Adama Science and Technology University

School of Civil Engineering and

Architecture
Civil Engineering Program

Construction Material

BYSileshi
A.
Chapter – 5
CLAY AND CLAY PRODUCTS

 Bricks
 Tiles
 Stabilized soil blocks
Bricks
 Bricks are one of the most extensively used materials of
construction due to their strength, durability, insulating
property against heat, sound and their being handy to work
with.
 They are found relatively at cheap price.
Raw Materials
 Bricks are usually made from clay and molded as a
rectangular block.
 Clay are fine grained soils which have resulted from
decay of rocks. They generally consist of the following
chemical elements:
– Lime (CaO)
– Magnesia (MgO)
– Carbon dioxide (CO2)
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– Sulphur trioxide (SO ) and others..
Bricks
Functions of the constituent materials
A. Alumina
 A fine-grained mineral which makes the major part of
clay, become plastic when mixed with water and is
capable of being moulded to the desired shape.
 On drying, it loses its plasticity and become hard.
This can be accompanied with shrinkage which might
result in wrapping and cracking depending on he
speed and magnitude of drying.
 When burnt, alumina becomes stronger and harder as
a result of the homogeneity created by fusion.
 Bricks of very high alumina content are likely to be
refractory.
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Bricks
Functions of the constituent materials
B. Silica
 A course grained mineral, which can be found in the
form of pure sand or compound of silicate of alumina,
is useful in reducing shrinkage and wrapping in
burning.
 Its presence in bricks produces hardness and
durability; however, a large percentage of un-combined
silica is undesirable because it leads to brittleness of
the product.
 Silica fuses only at very high temperature (which is
lowered in the presence of alumina and iron oxide) and
hence increases the refractoriness of low alumina clay
and makes bricks resistant to heat. 5
Bricks
Functions of the constituent materials
C. Lime
 When present in small quantities, lime acts a flux and
lower the fusion point of silica.
 It acts as a binder to the clay and silica particles
leading to greater strength.
 Excess lime may cause the bricks to melt and lose
their shape.

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Bricks
Functions of the constituent materials
D. Iron Oxide
 It lowers the fusion point of the clay and silica, hence
it helps the fusion of brick particles.
 It imparts the color of the clay and the burnt product.
Depending on its amount, the color ranges from light
yellow to red.
 A higher percentage may make the bricks dark
blue.

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Bricks
Functions of the constituent materials
D. Magnesia
 It is usually present in small quantities (1%) in clay
and together with iron oxide, it gives the brick darker
or even black color.
 It also lessens wrapping of bricks in burning.

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Bricks
Types of Bricks
Two types of bricks are manufactured in Ethiopia. These are
A. The solid clay bricks
B. The hollow clay bricks and beam tiles

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Bricks
The solid clay bricks
 Are manufactured from suitable clay material and
used in the building industry.
 According to the standard, the solid bricks are of the
following three types;
I. Bricks without holes
II. Bricks with holes upto 20mm in diameter
each and having a total cross-sectional area
not exceeding 25% of the base area.
III. Bricks with depression not exceeding 25%
of the base area and having a maximum
depth of depression not more than 10mm.

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Bricks
Testing and classification of bricks

Two classes of tests are used to

determine the quality of building bricks .
1. Field tests

2. Laboratory tests

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Bricks
Testing and classification of bricks
1. Field Test
 Field tests such as appearance, hammer test and
hardness test can easily be made at the construction
site.
 Appearance tests such as shape planeness using
venire calliper, color, checks and blister form
valuable indication of quality.
 When struck with a hammer, a properly burnt dry
brick free from cracks emits a highly metallic ring.
 The hardness of a brick sample can be checked by
scratching its surface or broken section with a knife.
 A well burnt brick will be scratched with
difficulty.
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Bricks
Testing and classification of bricks (Cont..)
2. Laboratory Tests
 The Ethiopian standard specifies a number of tests
including visual inspection, checking of dimensions
and planeness, compressive strength, water absorption,
saturation coefficient and efflorescence tests on solid
clay bricks.
 According to the standard, solid clay bricks are
classified according to the numerical values of their
compressive strength, water absorption, saturation
coefficient and efflorescence as shown in Table-1 to
Table-6.

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Bricks
Testing and classification of bricks (Cont..)
Note:
 Absorption of water depends on clay - Absorption of water
depends on clay properties, manufacturing process and
burning Absorption determine the burning. Absorption
determine the durability of bricks.
- High absorption capacity causes mortar to be dry &
reduces mortar strength.
- Good brick should absorb < 20 % water.
- Highly absorptive bricks can cause efflorescence.
 Efflorescence – white, powdery deposits on bricks composed
of soluble salts in the brick bricks composed of soluble salts in
the brick brought up to the surface by moisture.
- Aesthetic problem; may cause surface Aesthetic
problem; may cause surface damage.
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Bricks
Testing and classification of bricks (Cont..)
Table-1: Minimum Compressive Strength

Minimum Compressive Strength

Average of 5 Individual
Class
bricks (N/mm2) brick (N/mm2)
A 20 17.5
B 15 12.5
C 10 7.5
D 7.5 5.0

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Bricks
Testing and classification of bricks (Cont..)
Table-2: Maximum water absorption, %

After 24 hr. immersion After 5hr boiling

Class Average of 5 Individual Average of Individual
bricks brick 5 bricks brick
A 21 23 22 24
B 22 24 23 24
C,D No limit No limit No limit No limit

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Bricks
Testing and classification of bricks (Cont..)
Table-3: Maximum saturation coefficient
Average of 5 Individual
Class
bricks brick
A 0.96 0.99
C,D No limit No limit

Table-4: Efflorescence rating

Class Efflorescence
A,B Nil to slight
C,D Effloresced

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Bricks
Testing and classification of bricks (Cont..)
For hollow clay bricks and beam tiles the minimum
compressive strength and maximum allowable value for
water absorption are given in Table – 5 and Table-6.

Table-5: Minimum Compressive Strength

Compressive Strength
Type Average of 5 Individual
bricks (N/mm2) brick (N/mm2)
KK 7 5.5
SS 7 5.5
SK 7 5.5

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Bricks
Testing and classification of bricks (Cont..)
For hollow clay bricks and beam tiles the minimum
compressive strength and maximum allowable value for
water absorption are given in Table – 5 and Table-6.

Table-6: Maximum allowable water absorption, %

After 1 hr. submersion in boiling water
Type
Average of 5 bricks Individual brick
KK 21.5 23
SS 21.5 23
SK 21.5 23

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