• Bricks

• Roof Tiles
• Floor Tiles
• Wall Tiles
• Fire Clay or Refractory Bricks
• Terracotta
• Porcelain
• Stoneware
• Earthenware
Clay and its classification
• Clay - mineral mass or fragmentary rock capable of mixing with water and forming a
plastic viscous mass which has a property of retaining its shape when moulded and
dried.

Classification of Clay by Origin

• Residual clays(Kaolin) or China clay, decay of underlying rocks
• The transported or sedimentary clays result from the action of weathering agencies.

Classification of Clay by Resistance to High Temperature

• The refractory clays - disperse and plastic. high refractoriness (more than 1580°C), due
to high content of alumina and low content of impurities (Fe2 O3)
• High melting clays have refractoriness (1350–1580°C) and contain small amount of
impurities such as quartz, feldspar (alumina +silica), mica, calcium carbonate and
magnesium carbonate. These are used for manufacturing facing bricks, floor tiles,
sewer pipes, etc.
• Low melting clays have refractoriness less than 1350°C and have varying compositions.
These are used to manufacture bricks, blocks, tiles, etc.
BRICKS
Brick dates back to 7000 BC

• Brick is unique building block and most used clay product,

• Being small unit it can take any shape

• Can be cut laterally and longitudinally to form bats and closures

for desired bonding
Mud brick – sun dried (Adobe) Fired brick - kiln fired

It took 10 million bricks to build the Empire

State Building.

Few billion bricks produced yearly in India

next to China.
Introduction
• The common brick is one of the oldest building material and it is extensively
used at present as a leading material in construction because of its durability,
strength, reliability, low cost, easy availability, easy to handle etc..

• Bricks are used for building up exterior and interior walls, partitions, footings

and other load bearing structures.

Brick is the solid rectangular masonry unit made of baked earth.
• Weight – 2.5kg (approx.)
• Available size – Manually made – 125 x 250 x 75 mm (approx.)
Machine made brick dimension – 100 x 200 x 100 mm .
• Colour - bright red

Characteristics of a good brick

• Makes a metallic sound when two bricks are struck
• Does not break when allowed to fall from the hand in standing position
• It usually has a groove on the top called the ‘frog’ for anchorage with the
mortar in a masonry work
• Bought in 1000s for large scale constructions
• Cost varies INR 10 to INR 12 for good quality brick
• Thermal conductivity of ordinary Clay Bricks is 1.25 – 1.35 W/m2 0 C
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 50-60%
• Alumina 20-30%
• Lime 10%
• Iron oxide <7%
• Magnesia <1%
• Alkalis <10%
• SO3; H2O <2%

Laurie Baker's Indian Coffee House, Trivandrum

Role of the ingredients

• Silica - preventing cracking, shrinking and warping of raw bricks

• Gives durability
• excess makes it brittle

• Alumina - Plasticity and ease of moulding

• excess makes it shrink and warp

• Lime - helps silica in clay to melt on burning and thus helps to bind
• Excess of it deshapes the brick
• Iron - improves impermeability and durability

• It gives strength, hardness and red colour

• excess makes the colour of brick dark blue or blackish and yellowish if less

• Magnesia – gives yellow colour

• excess decays brick

Harmful ingredients of Brick Earth
Alkalis

• These exist in brick earth in the form of soda and potash.

• It acts as a flux in the kiln during burning and it causes bricks to fuse, twist and warp.
• The alkalis remaining in bricks will absorb moisture from the atmosphere, when bricks are
used in masonry. With the passage of time, the moisture gets evaporated leaving grey or white
deposits on the wall surface (known as efflorescence). This white patch affects the appearance
of the building structure.
Harmful ingredients of Brick Earth
Lime
• Excess of lime causes the brick to melt and hence brick looses its shape.
• If lime is present in the form of lumps, then it is converted into quick lime after burning. This quick
lime slakes and expands in presence of moisture, causing splitting of bricks into pieces.
Iron pyrites
• The presence of iron pyrites in brick earth causes the brick to get crystallized and disintegrated
during burning, because of the oxidation of the iron pyrites.
• Pyrites decolourise the bricks.
Pebbles
• Pebbles in brick earth create problem during mixing operation of earth.
• It prevents uniform and through mixing of clay, which results in weak and porous bricks.
• Bricks containing pebbles will not break into shapes as per requirements.
Vegetation and Organic Matter
• The presence of vegetation and organic matter in brick earth assists in burning. But if such matter
is not completely burnt, the bricks become porous.
• This is due to the fact that the gasses will be evolved during the burning of the carbonaceous
matter and it will result in the formation of small pores.
Preparation of
Moulding Drying Burning
Clay
1. Unsoiling – taking out the top layer
2. Digging – taking the usable earth
3. Cleaning – taking out vegetation and pebbles
4. Weathering – allowing it to soften
5. Blending – mixing with other ingredients
6. Tempering – bringing to right consistency

