Brick

I. Composition
II. Harmful Ingredients
III. Manufacturing
IV. Quality and Tests
V. Brick Masonary and Types of Bonding in bricks

Brick
A small rectangular block typically made of fired or sun-dried clay,
used in construction.

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 Size of Brick

Brick: Questions Start Right

Here!
1. Standard Size

2. Nominal Size or Size of

Brick along with mortar

3. Conventional Size of
Brick

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1. Composition of Brick

1. Silica (50-60%)
 Silica prevents the cracking, shrinkage and warping of the
bricks, thereby imparts uniform Shape to it.
 If it is in excess, it destroys
cohesion between the particles, hence bricks
become too brittle.
2. Alumina (20-30%)
 Alumina impacts plasticity to the brick earth so that it can be
easily moulded in any designed shape.
 If it is in excess, it causes shrinkage and warping during the
drying of the bricks and makes the bricks too hard during the
working process.

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3. Lime (4-5%)
 Lime also prevents the shrinking of the bricks
 If it is in excess, it causes the brick to melt during the
burning thereby it results in loss of the shape of bricks

Note: During the burning of the bricks, calcium carbonate (limestone) is

converted into quick lime that undergoes slaking process which in turn,
results in the cracking & disintegration of the bricks due to increase in
volume.

4. Oxides of Iron (5-6%)

 Oxides of iron helps silica and lime to fuse with each
other, hence leads to the development of strength in the
bricks
 It also imparts reddish brown colour in bricks.

5. Magnesia (1%)

 Magnesia also prevents the shrinkage in bricks and imparts

yellowish tint in bricks.

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 II. Harmful Ingredients in Brick
1. Lime slaking:

• Slaking volume increase cracking & disintegration

2. Iron Pyrites
• Presence of the Iron Pyrites leads to crystallization and
disintegration of bricks during burning due to the
oxidation of these pyrites

3. Alkalies
• Alkali act as a flux during the burning of bricks but if it is in
excess it causes the bricks to fuse with each other thereby
resulting in its twisting and warping
• Presence of Alkalies also leads to efflorescence and
staining in bricks.

4. Pebbles or Stones
• Presence of stones and pebbles brick earth leads to the
formation of weak and porous bricks, load carrying
capacity of which is comparatively reduced.

5. Organic and vegetative matter

• Presence of organic & vegetative matter helps in the burning
of bricks but if they are left unburnt, it results in the
formation of gases during the decomposition, which when
escapes through the body of the bricks leads to the
development of numerous voids, which results in decreasing
of load carrying capacity of bricks 5
 III. Manufacturing of Bricks

1. Preparation of Clay

A. Unsoiling: top 200 mm of soil is thrown and is not as it

consists of majority of impurities in it

B. Digging: soil is dug out and spread over the level filed
to prepare it for next operation of cleaning
C. Cleaning: Impurities like stones, pebbles, organic matter,
vegetation matter is removed from the brick earth
D. Weathering: after cleaning the clay it is imposed to the
atmosphere for few weeks to few months for its softening,
ripening and weathering

E. Blending: It is process in which different ingredients of

bricks earth is spread over the weathered clay in definite
proportion and mixed.
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F. Tempering:
Tempering is the
process in which
requested degree of
hardness is induced
in the brick earth to
make it suitable for
the next operation of
moulding.
- Tempering of the brick is
done in “pug mill”

2. Moulding of Clay

The process of giving desired shape and size to the bricks is termed
as moulding.
• Steel or wood moulds are used, size of which is
approximately kept to be 8-12% greater than the size of the
bricks in order to account for its shrinkage.
• During moulding a mark of depth 10-20 mm is placed over
the surface of the brick that is termed as frog mark, which serves
following two purpose:

i) Trade name of the manufacturer.

ii) If acts a key for mortar when the layer of bricks is placed over it.

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 Moulding of the bricks can be done with the help of hand or
with the help of machines.

• Hand moulded bricks are further of two types:

a) Ground moulded bricks
b) Table moulded bricks
 Qualities of table moulded bricks in comparatively better
than the quality of ground moulded bricks and its rate of
moulding is also comparatively better than ground
moulded bricks.

• Machine moulded bricks are also of two types:

a) Plastic clay moulded bricks
b) Dry clay moulded bricks

 Quality of dry clay moulded bricks is also comparatively

better than plastic clay moulded bricks.

3. Drying
Moulded bricks , if are directly
burnt without drying are to liable
to get crack due to excessive
shrinkage, hence its drying is
carried out before the burning
of pressure in which moisture
content of the brick is reduced
up to 2% 8
 4. Burning of Bricks

Burning impacts strength and hardness to the bricks, it makes them

dense and durable

• Burning should be done properly

• Overburnt- Brittle/easily broken
• Underburnt- Soft/unable to carry designed load
• Burning of the bricks is carried out at 11000C at which silica and
lime fuse with each other thereby imparting strength to the
bricks
a) Clamps
a) Clamps
Burning Burning
b) Kilns
b) Kilns

a) Burning of Bricks in Clamps

• Trapezoidal section of
ground is taken and longer
side is raised with 150
• A brick wall in mud is
constructed along the
shorter side and the fuel
layer having thickness of
700 to 800 mm spread over
the level ground.

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• Fuel used for burning of the
bricks in clamps constitutes
grass, rice husk ash, wood,
cow dung, coal dust etc

a) Burning of Bricks in Clamps

• Burning of the brick in clamp is carried out for 2-3 months that is
further following by its cooling for same duration.

• No supervision is required in clamps, moreover since locally

available fuel is used, the entire process is comparatively
economical.

• There is no control over the fire in clamps, hence the bricks

obtained are not of uniform quality

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Kilns are large sized oven that are used for the burning of bricks.
Supply of the bricks from these kilns may either be continuous or
intermittent accordingly. They are classified as-

i) Intermittent Kilns

• All the operations of loading,

burning, cooling and unloading is
done sequentially and , hence the
supply of the bricks is not continuous
from these kilns
• Consists of two sets of main doors
that are used for loading and
unloading the bricks.
• Bricks are placed in these kilns in the
rows of approximately 4-5 brick thick
and height of approximately 6-8 brick
thick
• An open space between the two rows
of approx 2-3 bricks thick is left which 11
is used for placing the fuel.
1. Up Draught kilns : If the movement of the gases is allowed
to take place in vertically upward direction, it is termed as
Up Draught kilns
2. Down draught kilns: If the movement of gases is allowed
to take place in vertically downward direction, it is termed
as Down draught kilns
• In down draught kilns permanent roof is provided along with
the central chimney that permits the movement of the gases in
downward direction.

 Qualities of the brick obtained from Down draught kilns is

comparatively better than that of bricks obtained from up
draught kilns.

ii) Continuous Kilns

In continuous kilns, the supply of the bricks is maintained to be
continuous as all the operations of loading, burning, cooling and
unloading is done simultaneously
1. Bull Trench Kiln
• It includes two sets of movable
chimneys that are always placed
ahead of the section in which
burning is to be carried out. Such
an arrangement allows the pre
heating of the bricks in the
chamber over which chimney is
placed.
• This kiln consists of number of
sections in which all the operations
of loading, burning, cooling and
unloading is done simultaneously. 12
 2. Hoffmann Kiln
• This kiln is circular in plan and
consists of fixed central chimney
unlikely Bull trench kiln that
consists of moveable chimneys
• This kiln consists of number of
sections in which all the operations
of loading, burning, cooling and
unloading is done simultaneously

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• The supply of the bricks is maintained to be continuous in these
types of kiln by sequential opening and closing the different sets
of doors.
• Initial cost of Hoffmann kiln is comparatively more than that of
Bull Trench kiln, but its operational cost is comparatively less than
that of Bull trench kiln.
• Capacity of Hoffmann kiln is also more than that of Bull trench
kiln.
• As fire can be regulated in these type of kilns, quality of the bricks is
also comparatively better

3. Tunnel Kiln
• This kiln is in the form of tunnel which may either be rectangular,
circular or oval in plan.

• It consists of different stationary zones in which all the process of

loading, burning, cooling and unloading is done simultaneously.

• Bricks are placed either on trolley or on conveyer belts and is

passed through different stationary zones in the tunnel

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IV. Quality/Testing of Bricks
1. The bricks should be at least table moulded, well
burnt and free from cracks

2. The bricks should be of uniform shape & size

 Conventional size of bricks= 22.4 cm x 11.4 x 7.6 cm
 Standard size of brick= 19cmx 9cm x 9cm
 With mortar = 20cm x 10 cm x 10 cm
 Wt of 1m3 bricks = 1800 kg
 Wt of 1 brick= 3.5- 3.6 kg

3. Sound Test- The bricks should produce clear metallic ringing

sound when struck with each other.

4. Structure test- the bricks should have uniform

homogenous structure across all the section i.e. it
should be free from any voids.
5. Absorption Test: The bricks when immersed in water for 24
hours should not absorb water by more than-
• 20% in case of 1st class bricks
• 22% in case of 2nd class brick
• 25% in case of 3rd class bricks
6. Compressive Strength Test: The bricks should
process minimum compressive strength of:

1st class- 10 N/mm2

2nd class- 7.5 N/mm2
3rd class- 3.5 N/mm2
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7. Toughness test: The brick should not break into pieces when
dropped on levelled ground from the height of 1m.

8. Hardness/ Abrasion: the brick should possess sufficient

hardness and does not show any sign of impression
when scratched with finger nails.

9. Alkali test: the Bricks when immersed in water for 24 hours

should not show any sign of efflorescence and staining.

V. Brick Masonary

1. Stretcher: Longer side

face of the brick

2. Header: The shorter side

face of the brick

• Used for Hearting

of walls

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3. Closures: The portion of brick cut along its length

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 4. Bats: The portion of brick cut along its width

5. Quoin: It is the interior angle at the face of the wall that is

greater than equal to 900.

V. Bonding in Brick Masonary

1. English Bond
• Alternate layer of header and stretcher placed over each other.
• To break the alignment of vertical joints to be in straight line
Queen closure is placed next to Quoin header.
• Queen closure is never placed either at the starting or at the
end of the coarse. As it is liable to get displaced. 18
 • For the walls having thickness
in odd multiples of half brick
thick, each course shows
harder on one face and
stretcher on other face.
• Minimum lap available
for stretcher in each
course is ¼ th the length
of brick.

2. Flemish Bond
• It is the arrangement of
bonding in which each
course consists of
alternate header
and stretcher placed
next to each other.

• In order to break the

alignment of vertical joints
to be in straight line, Queen
closures is placed next to
quoin header in each
alternate course.
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• For walls having thickness
in odd multiples of half
brick thick. English bond is
found to have higher
strength than Flemish
bond.

• Flemish bond is aesthetically more pleasing than English bond

but it requires skilled masonary work.

• Flemish bond is found to be more economical than English bond

as no of half bats is used in this case due to which wastage of
brick is comparatively less

3. Stretcher Bond

• To break alignment in
stretcher bond, half bats
are used.

• It is arrangement of
bonding in which all the
bricks are laid along the
stretcher.

• In order to break the

alignment of vertical
joints to be in straight
line, half bats are used
in each alternate course.

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 4. Header Bond

• It is the arrangement of
bonding in which all the bricks
are laid along the header in
each course.

• In order to break
the alignment of
vertical joints, to be
in straight line
there quarter bat is
used in each
alternate course.

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Civil Engineering by Sandeep Jyani