MATERIAL AND PROCESSES

ASSIGNMENT – 3 BRICKS
INDEX:-

1. QUALITY OF GOOD BRICKS

2. TESTS FOR BRICKS
3. CLASSIFICATION OF BRICKS
4. SHAPE OF BRICKS
1. QUALITY OF GOOD BRICKS

It is always desirable to use the best quality brick in constructions.

Therefore, the Characteristics of a good brick must be investigated.
Generally good bricks possesses following properties-

01. BRICK EARTH

Brick earth should be free from pebbles, stones, organic matter,

saltpeter (potassium nitrate) and other harmful chemical, as it
makes poor quality of bricks.

02. SIZE OF A BRICK

 A good brick should have a

uniform size with plain and
rectangular surfaces and should
be parallel from the sides having
sharp and straight edges, as per
standards.
 A brick should not exceed 3 mm
tolerance in length and 1.5 mm
tolerance in width and height.
 According to ‘IS 1077: 1992’ (Common Burnt Clay Building
Bricks – Specification), the standard or conventional size of
clay brick is 190mm X 90mm x 90mm.
 However, the size of bricks may vary from country to country
and from place to place even in big countries like India.
03. SHAPE

 The shape of a brick should be uniform.

 The edges of a good brick should be sharp, straight and at a
right angle.
 However, bricks used for special purpose may be either cut or
manufactured in various other shapes.
 These are generally modifications of rectangular shapes.

04. COLOUR

 There are wide range of colors, such as red, white, grey, brown,
purple, blue and black, along with some intermediate shades.
 According to ‘W. B. McKay’ (Author of Building Construction),
the color is influenced by the chemical constitution of the clay,
its temperature while burning, the atmospheric condition of
kiln, and staining.
 Good quality bricks should be well burnt and should have a
uniform color throughout the body of brick.
 Over burnt and under burnt bricks loses the uniformity of
color on its surface and strength.
 Very dark shades of red indicate over burnt bricks whereas,
yellow colo r indicates under burnt bricks.

05. FROG IN BRICK

 A good quality brick should have a

proper frog (Depression made on the
face of bricks during molding), so that
the mortar can be properly filled in the frog.
 The size of the frog should be 100 mm in length, 40 mm in
width and 10 mm in depth.

06. TEXTURE AND COMPACTNESS

 There is a considerable variation in the texture of bricks.

 The good bricks should have a pre-compacted and uniform
texture.
 The surfaces of brick should not be too smooth to cause
slipping of mortar.
 A fractured surface should not show cracks, holes, grits or
lumps of lime.

07. COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH

 The compressive strength of brick depends upon the

composition of the clay and degree of burning.
 As per ‘National Building Code of India’ (1983), the
compressive strength of brick should be of minimum 3.5
N/mm2 i.e. 35 Kg/cm2

08. HARDNESS

 Bricks should be sufficiently hard.

 No impression should be left on the surface of a brick when it is
scratched with fingernails.

09. WATER ABSORPTION

 Water absorption of a good brick should not exceed 20 % of its

dry weight when immersed in water for 24 hours.
 Bricks, when soaked in water for 24 hours, should not show
deposits of white salts, when allowed to dry in the shade.
 Bricks should not absorb water more than 20 per cent by
weight especially for bricks of the first class and 22 per cent by
weight for bricks of the second class when they are soaked in
water for 24 hours

10. SOUNDNESS

 When the brick is struck with a hammer or with another brick,

it should give a metallic ringing sound.
 The thermal conductivity of bricks should be low as it is
desirable that the building built with them should be cool in
summer and warm in winter.

2. TESTS FOR BRICKS

A brick is generally subjected to the following tests to find for
the construction work,
1. Crushing strength
2. Absorption
3. Hardness
4. Presence of soluble salts
5. Shape and size
6. Soundness
7. Structure

1. CRUSHING STRENGTH:

 The brick specimens are immersed in water for 24 hours.

 The frog of the brick is filled flush with 1:3 cement mortars and
the specimen is stored in damp jute bag for 24 hours and then
immersed in clean water for 24 hours.
 The specimen is placed in compression testing machine with 6
mm plywood on top and bottom of it to get uniform load on the
specimen.
 Then load is applied axially at a uniform rate of 14 N/mm2.
 The crushing load is noted. Then the crushing strength is
the ratio of crushing load to the area of brick loaded.
 Average of five specimen is taken as the crushing strength.

2. ABSORPTION TEST:

 Brick specimen is weighed dry.