1. Making of brick
2. Hand moulding
3. Machine moulding

To avoid cracking and distortion bricks are to be dried

Sun drying/ Controlled drying

Dehydration - Removal of water at 450 - 650 o C

Oxidation- fusing of sand and lime at 650 - 900 o C
Vitrification - 900-1100 deg Celsius
Cooling - to atmospheric temperature
Preparation of Clay
 Unsoiling

• The top layer of the soil, about 200mm in

depth, is taken out and thrown away. The
clay in top soil is full of impurities and hence
it is to be rejected for the purpose of
preparing bricks.
 Digging
• The clay is then dug out from the ground. It
is spread on the levelled ground, just a little
deeper than the general level. The height of
heaps of clay is about 600mm to 1200mm.
 Cleaning

• The clay as obtained in the process of

digging should be cleaned of stones,
pebbles, vegetable matters. If these particles
are in excess, the clay is to be washed and
screened. Such a process naturally will prove
to be troublesome and expensive.
Preparation of Clay
 Weathering
• The clay is then exposed to atmosphere for softening
and mellowing. The period varies from few weeks to
full season.
 Blending
• The clay is made loose and any ingredient to be added
to it , is spread out at its top. The blending indicates
intimate or harmonious mixing. It is carried out by
taking a small amount of clay every time and turning it
up and down in vertical direction. The blending makes
clay fit for the next stage of tempering.
 Tempering
• In the process of tempering, the clay is brought to a
proper degree of hardness and it is made fit for the
next operation of moulding. Kneaded or pressed under
the feet of man or cattle.
• For manufacturing good bricks on a large scale,
tempering is done in pug mill. A typical pug mill
capable of tempering sufficient earth for a daily output
of about 15000 to20000 bricks.
Manufacturing of Bricks
 Moulding

 Hand Moulding

In hand moulding , the bricks are moulded by

hand i.e.; manually. It is adopted where
manpower is cheap and is readily available for
the manufacturing process of bricks on a small
scale. The moulds are rectangular boxes which
are open at top and bottom. They may be of
wood or steel.
 Machine Moulding

Here the bricks are moulded by machines.

There are two types of machine moulding:
• Plastic Clay Machine
• Dry Clay Machine
Manufacturing of Bricks
Drying

• The damp bricks, if burnt, are likely to be cracked and distorted. Hence the moulded bricks are
dried before they are taken for the next operation of burning.
• For the drying the bricks are laid longitudinally in the stacks of width equal to two bricks, a stack
consists of ten or eight tiers. The bricks are laid along and across the stock in alternate layers. All
the bricks are placed on edges. The bricks are allowed to dry until the bricks become leather
hard of moisture content about 2%.
Manufacturing of Bricks
Burning

• Bricks are burned at high temperature to gain the

strength, durability, and red color appearance.
• All the water is removed at the temperature of
650 degrees but they are burnt at an temperature
of about 1100 degrees because the fusing of sand
and lime takes place at this temperature and
chemical bonding takes between these materials
after the temperature is cooled down resulting in
the hard and dense mass. Wood fire Kiln
• Bricks are not burnt above this temperature
because it will result in the melting of the bricks
and will result in a distorted shape and a very hard
mass when cooled which will not be workable
while brickwork. Bricks can be burnt using the
following methods:
• (a) Clamp Burning
• (b) Kiln Burning
 Vertical shaft Kiln

Fuel on top

Fuel at center

5,000 – 30,000 bricks per day.

Prepared brick taken out time to time

Tunnel Kiln
Production: 60,000-2,00,000/day
 Energy performance

Environmental performance
Checks of brick:

Dimension check

Compressive strength test

Check for warpage

Check for water absorption

Efflorescence - Alkalis in form of soda and potash

Compressive Strength of Bricks = Maximum
Load at Failure (N)/Average area of bed face
(mm2)
Six randomly chosen bricks, have their initial weights measured, and then kept
immersed in water for 24 hours, after which their weights were re-measured. The
results are given here:
Brick Final weight [kg]
Initial weight [kg]
# (after 24-hour immersion in water)
P 2.65 3.14
Q 2.57 2.92
R 2.41 2.85
S 2.46 2.89
T 2.54 2.86
U 2.48 2.93

𝑊𝑊𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 − 𝑊𝑊𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖
% 𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟 = × 100%
𝑊𝑊𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖
W1 W2
Initial weight Final weight Water retention
Brick # [kg] [kg] (%)
P 2.65 3.14 18.5%
Q 2.57 2.92 13.8%
R 2.41 2.85 18.3%
S 2.46 2.89 17.5%
T 2.54 2.86 12.6%
U 2.48 2.93 18.1%
Classification of Bricks
• Bricks, which are used in construction works,
are burnt bricks. They are classified into four
categories on the basis of its manufacturing
and preparation, as given below.
• First class bricks
• Second class bricks
• Third class bricks
• Fourth class bricks
First class bricks
Shape size and colour – Table moulded, Dark red, perfect shape and
dimension, no warpage
Compressive strength – 10N/ mm2
Water absorption – 10 – 15%
Defects - minimum
Use – Superior, exposed brick work
Second class bricks hair cracks and their edges may not be sharp
and uniform
Shape size and colour – Red, edges not sharp and some irregularity
Compressive strength – 7- 10 N/ mm2
Water absorption – 16 – 20%
Defects – fine cracks,
Use – general brick work which needs plaster
• Third class bricks
Shape size and colour – dull red, under burnt, rough surface, warpage
Compressive strength – 4-7 N/ mm2
Water absorption – 20-25%
Defects – irregular, distorted
Use – Temporary, inferior work, for construction in dry areas

• Fourth class bricks

Shape size and colour – Black/ dark colour, overburnt, deformed
Compressive strength – <4 N/ mm2
Water absorption – >25%
Defects – unusable as building material
Use – As aggregate in foundation of buildings, roads
Classification of Bricks
Classification of Bricks
Brick masonry
• Arrangement of bricks in a particular fashion so that a continuous surface is
obtained
• Bricks is joined by mud or cement sand mortar to make it a monolithic surface
• It is capable of taking compressive load
• No continuous vertical line is allowed in a masonry work to disperse the vertical
pressure uniformly
• A days work ends with a toothing
• Height of 1.5 meters and continuous length of 5 meters can be done at a
stretch/day
• To allow openings in a continuous wall, only 1 – 1.2 meters height can be done
/ day
• Use of bats and closures for turns or ends is necessary
Brick Masonry
• There are basically two types of bricks masonry:
A. Brick work in Mud
B. Brick work in Cement
 Brick Work in Mud

• In this, mud is used to fill up the joints.

• Thickness of the mortar is 12mm
• Maximum height of the wall is 4m
Brick Masonry
 Brick Work in Cement

• There are basically three categories:

 Class I

• Cement or lime mortar is used

• The surfaces and edges of bricks are sharp
• The thickness of mortar joints doesn’t
exceed 10mm.
 Class II

• Ground moulded bricks are used.

• Bricks are rough and shape is slightly
irregular.
• The thickness of mortar joint is 12 mm
 Class III

• Bricks are not hard, rough surface with

distorted shape.
• Used for temporary structures.
Brick Masonry- English Bond
Brick Masonry- Flemish Bond
Brick Laying Patterns
• Herringbone
• Stretcher Bond
• Stack Bond
• Basket weave
• Circular Radial
• Composite: Combination of two or
more type.
Brick Laying Patterns