRICK EARTH
Bricks are the most commonly used construction material. Bricks are prepared by moulding clay
in rectangular blocks of uniform size and then drying and burning these blocks. In order to get a
good quality brick, the brick earth should contain the following constituents.
Silica
Alumina
Lime
Iron oxide
Magnesia
Mr. Pravin M. Thorat

Lect. Civil Engg. Dept. RSCOE IInd Shift Polytechnic, Tathawade, Pune-033 Page 1
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1. SILICA
Brick earth should contain about 50 to % of silica.

It is responsible for preventing cracking, shrinking and warping of raw bricks.
It also affects the durability of bricks.
If present in excess, then it destroys the cohesion between particles and the brick becomes
brittle.
2. ALUMINA
Good brick earth should contain about 20% to 30% of alumina.

It is responsible for plasticity characteristic of earth, which is important in moulding
operation.
If present in excess, then the raw brick shrink and warp during drying.
3. LIME
The percentage of lime should be in the range of 5% to 10% in a good brick earth.
It prevents shrinkage of bricks on drying.
It causes silica in clay to melt on burning and thus helps to bind it.
Excess of lime causes the brick to melt and brick looses its shape.
4. IRON OXIDE
A good brick earth should contain about 5% to 7% of iron oxide.

It gives red colour to the bricks.
It improves impermeability and durability.
It gives strength and hardness.
If present in excess, then the colour of brick becomes dark blue or blakish.
If the quantity of iron oxide is comparatively less, the brick becomes yellowish in colour.

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5. MAGNESIA
Good brick earth should contain less a small quantity of magnesia about1%)
Magnesium in brick earth imparts yellow tint to the brick.
It is responsible for reducing shrinkage
Excess of magnesia leads to the decay of bricks.
Dimensions or Size of Bricks

The bricks are prepared in various sizes. The custom in the locality is the governing factor for
deciding the dimensions or size of bricks. Such bricks which are not standardized are known as
the traditional bricks.
If bricks are large, it is difficult to burn them properly and they become too heavy to be placed
with a single hand. On the other hand, if bricks are small. more quantity of mortar is required.
For India, a brick of standard size 190 mm x 90 mm x 90 mm is recommended by the BIS. With
mortar thickness, the size of such a brick becomes 200 mm x 100 mm x 100 mm and it is known
as the nominal size of the modular brick. Thus the nominal size of brick includes the mortar
thickness.
It is found that the weight of 1 cu.m of brick earth is about 18 kN. Hence the average weight of a
brick will be about 30 to 35 N.
Uses of Bricks
Some of the different uses of bricks are as follows,
1 The first class and second class bricks are used for permanent structures. These structures
include, buildings, dams, roads, bridge piers, etc.,
2. The first class bricks are also used for architectural effects on structures.
3. If second class bricks are used., the surface should be plastered evenly because of the irregular
size and shape of bricks.
4. The third class or sun-dried bricks are used only for temporary structures and these bricks
should be avoided where heavy dampness and frequent rain is predominant.
5. The fourth class bricks are used as aggregate for foundation concrete and road metal works.

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Classification of Bricks
The classification of bricks is as follows:
(i) unburnt or sun-dried bricks; and
(ii) burnt bricks.
The unburnt or sun-dried bricks are those bricks which are dried with the help of heat that is
received from sun after the process of moulding. The unburnt bricks can only be used in the
construction of simple temporary and cheap structures. Unburnt bricks should not be used at
places exposed to heavy rains.
The bricks used in construction works are burnt bricks and they are classified into the
following four categories:
(1) First class bricks
(2) Second class bricks
(3) Third class bricks
(4) Fourth class bricks.
(1) First class bricks:
These first class bricks are table moulded and of uniform shape and they are burnt in kilns. The
surfaces and edges of the bricks are sharp, square, smooth and straight. They comply with all the
qualities of good bricks. These bricks are used for important work of permanent nature.
(2) Second class bricks:

