Clay and clay product

Chapter Four:- Clay and clay product

FIRED CLAY PRODUCTS

Bricks

Definition

Burned clay products are building materials that are made from suitable types of clay
by molding, drying and burning.

Examples:

 Building bricks

 Clay roof tiles

ADVANTAGES OF FIRED CLAY PRODUCTS

Fired clay products:

 Can have high compressive strengths

 Provide excellent fire-resistance

 Weather resistant and can remain without any surface protection

 Have no wastage

DISADVANTAGES FIRED CLAY PRODUCTS

 Relatively high fuel consumption of the firing process

 A possible defect of burnt bricks…"efflorescence"

 Good quality fired clay products tend to be expensive

 Capital investments for fuel efficient kilns are often too high

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BRICKS

 Building bricks are structural units of rectangular shape and convenient size that
are made from suitable type of clays by winning, preparing, molding, drying and
burning.

Suitability of bricks

At present, bricks are the most favored construction material worldwide due to the
following reasons:

 Availability-clays are available almost universally

 Construction methods-very experienced skill bricklayers are available in all

villages,& towns

 Size, shape and handling-Bricks are made in ready-to-use sizes and shapes

RAW MATERIALS

Bricks are manufactured from clays.

By moistening and mixing with water, clays become plastic, easy to mould and are
capable to retain their shape on drying.

Clay soils are of two types:

 Residual clay &

 Transported clay

FUNCTIONS OF THE CONSTITUENT OF CLAY

Clays generally consist of the following chemical elements:

 Alumina- (Al2O3)

 Silica – (SiO2)

 Lime - (CaO)

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 Iron oxide - (Fe2O3)

 Magnesia – (MgO)

Alumina- (Al2O3)

 Makes the major part of clay

 Responsible for plasticity of the mud

 When burnt, alumina becomes stronger and harder.

 Excess alumina content→ brick will shrink on drying→ cracking and warping.

 Small alumina content→ the brick will not be molded easily and nicely.

Silica – (SiO2)

 Reduce shrinkage and warping in burning

 Responsible for strength, hardness and durability or long life

 A large percentage of uncombined silica is undesirable because it leads to

brittleness of the product

Lime - (CaO)

 Acts as a binder to the clay and silica particles leading to greater strength

 Makes burning and holding of bricks quicker

 Excess lime case the brick to melt and lose the shape. If it is lower than required it
acts as a flux and lowers the fusion point of silica.

Iron oxide - (Fe2O3)

 Imparts the colors of the clay and the burnt product

 Acts as a flux i.e. it lowers down the softening temperature of silica

 Excess iron oxide → the brick becomes too soft during burning → dark in
appearance.

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 If it is small in quantity than required it affects the color of the brick, instead of
being brick red, they may be yellow or red.

Magnesia – (MgO)

 Gives the brick darker or even black color

 Minimizes warping of bricks in burning

 Magnesia is present in small quantity (1%)

MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS

The process of manufacture of bricks is carried out in a number of stages.

1. Selection of suitable type of brick earth

2. Preparations and tempering of mud

3. Shaping and molding of brick units

4. Drying of molded bricks

5. Firing or burning of units

6. Cooling of the units

1. Selection of suitable type of brick earth

A clay soil for brick making should be such that when prepared with water, it can be
molded, dried and burnt without cracking or changing its shape or warping. The ideal
composition of a good brick earth is:

 Clay (Alumina) – 20-30%

 Silica (free and combined) – 50%-60%

 CaO, MgO – 4.5%

 Iron oxide – 4%-6%

 The earth should be free from alkalis, organic matter and free lime.

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2. Preparation and tempering of mud

A two stage process:

 Clay Wining: The operations of selecting the earth, clearing and digging it,
spreading it for weathering.

 Tempering: the process of converting the prepared brick earth into a

homogeneous mix of desired plasticity by mixing it thoroughly with proper
quantities of water.

3. Shaping and Molding of bricks

 Molding is the process of making properly shaped brick units from thoroughly
tampered clay.

4. Drying of bricks

After molding, the green bricks have to be dried.

Reasons for drying:

 To make them sufficiently rigid, strong for handling and stacking

 To minimize the risk of rapture

 To save fuel during burning stage

Drying of bricks is achieved either by natural methods or by artificial methods.

5. Firing

Firing of the dried bricks is essential to develop in them the desired building properties
such as:

 Sufficient strength

 Hardness

 Durability and

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 Resistance to decay and disintegration

THE FIRING PROCESS

 When clay bricks are heated to a high temperature, a chemical reaction occurs in
the clay which makes the brick permanently hard, durable and resistant to weather
and water.

