CIVIL ENGINEERING

MATERIALS
CVE 101
Bricks, Blocks and Lime
Lecturer: Rev. Dr. Anthony Woode
 Blocks and Bricks defined
• Bricks can be described as building units which are easily handled
with one hand.
• BS 3921 defines bricks as any unit not exceeding 337.5 mm in length,
225mm in width and 112.5 mm in height.
• Units which exceed any of these dimensions are referred to as
building blocks.
• The most widely used size of the brick is the standard size of 215 x
102.5 x 65mm.
• Allowing for 10mm mortar joints, this correspond to the coordinating
size of 225 x 112.5 x 75mm
Sandcrete bricks and blocks
• Materials needed are as follows:
• Cement (as binder)
• Sand (natural plus manufactured)
• Add a little water, mix and compress
• Allow it to harden and the cure from the following day
Manufacture of Clay Bricks
• Clay bricks are made by pressing a prepared (screened, crushed and
mixing to uniform consistency) clay. Water may be added to increase
plasticity (a process known as tempering).
• Barium carbonate may be added to react with the salts to reduce
efflorescence in the final product.
• Clay sample is moulded and extracted before heating in a kiln to
about 900oC in order to sinter (partially vitrify) the clay.
• Many types of bricks may be produced depending on the nature of
the clay used.
 Properties of Clay Bricks
• The engineer is concerned with mechanical behaviour, water absorption
and permeability, and durability of the clay brick.
• These are affected by the porous nature of the brick ceramic.
• Porosity and Water Absorption:
• The existence of minute pores confers marked capillary properties on brick
ceramic. Almost all bricks absorb water by capillarity
• Mechanical Properties:
• The compressive strength is the only mechanical property used in brick
specification; it is the failure stress measured normal to the bed face.
• Bricks are tested wet, normally with frogs filled with hardened mortar
Properties of Clay Bricks Cont’d
• Generally, compressive strength decreases with increasing porosity,
but strength is also influenced by clay composition and firing.
• Efflorescence and soluble salt content:
• Brickwork (especially new work) sometimes develops and
efflorescence of white salt brought to the surface by water and
deposited by evaporation
• Even though efflorescence is not harmful and may disappear after a
few seasons, it should be noted that the presence of sulphate salt
could lead to sulphate attack
Properties of Clay Bricks Cont’d
• Resistance to chemical attack
• Brick ceramic is generally very resistant to alkalis, acids and most
commonly encountered chemicals and is attacked only under extreme
conditions
• Behaviour under fire conditions
• Because it is itself a fired material, the performance of brick ceramic
under fire conditions is generally excellent
 Classification of Clay bricks

• Common bricks: These are ordinary bricks which are not designed to
provide good finish appearance or high strength. They are for general
purpose.
• Facing brick : These are designed to give good appearance, hence
they are free from imperfections such as cracks. It may be derived
from common bricks to which a sand facing or pigment has been
applied prior to firing.
• Engineering bricks: These are designed for strength and durability.
They are usually of high density and well fired.
Classification cont’d
• Classification by compressive strength and water absorption

Class Compressive Strength Water absorption

(N/mm2) (% by mass)

Engineering A ≥ 70 ≤ 4.5

Engineering B ≥ 50 ≤ 7.0

Damp-proof course 1 ≥5 ≤ 4,5

Damp-proof course 2 ≥5 ≤ 7.0

Indentation and Perforations
• Indentation (frogs) and perforations (cylindrical holes passing through
the thickness of the brick) may be provided for one of the following
reasons:
• A. They assist in forming a string bond between the brick and the
remainder of the structure
• B. They reduce the effective thickness of the brick and hence the
firing time
• C. They reduce the material cost and hence the overall cost of the
brick without serious in-situ strength loss
Indentation and Perforations
Lime
• Lime is obtained by the calcination of limestone (CaCO3) up to a
temperature of 900oc

• CaCO3 (heat) CaO + CO2

• CaO = Quicklime

• CO2 = Carbon dioxide is released

Hydraulic Lime
• Hydraulic Lime set by combining with water (hydration)

• Quicklime + Water = Calcium Hydroxide

• CaO + H2O Ca(OH)2

Non-hydraulic Lime
• Non-hydraulic Lime set by reacting with CO2 in the air

• CaO + CO2 CaCO3

• This process is called carbonation process
Slacking of lime
• Quicklime is slacked to improve its soundness and to convert it to a less
caustic form
• Slacking is done by mixing the quicklime with water to produce Ca(HO)2.
• Slacked lime is also known as hydrated lime, caustic lime or builder’s lime.
• Hydrated lime is different from hydraulic lime in that the former is any lime
which has been slaked irrespective of how it sets( by hydration, carbonation
or both)

• Uses Hydraulic lime is used as binder, putty

• Slaked lime is used for masonry and plastering