ABOUT BRICK…

ABOUT BRICK…

•One of the oldest building material .

•Most popular and leading construction material because of being cheap, durable
and easy to handle and work with..

•Bricks are used for building-up exterior and interior walls, partitions, piers, footings
and other load bearing structures.

•Brick may be made of burnt clay or mixture of sand and lime or of Portland cement concrete.
•Clay bricks are commonly used since these are economical and easily available.
Length of brick = 2 × width of brick + thickness of mortar
Height of brick = width of brick

Size of a standard brick (also known as modular brick)

should be 19 × 9 × 9 cm and 19 × 9 × 4 cm.

When placed in masonry the 19 × 9 × 9 cm brick with mortar

becomes 20 × 10 × 10 cm.

Varies from place to place..

CLASSIFICATION OF BRICKS (based on physical and mechanical properties)
BASIC CLASSIFICATION ARE
•Unburnt or sun dried
•Burned

BURNED BRICKS ARE CLASSIFIED INTO

•First class
•Second class
•Third class
•Fourth class bricks…

First class Brick

• These are thoroughly burnt and are of deep red, cherry or copper color.
• The surface should be smooth and rectangular, with parallel, sharp and straight edges and square corners.
•. These should be free from flaws, cracks and stones.
•. These should have uniform texture.
•. No impression should be left on the brick when a scratch is made by a finger nail.
•. The fractured surface of the brick should not show lumps of lime.
•. A metallic or ringing sound should come when two bricks are struck against each other.
•. Water absorption should be 12–15% of its dry weight when immersed in cold water for 24 hours.
• The crushing strength of the brick should not be less than 10 N/mm2.
Uses: First class bricks are recommended for pointing, exposed face work in masonry
structures, flooring and reinforced brick work.
Second class Brick

More or less same ,except some features .

• Small cracks and distortions are permitted.
•.A little higher water absorption of about 16–20% of its dry weight is allowed.
•The crushing strength should not be less than 7.0 N/mm2
•They are ground moulded.
•Surface are rough and shape is irregular.
Uses: Second class bricks are recommended for all important or unimportant masonry
works and centering of reinforced brick and reinforced cement concrete (RCC) structures.
Third class Brick
•They are under burnt. They are soft and light-colored producing a dull sound when struck
against each other.
•Irregular in shape and distorted edges.
•Water absorption is about 25 per cent of dry weight.
Uses : It is used for building temporary structures.

Fourth class Brick

They are over burnt and badly distorted in shape and size and are brittle in nature.
Uses: The ballast of such bricks is used for foundation and floors in lime concrete and road
metal.
 USE OF BRICKS
•The first class and second class are widely used for permanent structures .
Structures like ,buildings .dams ,roads, sewers ,bridges piers ,tunnels,etc.

•First class bricks are specified on the faces of the buildings for architectural beauty .

•Second class brick also used in buildings, but with plastering works on the surface.

•Third class or sun dried bricks are used for construction of temporary structures .

•Fourth class bricks are used as road metal and as aggregates in the foundation concrete.

•Bricks can be used as pavements.

•Used as foundations, walls and floors.

COLOR OF BRICKS
•Depends on .
•Degree of dryness achieved before burning .
•Natural color of clay and its chemical composition .
•Nature of sand used in moulding operation .
•Quality of fuel used
•Quality of air admitted to the kiln during burning and the temperature at which bricks burnt..
 CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD BRICK
Essential requirements for building bricks are sufficient strength in crushing, regularity in
Size, a proper suction rate, and a pleasing appearance when exposed to view.
• size and shape.
•Color
uniform deep red or cherry color.
•Texture and compactness .
•surfaces should not be too smooth to cause slipping of mortar.
•Fractured surface should not show fissures, holes grits or lumps of lime.
•Hardness and soundness
•Water absorption .
should not exceed 20 % of its dry weight .
•Crushing strength should not be less than 10 N/mm sq.
•Brick earth , should be free from stones ,kankars ,organic matter .etc.
INGREDIENTS OF BRICKS
•After drying, it should not shrink and no crack should develop.

•The clay used for brick making consists mainly of silica and alumina mixed in such a
proportion that the clay becomes plastic when water is added to it.
•It also consists of small proportions of lime, iron, manganese, sulphur, etc.