Experiment 3

Finding the Moisture Content and Bulk Density of Fired Brick

Objective(s):
Students must be able to define the terms moisture content, dry weight, saturated weight,
suspended weight

• Students must be able to perform the test according to ASTM standard C140/C140M

• Students should be able to calculate the required properties with proper formulae

Introduction:
Moisture is the primary agent of deterioration and combined with diurnal temperature
variation, has the greatest influence upon the overall performance of building materials.
Moisture can influence external walling in all its states, i.e., as a solid (ice, snow); liquid
(wind-driven rain) and gas (water vapor). Most constructional defects, e.g., movement,
cracking, fungal attack, chemical reaction, are initiated and aggravated by the presence of
moisture. The primary sources of moisture include the following:

Penetrating moisture:

Rain, particularly when driven by strong winds, can penetrate the thickest masonry
walling, typically at mortar joints, through stones and defective or dirty wall ties. The
relative exposure of external walling (see photograph), will determine the potential risk to
wind driven rain. In addition, the height and proximity of neighboring buildings or the local
topography can considerably influence this exposure, e.g., walling on the periphery of an
urban area may have a considerably higher local exposure than those positioned more
centrally. Damaged or blocked gutters and downpipes provide another source of
penetrating moisture. Damaged rainwater goods typically concentrate large quantities of
moisture in one area, resulting in high moisture contents and localized damage externally
and potential for damage internally.
Water vapor:

This arises from many of the activities we undertake within buildings, e.g. washing and
bathing, laundry, and preparation of food. These activities can typically produce 7 to 10
liters of moisture/ water vapor per day. With an effective vapor pressure difference, this
water vapor will freely transfer to the outside through ventilators or dissipate through
vapor permeable building fabric. However, it may also condense as liquid moisture on cold
surfaces. Where this condensation is absorbed by surface finishes and linings, increasing
surface moisture contents, there may be an increased risk of mold, fungi or disrupted
finishes. In addition, water vapor from external sources, driven by higher external
temperatures, can diffuse through the wall from outside to inside, condensing on the back
of high (vapor) resistance internal linings or vapor control layers.

Ground moisture:

Over the past few years there has been some debate within the industry as to the extent
moisture can transfer vertically within masonry. However, there are clear instances when
low level moisture will readily transfer through external walling, e.g., where adjoining soil
or paving is in direct contact with the external wall above dpc (damp proof course)
moisture barriers. Higher moisture contents at these lower positions can also result in an
increased risk of thermal bridging and localized condensation, resulting in staining and
disruption to low level internal finishes.

Flood waters:

A typically infrequent event where the building is inundated as a result of leaking internal
services, e.g., heating system, water supply, drainage; or due to extreme weather conditions
resulting in increased river or tidal levels. In both instances water impacts upon the
building in a violent and immediate fashion, typically resulting in physical damage and
wetting. Fortunately, the period of exposure to flood waters is typically relatively short,
usually restricted to days rather than months. However, in addition to high moisture
contents, the building fabric may also be exposed to contaminants carried into the building
by the flood waters. These contaminants can sometimes be more difficult than the moisture
to effectively resolve.

Porosity and density:

Low porosity of the refractory brick is desirable since it improves the mechanical strength
and other properties of the refractories. True porosity of a refractory brick is the ratio of
the total pore space (i.e., open and closed pores) of a body to its volume and is expressed in
volume percent.

The density is the quotient of mass and volume excluding pore space and is determined on
finely crushed material. Frequently, not the values of the true porosity but those of
apparent porosity (open porosity) are used as the application property. The apparent
porosity includes only those holes which can be infiltrated by water and not the closed
holes.

High porosity materials tend to be highly insulating as a result of high volume of air they
trap, since air is a very poor thermal conductor. As a result, low porosity materials are
generally used in hotter zones, while the more porous materials are usually used for
thermal backup. Such materials, however, do not work with higher temperatures and direct
flame impingement, and are likely to shrink when subjected to such conditions. Refractory
materials with high porosity are usually not chosen when they are to be in contact with
liquid slag since they can be penetrated as easily.
The bulk density is generally considered in conjunction with apparent porosity. It is a
measure of the weight of a given volume of the refractory. For many refractories, the bulk
density provides a general indication of the product quality. It is considered that the
refractory with higher bulk density (low porosity) is better in quality. This is because an
increase in bulk density increases the volume stability, the heat capacity, as well as the
resistance to abrasion and slag penetration.

Procedure:

• Immerse the test specimens in water at a temperature of 15oC to 27oC for 24 to 28 hours
such that the top surfaces of the specimens are at least 6 in (150 mm) below the surface of
the water.

• Specimens shall be separated from each other and from the bottom of the immersion tank
by at least 0.125 in (3 mm), using wire mesh, grating, or other spacers so that not more

than 10 % of the surface area of the specimen is in contact with the spacer.

• Weigh the specimens while suspended by a metal wire and completely submerged in
water and record wi (immersed weight).

• Remove the specimens from water and allow draining by placing them on a 0.375 in
(10mm) or coarser wire mesh. While the specimen is draining and before weighing,
remove visible surface water with a damp cloth. Weigh specimens 60 seconds following
removal from water. Record as ws (saturated weight).

• Subsequent to saturation, dry all specimens in a ventilated oven at 230 ± 6-9oF [110 ± 6
5oC] for not less than 24 hours and until two successive weightings at intervals of 2 hours,
show an increment of loss not greater than 0.2 % of the last previously determined weight
of the specimen. Record weight of dried specimens as wd (oven-dry weight).
Absorption:

Calculate absorption as follows

Where

ws = saturated weight of specimen, lb or kg

wi = immersed weight of specimen, lb or kg

wd = oven-dry weight of specimen, lb or kg

Moisture Content:

Calculate the moisture content of the brick as received (when wr is measured) as follows

Where:

wr = Received weight of unit, lb or kg

wd = Oven dry weight of unit, lb or kg

ws = Saturated weight of unit, lb or kg

NOTE: When determining the moisture content of a brick, the value determined is a
measure of the water content of a brick based upon the received weight of the brick wr.
Thus, the moisture content calculation above is only applicable to the brick moisture
content at the time brick was received and wr is calculated.

Density:

Calculate oven-dry density as follows

Where

wS = Saturated weight of specimen, lb and kg

wi = Immersed weight of specimen, lb and kg

wd = Oven-dry weight of specimen, lb and kg

Average Net Area:

Calculate average net area as follows

Where

Vn = net volume of specimen, ft3 or cm3

wd = oven-dry weight of specimen, lb or kg

D = oven-dry density of specimen, lb/ft3 or kg/m3

ws = saturated weight of specimen, lb or kg

wi = immersed weight of specimen, lb or kg

An = average net area of specimen, in2 or mm2

H = average height of specimen, in or mm

 WORKSHEET – EXPERIMENT 3

Finding the Moisture Content and Bulk Density of Fired Brick

Name: ____________________________ Date: _____________________________

Registration #: _____________________ Group: ____________________________

Materials:

Equipment:

Standard/Software:

Procedure:
Results and observations:
Moistur
e
contents
Absorption Density Average Net Area
(total
absorpti
Grou on)
p
(Averag Averag
(Net (Net
Per Per e net e net
lb/ Kg/ volum volum
lb/ft Kg/m % % area, area,
ft³ m³ e Vn) e Vn)
³ ³ An) An)
ft³ cm³
in² mm²

Q1. What is the significance of the above measured quantities?

Conclusions: