BRICKS

Bricks are the major component of construction. They are made up of clay, concrete
and lime. They are used to construct walls and many other construction element . Bricks
are joined by cement mortar to give good strength.

Bricks are usually rectangular in shape of size 190mm*90mm*90mm. First bricks

were invented in 7000BC near Egypt (mud bricks).

MANUFACTURING OF BRICKS:-

It includes 5 stages

TYPES OF BRICKS
1. SUN BURNT BRICKS :-
Sunburnt bricks are burnt in sunlight naturally. They are not permanent and do
not have much strength i.e less durable. They are not to be exposed to outside
weather. Used for temporary structures.
 MANUFACTURING PROCESS
1. PREPARATION OF CLAY :-
Clay is excavated from the earth and following process are taken :-

 Un-soiling : The top layer of the soil is removed to which contain impurities
 Digging : Clay is removed from earth with the use of machines.
 Cleaning : Impurities like stones, vegetables , etc. are removed.
 Weathering : watering or adding of water is done to clay and dried in sunlight or
exposed to atmosphere for a month. It helps in giving strength and good texture to
bricks.
 Blending : Chalk , Limestone , Lime are added to clay in order to form good
binding material .
 Tempering : Moisture is added to clay to make it like a paste. It is done by
machines or manually.

2.Moulding: Desired shape is acquired to the brick by moulding . The mould is

made up of wooden trays or steel. Clay is poured into the mould and reversed on a
table.

3.Natural Drying: After moulding the bricks are dried in the sunlight by arranging
them in rows and columns to allow air to pass through them.

2.BURNT CLAY BRICKS :

They are similar to unburnt bricks but the only thing is they are burnt. They are of
high strength and used for permanent structures.

Depending on the accuracy they are divided into 4 types :-

 FIRST CLASS BRICK : They are perfect in size , shape and strength when
compared to remaining classes. They are also used to be exposed on walls.
They are costly and have smooth finishing .

 SECOND CLASS BRICK: These bricks do not have smooth finishing and
sharp edges as they bare moulded on ground and burnt in kilns but have
the same amount of strength as 1st class bricks . Therefore plastering is to
be done over them.
 THIRD CLASS BRICK: They are also ground moulded and cannot be used in
permanent structures. They are similar to unburnt bricks cannot be used in
rainy areas. They are burnt in clamps .


 FOURTH CLASS BRICK : these bricks are broken bricks of very low quality
and cannot be used for construction. They are usually overburnt or
overheated and gets brittle nature. They will break down into pieces if load
is applied
 MANUFACTURING PROCESS
It is the same of unburnt bricks but additionally they include :

 Burning: Burning removes water from the clay completely and provides
hardness and strength to bricks. Burning makes the brick more durable.
Burning can be done by 2 methods:

 Clamp Burning: Bricks are arranged in alternative order and burnt with
fuel . Bricks are not burnt uniformly therefore it causes 4th class bricks. It
cannot be used during rainy season. It Is the cheapest way of
production.
 Kiln Burning Here bricks are arranged in a kiln . fuel is kept in the
below . the kiln is enclosed in a wall so heat is distributed equally. It
is not cheap but gives the best product.
 Cooling: Cooling is an important stage in brick manufacturing
because the rate of cooling has a direct effect on colour. Cooling
is done at room temperature.

2. Fly Ash Bricks

There are composed of fly ash and water. They are very light weight
therefore reducing the loads in construction. The size of this brick is
high which will be helpful in completing the comstruction in lesser
time. This include calcium oxide which is a member of cement
ingredients . they are better when compared to clay bricks.
They have high strength , proper edges , easy joining , fire
resistance, low water absorption , and do not require soaking
before construction.

MANUFACTURING PROCESS
62% -fly ash
8% - lime
5% -Gypsum
25% - Quarry Dust
 Fly ash is produced in thermal plants
 Lime is produced in chemical plants.
 Stone dust is collected from stone crusher.
 STEP 2
Storage of raw materials :
 Fly ash is spread over open yard . wetted at regular intervals. It is
covered with plastic cover.
 Lime is stored in packets.
 Stone dust ash is spread over open yard . wetted at regular intervals. It
is covered with plastic cover.
 Gypsm is stored in packets.

STEP 3

Mixing of raw materials :

 All the materials are mixed in a roller of required proportion.

 They are kneaded in wet mixer grinder to make a paste.
 Then they are transported to brick moulding machine to acquire
particular shape.

STEP 4

Drying and Curing :

 Bricks are dried up in sun for 24-48 hrs. The dried bricks are then sprayed
with water for 7-21 days and then sent to market.
4.CALCIUM SILICATE BRICKS :
These bricks are composed of lime and sand. Calcium silicate bricks are
artificial unburt bricks with are comprised press mould and dehumidified with
silicon.

MANUFACTURING PROCESS
 Sand is extracted and washed , cleaned and dried as it is the major element.
 Lime is obtained from rock. It is taken from chalk and burnt in fire kiln.
 Lime and Sand is mixed and grinded in proportion. Filtering is done to
remove any impurities.
 In mixing room moisture is added to calcium silicate mixture . Moulding is
done.
 Fixed product is then stored. Painting of the bricks is done with polymer
paints.