The second class bricks are ground moulded and they are burnt in kilns. The surface of the
second class bricks is slightly rough and shape is also slightly regular. These bricks may have
hair cracks and their edges may not be sharp and uniform. These bricks are commonly used at
places where brickwork is to be provided with a coat of plaster.
(3) Third class bricks:
These bricks are ground-moulded and they are burnt in clamps. These bricks are not very hard
and they have rough surfaces with irregular and blunt edges. These bricks give dull sound when
they are struck together. They are used for unimportant works, temporary structures and at places
where rainfall is not heavy.
(4) Fourth class bricks:
These are overburnt bricks with irregular shape and dark colour. These bricks are used as
aggregate for concrete in foundations, brick floors, surkhi, roads, etc. because of the fact that the
overburnt bricks have a compact structure and hence they are sometimes found to be stronger
than even the first class bricks. It is thus seen that the above classification of bricks is based on
the of manufacturing or preparing bricks.

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Test for Bricks

A brick is generally subjected to the following tests to find for the construction work,
(1) Absorption
(2) Crushing strength
(3) Hardness
(4) Presence of soluble salts
(5) Shape and size
(6) Soundness
(7) Structure
(1) Absorption:
A brick is taken and it is weighed dry. It is then immersed in water for a period of 16 hours. It is
weighed again and the difference in weight indicates the amount of water absorbed by the brick.
It should not in exceed 20 per cent of weight of dry brick.
(2) Compressive/Crushing strength of Bricks:

The crushing strength of a brick is found out by placing it in a compression testing machine. It is
pressed till it breaks. As per BIS: 1077-1957, the minimum crushing or compressive strength of
bricks is 3.50 N/mm2. The bricks with crushing strength of 7 to 14 N/mm2 are graded as A and
those having above 14 N/mm2 are graded. as AA.
(3) Hardness test on bricks:

In this test, a scratch is made on brick surface with the help of a finger nail. If no impression is
left on the surface, the brick is r sufficiently hard.
(4) Presence of soluble salts:
The soluble salts, if present in cause efflorescence on the surface of bricks. For finding out the
presence of soluble salts in a brick, it is immersed in water for 24 hours. It is then taken out and
allowed to dry in shade. The absence of grey or white deposits on indicates absence of soluble
salts.
If the white deposits cover about 10 per cent surface, the efflorescence is said to be slight and it
is considered as moderate, when the white deposits cover about 50 per cent of surface. If grey or
white deposits are found on more than 50 per cent of surface, the efflorescence becomes heavy
and it is treated as serious, when such deposits are converted into powdery mass.
(5) Shape and size:
In this test, a brick is closely inspected. It should be of standard size and its shape should be truly
rectangular with sharp edges. For this purpose, 20 bricks of standard size (190 mm x 90 mm x 90
mm) are selected at random and they are stacked lengthwise, along the width and along the
height.
For good quality bricks, the results should be within the following permissible limits.

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(6) Soundness test on brick:

In this test, the two bricks are taken and they are struck with each other. The bricks should not
break and a clear ringing sound should be produced.
(7) Structure of a brick:
A brick is broken and its structure is examined. It should be homogeneous, compact and free
from any defects such as holes, lumps, etc.
Manufacturing Process Of Burnt Clay Bricks
Site selection for manufacturing of bricks

For the manufacturing of bricks, the site should be selected based on some important
considerations such as:
The ground should be of plain surface.
The site should be connected with communicating roads for transporting materials etc.,
Good brick earth should be easily available.
The site should offer all facilities to the workers.
Manufacturing process of bricks

There are four different operations are involved in the process of manufacturing of bricks:
1. Preparation of clay
2. Molding
3. Drying
4. Burning
1. Preparation of clay for brick manufacturing:

Preparation of clay for bricks manufacturing is done in six steps:
Unsoiling of clay
We need pure clay for the preparation of bricks. The top layer of soil may contains impurities, so
the clay in top layer of soil about 200mm depth is thrown away. This is called unsoiling.
Digging
After the removal of top layer, the clay is dug out from the ground and spread on the plain
ground.