Methods of burning

 There are two types of firing kilns for bricks:

 intermittent and

 continuous kilns

At present, there are two main methods of burning of bricks in developing countries:

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 Clamp burning

 Kiln burning

Effects of improper burning

1. Over or under sized bricks

2. Glazed bricks

3. Low strength bricks

4. Cracked or broken bricks

TYPES AND CLASSIFICATION OF BRICKS

Bricks can be classified according to their usage as:

 Common bricks and

 Facing Bricks

1. Common Bricks

Common bricks are those that are used where they will not normally be exposed to
view and where there is no claim as to their appearance. They are suitable for general use
in construction, given that they possess adequate strength and durability for the location.
The term relates to appearance only.

2. Facing Bricks

 Facing bricks have a suitable appearance for use where they will be exposed to
view so that they give an attractive and pleasant effect.

Solid and hollow clay bricks

Bricks can be classified according to their shape and nature as:

 Solid clay bricks and

 Hollow clay bricks

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Solid Clay Bricks

According to the Ethiopian Standard, solid bricks are of the following three types.

1. Brick without holes or depression (type TS)

2. Brick with holes up to 20 mm in diameter each and having a total cross sectional
area not exceeding 25% of the base area of the brick (type TH)

3. Brick with depression not exceeding 25 percent of the base area having a
maximum depth of the depression not more than 10mm (type TD).

Hollow Clay Bricks

According to the Ethiopian Standard, hollow and beam tiles bricks are of the
following three types.

1. With two faces keyed for plastering or rendering (type kk)

2. With two faces smooth and suitable for use with out plastering or rendering on
either side. (type ss) and

3. With one face smooth and another face keyed for plastering (type sk)

Firebricks or Refractory bricks

These bricks are capable of withstanding very high temperatures without melting or
becoming soft.

 Firebricks are manufactured in exactly the same manner as the ordinary bricks
burnt in kilns at temperatures ranging from 13500c to 19000c.

 Firebricks are the white or yellowish white color and are used for lining the
interiors of fireplaces, ovens, kilns, chimneys and furnaces

Properties of Bricks

The essential properties of bricks may be conventionally discussed under four headings:

 Physical properties,

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 Chemical characteristics,

 Thermal characteristics and

 Durability.

1.Physical properties

 a.Shape- rectangular

 b.Size – 60 mmx120mmx250mm

 c.Color – red

 d.Density- density varies from 1600 kg/cubic meter to 1900 kg/cubic meter. A
single bricks (65x120x250) will weigh between 3.2kg to 3.5kg depending upon its
density.

2. Mechanical properties

Compressive strength is the most important property of bricks especially because they
are to be used in load bearing walls. The compressive strength of a brick depends on the
composition of the clay and degree of burning.

3.Thermal properties

The heat and sound conductivity of bricks varies greatly with their density and porosity.
Very dense and heavy bricks conduct heat and sound at a great rate. They have therefore
poor thermal and acoustic (sound) insulation qualities. For this reason, bricks should be
so designed that they are light and strong and give adequate insulation.

4. Durability

By durability of bricks is understood the length of time for which they remain unaltered
and strong when used in construction.

The durability of bricks depends on a number of factors such as: absorption value, frost
resistance and efflorescence.

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Tests for Clay Bricks

Two types of tests are used to determine the quality of building bricks.

A. Field test

B. Laboratory test

A) Field tests:

such as appearance, hummer

 Appearance test is that: shape, plainness, cooler etc.

 When stroked with hummer, 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 or fingernail. A well-burnt brick will be scratched with
difficulty.

 A rough test for the strength of the brick is to let it fall freely from a height of
about one meter on to a hard floor. It should not break.

B) Laboratory tests

1. Compressive strength test

2. Water absorption test

3. Efflorescence test and

4. Saturation coefficient test will be done on a solid brick.

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Minimum Compressive Strength

Qualities of good brick

1. It should have a regular shape, surface and red colored appearance.

2. It should confirm in size to the specific dimensions (60mmx120mmx250mm)

3. It should be properly burnt.

4. Absorption should not exceed 25% in any case.

5. A good building brick should posses requisite compressive strength, which in no case
should be less than 35kg/cm2.

6. Bricks should be hard enough so that it is not scratched by fingernail.

7. A good brick has a uniform color and structure through its body.

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