 Then they are immersed in water for
a period of 24 hours.
 The specimen are taken out and wiped
with cloth.
 The weight of each specimen in wet
condition is determined.
 The difference in weight indicates the
water absorbed.
 Then the percentage absorption is the ratio of water absorbed
to dry weight multiplied by 100.
 The average of five specimens is taken.
 This value should not exceed 20 per cent Sharp edges.
 To check it, 20 bricks are selected at random and they are
stacked along the length, along the width and then along the
height.
 For the standard brick of size 190 mm × 90 mm × 90 mm. IS
code permits the following limits: Lengthwise: 3680 to 3920
mm Widthwise: 1740 to 1860 mm Height wise: 1740 to 1860
mm.
The following field tests help in ascertaining the good quality
bricks:
(i) uniformity in size
(ii) uniformity in color
(iii) structure
(iv) hardness test
(v) sound test
(vi) strength test.

3. UNIFORMITY IN SIZE:

A good brick should have rectangular plane surface and uniform

in size. This check is made in the field by observation.

4. UNIFORMITY IN COLOR:

A good brick will be having uniform colour throughout. This ob

servation may be made before purchasing the brick.

5. STRUCTURE:

A few bricks may be broken in the field and their cross-section

observed. The section should be homogeneous, compact and free
from defects such as holes and lumps.

6. SOUND TEST:

If two bricks are struck with each other they should

produce clear ringing sound. The sound should not be dull.
7. HARDNESS TEST:

For this a simple field test is scratch the brick with nail. If no
impression is marked on the surface, the brick is sufficiently hard

8. EFFLORESCENCE:

The presence of alkalis in brick is not desirable because they form

patches of gray powder by absorbing moisture. Hence to determine
the presence of alkalis this test is performed as explained below:
Place the brick specimen in a glass dish containing water to a depth
of 25 mm in a well ventilated room. After all the water is absorbed
or evaporated again add water for a depth of 25 mm. After second
evaporation observe the bricks for white/grey patches. The
observation is reported as ‘nil’, ‘slight’, ‘moderate’, ‘heavy’ or serious
to mean
(a) Nil: No patches
(b) Slight: 10% of area covered with deposits
(c) Moderate: 10 to 50% area covered with deposit but
unaccompanied by flaking of the surface.
(d) Heavy: More than 50 per cent area covered with deposits but
unaccompanied by flaking of the surface.
(e) Serious: Heavy deposits of salt accompanied by flaking of the
surface.

3. CLASSIFICATION OF BRICKS
Bricks can be of many types depending on –
1. Quality
2. Building Process
3. Manufacturing Method
4. Raw Material
5. Using Location
6. Weather-resisting
Capability
7. Purpose of Using
8. Shape
9. Region

CLASSIFICATION OF BRICKS BASED ON QUALITY

On the basis of quality, Bricks are of the following kinds:

1. First Class Brick:
The size is standard. The color of these bricks is uniform yellow or
red. It is well burnt, regular texture, uniform shape. The absorption
capacity is less than 10%, crushing strength is, 280kg/cm2 (mean)
where it is 245 kg/cm2 (minimum). It doesn’t have efflorescence. It
emits a metallic sound when struck by another similar brick or
struck by a hammer. It is hard enough to resist any fingernail
expression on the brick surface if one tries to do with a thumbnail. It
is free from pebbles, gravels or organic matters. It is generally used-
1. in a building of long durability, say 100 years
2. for building exposes to a corrosive environment;
3. for making coarse aggregates of concrete.

2. Second Class Brick:

The size is standard; color is uniform yellow or red. It is well
burnt, slightly over burnt is acceptable. It has a regular shape;
efflorescence is not appreciable. The absorption capacity is more
than 10% but less than 15%. Crushing strength is
175kg/cm2(mean) where the minimum is 154 kg/cm2. It emits a
metallic sound when struck by another similar brick or struck by
a hammer. It is hard enough to resist any fingernail expression on
the brick surface if one tries to do with a thumbnail. It is used for
the construction of one-storied buildings, temporary shed when
intended durability is not more than 15 years.
3. Third Class Brick:
The shape and size are not regular. The color is soft and light red
colored. It is under burnt, slightly over burnt is acceptable. It has
extensive efflorescence. The texture is non-uniform. The absorption
capacity is more than 15% but less than 20%. The crushing strength
is 140kg/cm2(mean) where the minimum crushing strength is
105kg/cm2. It emits a dull or blunt sound when struck by another
similar brick or struck by a hammer. It leaves fingernail expression
when one tries to do with the thumbnail.

CLASSIFICATION OF BRICKS BASED ON BUILDING PROCESS

1. Unburnt Bricks: These are half burnt bricks. The color is

yellow. The strength is low. They are used as surki in lime
terracing. They are used as soiling under RCC footing or
basement. Such bricks should not be exposed to rainwater.
2. Burnt Bricks: Burnt bricks are made by burning them in the
kiln. First class, Second Class, Third Class bricks are burnt
bricks.
3. Over Burnt or Jhama Brick: It is often known as the vitrified
brick as it is fired at high temperature and for a longer period
of time than conventional bricks. As a result, the shape is
distorted. The absorption capacity is high. The strength is
higher or equivalent to first class bricks. It is used as lime
concrete for the foundation. It is also used as coarse aggregate
in the concrete of slab and beam which will not come in contact
with water.

CLASSIFICATION OF BRICKS BASED ON MANUFACTURING METHOD

On the basis of manufacturing method bricks are of the following

kinds:
1. Extruded Brick: It is created by forcing clay and water into
a steel die, with a very regular shape and size, then cutting the
resulting column into shorter units with wires before firing. It
is used in constructions with limited budgets. It has three or
four holes constituting up to 25% volume of the brick.
2. Molded Brick: It is shaped in molds by hand rather being in
the machine. Molded bricks between 50-65mm are available
instantly. Other size and shapes are available in 6-8 weeks
after the order.
3. Dry pressed Brick: It is the traditional types of bricks which
are made by compressing clay into molds. It has a deep frog in
one bedding surface and shallow frog in another.

CLASSIFICATION OF BRICKS BASED ON RAW MATERIALS

On the basis of raw materials bricks are of the following kinds:

1. Burnt Clay Brick: It is obtained by pressing the clay in molds
and fried and dried in kilns. It is the most used bricks. It
requires plastering when used in construction works.
2. Fly ash clay Brick: It is manufactured when fly ash and clay
are molded in 1000 degree Celsius. It contains a high volume of
calcium oxide in fly ash. That is why usually described as self-
cementing. It usually expands when coming into contact with
moisture. It is less porous than clay bricks. It proved a smooth
surface so it doesn’t need plastering.

3. Concrete Brick: It is made of concrete. It is the least used

bricks. It has low compression strength and is of low quality.
These bricks are used above and below the damp proof course.
These bricks are used can be used for facades, fences and
internal brickworks because of their sound reductions and
heat resistance qualities. It is also called mortar brick. It can be
of different colors if the pigment is added during
manufacturing. It should not be used below ground.
4. Sand-lime Brick: Sand, fly ash and lime are mixed and molded
under pressure. During wet mixing, a chemical reaction takes
place to bond the mixtures. Then they are placed in the molds.
The color is greyish as it offers something of an aesthetic view.
It offers a smoother finish and uniform appearance than the
clay bricks. As a result, it also doesn’t require plastering. It is
used as a load bearing members as it is immensely strong.
5. Firebrick: It is also known as refractory bricks. It is
manufactured from a specially designed earth. After burning, it
can withstand very high temperature without affecting its
shape, size, and strength. It is used for the lining of chimney
and furnaces where the usual temperature is expected to be
very high.

CLASSIFICATION OF BRICKS BASED ON USING LOCATION

On the basis of using location bricks are of the following kinds:

1. Facing Brick: The façade material of any building is known as
facing brick. Facings bricks are standard in size, are stronger
than other bricks and also have better durability. The color is
red or brown shades to provide a more aesthetic look to the
building. There are many types of facing bricks which use
different techniques and technology. Facing bricks should be
weather resistant as they are most generally used on the
exterior wall of buildings.
2. Backing Brick: These types of brick don’t have any special
features. They are just used behind the facing bricks to provide
support.

4. SHAPE OF BRICKS
On the basis of shape bricks are of following kinds:
1. Bull nose Brick: These bricks are molded into round angles.
They are used for rounded quoin.
2. Airbricks: These bricks contain holes to circulate air. They
are used on suspended floors and cavity walls.
3. Channel Bricks: They are molded into the shape of a gutter
or channel. They are used in drains.
4. Coping Bricks: They can be half round, chamfered,
Saddleback, angled varied according to the thickness of the
wall.
5. Cow Nose Bricks: Bricks having double bullnose known as
Cow Nose Bricks.
6. Capping Bricks: These bricks are used to cap the tops of
parapets or freestanding walls.
7. Brick Veneers: These bricks are thin and used for cladding.
8. Curved Sector Bricks: These are curved in shape. They are
used in arcs, pavements, etc.
9. Hollow Bricks: These bricks are around one-third of the
weight of the normal bricks. They are also called cellular or
cavity bricks. Their thickness is from 20-
25mm. These bricks pave the way to
quicker construction as they can be laid
quickly compared to the normal bricks.
They are used in partitioning.
10. Paving Bricks: These bricks contain a
good amount of iron. Iron vitrifies bricks at low
temperature. They are used in garden park floors,
pavements. These bricks withstand the abrasive action of
traffic thus making the floor less slippery.
11. Perforated Bricks: These bricks contain cylindrical
holes. They are very light in weight. Their preparation
method is also easy. They consume less clay than the other
bricks. They can be of different shapes like round, square,
rectangular. They are used in the construction of the panels
for lightweight, structures, and multistoried frame
structures.
12. Purpose Made Bricks: For specific purposes, these
bricks are made. Splay and can’t bricks are made for doors
and window jambs. Engineering bricks are made for civil
engineering constructions such as sewers, manholes,
retaining walls. Fire bricks are made for chimneys and
fireworks. Ornamental bricks are made to use for cornices,
corbels. Arch bricks are used in arcs.