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Cleaning
In this stage, the clay is cleaned of stones, vegetable matter etc. if large quantity of particulate
matter is present, then the clay is washed and screened. The lumps of clay are converted into
powder with earth crushing rollers.
Weathering
The cleaned clay is exposed to atmosphere for softening. The period of weathering may be 3 to 4
weeks or a full rainy season. Generally, the clay is dug out just before the rainy season for larger
projects.
Blending
If we want to add any ingredient to the clay, it is to be added in this stage by making the clay
loose and spread the ingredient over it. Then take small portion of clay into the hands and tuning
it up and down in vertical direction. This process is called blending of clay.
Tempering
In this stage, water is added to clay and pressed or mixed. The pressing will be done by cattle or
with feet of men for small scale projects, pug mill is used as grinder for large scale projects. So,
the clay obtains the plastic nature and now it is suitable for molding.

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2. Molding of clay for brick manufacturing

In the molding process, prepared clay is mold into brick shape (generally rectangular). This
process can be done in two ways according to scale of project.
Hand molding ( for small scale)
Machine molding ( for large scale)
Hand molding of bricks

If manufacturing of bricks is on a small scale and manpower is also cheap then we can go for
hand molding. The molds are in rectangular shape made of wood or steel which are opened at the
top and bottom. The longer sides of molds are projected out of the box to serve it as handles. If
we take durability in consideration steel molds are better than wooden molds.
In hand molding again there are two types and they are
1. Ground molded bricks
2. Table-molded bricks
Ground molded bricks
In this process of ground molding, first level the ground and sand or ash is sprinkled over it.
Now place the wet mold in the ground and filled it with tempered clay and press hard to fill all
corners of the mold. Extra clay is removed with metal strike or wood strike or with wire.
The mold is then lifted up and we have raw brick in the ground. And again wet the mold by
dipping it in water and repeat the same process. The process of dipping mold every time to make
bricks is called slop molding.

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Sometimes, the inside surface of mold is sprinkled with sand or ash instead of dipping in water
this is called sand molding
Frog mark of bricks are made by using a pair of pallet boards. Frog mark means the mark of
depth which is placed on raw brick while molding. The depth may be 10mm to 20mm.
Frog mark stats the trademark of manufacturing company and also it is useful to store mortar in
it when the bricks is placed over it.
Table molded bricks

This process is similar to ground molding process, but here the bricks on molded on the table of
size 2m x 1m.
Ground molding is economical when compared to table molding.
Machine molding of bricks

The bricks required are in large quantity, then machine molding is economical and also saves
more time. Here also we are having two types of machines,
1. Plastic clay machines
2. Dry clay machines

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Plastic clay machines

This machines contain an opening in rectangular shape and when we place the tempered clay in
to this machine it will come out through this opening. Now, the rectangular strips coming out the
opening are cut by wires to get required thickness of brick. So, these are also called wire cut
bricks. Now these raw bricks are ready for the drying process.
Dry clay machines

Dry clay machines are more time saving machines. We can put the blended clay into these
machines directly without tempering. Means tempering is also done in this machine by adding
some water. When the required stiffness is obtained the clay is placed in mold and pressed hard
and well-shaped bricks are delivered. These are called pressed bricks and these do not require
drying they may directly sent to burning process.
3. Drying of raw bricks

After molding process the bricks contain some amount of moisture in it. So, drying is to be done
otherwise they may cracked while burning. The drying of raw bricks is done by natural process.
The bricks are laid in stacks. A stack consists 8 to 10 stairs. The bricks in these stacks should be
arranged in such a way that circulation of air in between the bricks is free.
The period of drying may be 3 to 10 days. It also depends upon the weather conditions.
The drying yards are also prepared on higher level than the normal ground for the prevention of
bricks from rain water.

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In Some situations artificial drying is adopted under special dryers or hot gases.
4. Burning of bricks
In the process of burning, the dried bricks are burned either in clamps (small scale) or kilns
(large scale) up to certain degree temperature. In this stage, the bricks will gain hardness and
strength so it is important stage in manufacturing of bricks.
The temperature required for burning is about 1100oC. If they burnt beyond this limit they will
be brittle and easy to break. If they burnt under this limit, they will not gain full strength and
there is a chance to absorb moisture from the atmosphere.
Hence burning should be done properly to meet the requirements of good brick.

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STEPS INVOLVED IN BRICK MANUFACTURING
Manufacturing of bricks consists of the following 4 operations or steps.
1. Preparation of brick clay or brick earth

2. Moulding of bricks
3. Air drying of bricks
4. Burning of bricks
The process of brick making
1. PREPARATION OF BRICK CLAY OR BRICK EARTH
In this step the soil is excavated in steps and then laid on leveled ground. Then the soil is cleaned
of impurities such as vegetation matter, stones or pebbles etc. After removing impurities it is
exposed to weather for few months. This is called the process of weathering. After completion of
weathering process the soil is blended with other material to prepare good brick earth. Then the
mixed soil is tempered by being thoroughly broken up, watered and kneaded. The tempering is
usually done in pug mill.
2. MOULDING OF BRICKS
Bricks are moulded in many ways depending on the quality of the product to be made. Generally
the moulding is done in the following two ways
Hand moulding
Machine moulding
For hand moulding the tempered clay is forced in the mould in such a way that it fills all the
corners of the mould. Extra clay is removed either by wooden strike or frame with wire. Mould
is then lifted up and raw brick is left on ground.
Machine moulding is is used where large numbers of bricks are to be made. Machines used for
moulding is generally of two types.
Plastic clay machines

Dry clay machines
In plastic clay machine the clay in plastic state is forced to rectangular openings of a size equal to
the length and breadth of the bricks and are then cut into strips of thickness of the brick with
wires in frames.

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In dry clay machines, dry clay is reduced to powder, filled dry into mould by the machine and
then are subjected to high pressure to form hard and well shaped bricks.
3. DRYING OF BRICKS
Drying is usually done by placing the bricks in sheds with open sides so as to ensure free
circulation of air and protection from bad weather and rains. The bricks are allowed to dry till
they are left with 5 to 7 percent moisture content. The drying period usually varies from 7 to
14days. The moulded bricks are dried because of the following reasons.
If damp bricks or green bricks are directly taken to burning then, they are likely to be
cracked and distorted
To remove maximum moisture from the brick so as to save time and fuel during burning
To increase the strength of raw bricks so that they can be handled and stacked in greater
heights in the kiln for burning without damage.
4. BURNING OF THE BRICKS
It is the very important step in manufacture of bricks. Bricks may be burnt by two distinct
methods given below.
Burning in a clamp or Pazawah known as clamp burning

Burning in a flame kiln or Bhatta known as kiln burning
In clamps, one batch of green bricks is heaped along with firewood, coal etc. and sealed with
clay. It is then fired slowly to intense heat which may take many days. Modern kilns, however,
permanent structures consisting of many chambers. There are intermittent and continuous kilns.
Moulded clay is stacked in the chambers. They are then slowly dried and burned to high
temperature and cooled. One cycle of loading, drying, burning, cooling and emptying may take
as much as two weeks. These processes are carried out intermittently in intermittent kilns and in
cyclic order in continuous kilns.
Following are the properties of good quality burnt clay bricks:
Colour of brick should be bright and uniform.

Bricks should have uniform shape and standard size.
Bricks should be free from voids.
Bricks should be well-burnt, copper-coloured or reddish in colour.

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FIELD TESTS ON BRICKS
It is necessary to check the quality of brick before using it in any construction activities.There
are some field tests that we can conduct in the field in order to check the quality of bricks. These
tests are as follows.
1. Water Absorption
2. Visual inspection
3. Efflorescence
4. Dimension
5. Hardness
6. Soundness
7. Structure
1. WATER ABSORPTION
5 bricks are taken and the bricks are weighed dry and the average dry weight of 5 bricks is
calculated. Bricks are then immersed in water for a period of 24 hours. After 24 hours of
immersion, bricks are weighed again and average of 5 bricks is calculated. The difference of the
final average weight and initial average weight indicates the amount of water absorbed by the
bricks. It should not in any case exceed 20percent of average weight of dry bricks.
2. VISUAL INSPECTION
In this test bricks are closely inspected for its shape. The bricks of good quality should be
uniform in shape and should have truly rectangular shape with sharp edges.
3. EFFLORESCENCE
This test should be conducted in a well ventilated room. The brick is placed vertically in a dish
30 cm x 20 cm approximately in size with 2.5 cm immersed in distilled water. The whole water
is allowed to be absorbed by the brick and evaporated through it. After the bricks appear dry, a
similar quantity of wter is placed in the dish, and the water is allowed to evaporate as before. The
brick is to be examined after the second evaporation and reported as follows:
Nil: When there is no perceptible deposit of salt

Slight: When not more than 10% of the area of brick is covered with salt
Moderate: When there is heavy deposit covering 50% of the area of the brick but
unaccompanied by powdering or flaking of the surface.
Heavy: When there is heavy deposit covering more than 50% of the area of the brick
accompanied by powdering or flaking of the surface.
Serious: When there is heavy deposit of salts accompanied by powdering and/or flaking of
the surface and this deposition tends to increase in the repeated wetting of the specimen.
Bricks for general construction should not have more than slight to moderate efflorescence.

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4. DIMENSIONAL TOLERANCE
Twenty bricks are selected at random to check measurement of length, width and height. These
dimensions are to be measured in one or two lots of ten each as shown in figure. Variation in
dimensions are allowed only within narrow limits, 3% for class one and 8% for other classes.
5. HARDNESS
In this test, a scratch is made on brick surface with the help of a finger nail. If no impression is
left on the surface, brick is treated as to be sufficiently hard.
6. SOUNDNESS
Two bricks are taken, one in each hand, and they are struck with each other lightly. A brick of
good quality should not break and a clear ringing sound should be produced.
7. STRUCTURE
A brick is broken and its structure is examined. It should be homogeneous, compact and free
from any defects such as holes, lumps etc.

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JSPMs

Rajarshi Shahu College of Engineering (II) Shift Polytechnic

Mr. Pravin M. Thorat

Brick earth should contain about 50 to % of silica.

Good brick earth should contain about 20% to 30% of alumina.

A good brick earth should contain about 5% to 7% of iron oxide.

Mr. Pravin M. Thorat

Dimensions or Size of Bricks

Mr. Pravin M. Thorat

(2) Second class bricks:

Mr. Pravin M. Thorat

Test for Bricks

(2) Compressive/Crushing strength of Bricks:

(3) Hardness test on bricks:

Mr. Pravin M. Thorat

(6) Soundness test on brick:

Manufacturing Process Of Burnt Clay Bricks

Site selection for manufacturing of bricks

The ground should be of plain surface.

Good brick earth should be easily available.

The site should offer all facilities to the workers.

Manufacturing process of bricks

1. Preparation of clay for brick manufacturing:

Mr. Pravin M. Thorat

Mr. Pravin M. Thorat

2. Molding of clay for brick manufacturing

Hand molding ( for small scale)

Machine molding ( for large scale)

Hand molding of bricks

1. Ground molded bricks

Ground molded bricks

Mr. Pravin M. Thorat

Table molded bricks

Ground molding is economical when compared to table molding.

Machine molding of bricks

1. Plastic clay machines

2. Dry clay machines

Mr. Pravin M. Thorat

Plastic clay machines

Dry clay machines

3. Drying of raw bricks

Mr. Pravin M. Thorat

Mr. Pravin M. Thorat

STEPS INVOLVED IN BRICK MANUFACTURING

Manufacturing of bricks consists of the following 4 operations or steps.

1. Preparation of brick clay or brick earth

The process of brick making

1. PREPARATION OF BRICK CLAY OR BRICK EARTH

Plastic clay machines

Mr. Pravin M. Thorat

4. BURNING OF THE BRICKS

Burning in a clamp or Pazawah known as clamp burning

Following are the properties of good quality burnt clay bricks:

Colour of brick should be bright and uniform.

Mr. Pravin M. Thorat

FIELD TESTS ON BRICKS

Nil: When there is no perceptible deposit of salt

Mr. Pravin M. Thorat

Mr. Pravin M. Thorat

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