2. CONTENTS
Definition
Constituents of a good brick
Size of bricks
Characteristics of a good brick
Manufacturing process
Classification
Technical Terms
Bonds in brick work
Tests
3. DEFINITION AND SIZE OF BRICK
The artificial material of construction in the form of
clay bricks of uniform size of shape are known as
bricks.
Size of brick
1) Traditional brick:- 23cm X11.4 cm X 7.6 cm
2)Modular Brick :- 19 cm X 9 cm X 9 cm
5. SILICA
Percentage:- 50% to 60%
Function:-
Prevents brick from shrinkage, cracking & warping.
Effect of Excess:-
Makes brick brittle and useless
6. ALUMINA
Percentage:- 20% to 30%
Function:-
Absorbs water and imparts plasticity to clay so that
it can properly molded.
Effect of Excess:-
Shrink and warp during drying & burning.
7. LIME
Percentage:- should not exceed 5%
Function:-
Binding particles together.
It allows sand to fuse or to melt during burning.
Effect of Excess:-
Cause to brick melt and loose it’s shape..
8. OXIDES OF IRON
Percentage:- 5% to 6%
Function:-
Imparts color.
It helps to fuse the lime & sand during burning.
Bind particles to give hardness & Strength.
Effect of Excess:-
Bricks becomes dark blue.
9. MAGNESIA
Percentage:- about 1 %
Function:-
Decrease shrinkage
Gives yellow tint to brick.
Effect of Excess:-
Decay of Brick.
10. CHACTERISTICS OF A GOOD BRICK
Brick should have sharp edges.
Brick shall not break in to pieces when dropped from
height about 1 meter.
Brick shall have low thermal conductivity.
Brick shall be sound proof.
Brick when broken shall show a homogeneous and
uniform compact structure, free from voids.
When soaked in water for 24 hour, brick shall not show
deposit of white salt when allow to dry.
Brick shall not have crushing strength less than
55kg/cm2
.
11. MANUFACTURING PROCESS
Preparation of Clay or Brick earth
Unsoiling- to remove impurities of organic matter in
top soil up to 20 cm.
Digging:- Clay is dug out & laid on leveled ground a
little below the general surface.
Cleaning- stone, vegetable matter removed.
Weathering- cleaned earth is spread and exposed to
weather for few months.
Blending- mixing of clay/sand/other material.
Tampering- water is added to clay and it is kneaded.
Cont……
13. Clamp Burning:-
No control on burning.
Bottom bricks are over burnt hence become brittle.
Top bricks are under burnt hence become soft.
Kiln burning:-
Better control on burning.
Gives good quality bricks.
It gives better hardness and strength to bricks.
Bricks are more dense & durable.
16. TECHNICAL TERMS
Frog: It is an indentation or depression on the top
face of a brick made with the object of forming a key
for the mortar.
Head: It is a brick or stone, which lies with its
greatest length at right angles to the face of the work.
Stretcher: It is a brick or a stone which lies with its
congest side parallel to the face of the work
Course: A course is a horizontal layer of bricks stones
Header Course: A course of brick work showing only
headers on the exposed face of the wall is known as
header course.
18. TECHNICAL TERMS
Stretcher Course: A course of brick work showing
only stretchers on the exposed face of the wall is
known as stretcher course.
Bond: The method of arranging bricks so that the
individual units are tied together
Quoins: The stones used for the corners of walls of
structure
Bat: It is a portion of a brick cut across the width.
Closer: It is the portion of a brickcut in such a
manner that its one long face remains uncut
21. TECHNICAL TERMS
Queen closer: it is the portion of a brick obtained by
cutting a brick length-wise into two portions.
King closer: It is the portion of brick obtained by
cutting off the triangular piece between the centre of
one end and the centre of one side.
Bevelled closer: It is the portion of a brick in which
the whole length of the brick is bevelled for
maintaining half width at one end and full width at
the other.
22. BONDS IN BRICK WORK
Stretcher Bond
Header Bond
English Bond
Flemish Bond
Garden Wall Bond
Zigzag Bond
23. STRETCHER BOND
Bricks are laid as stretchers on the faces of walls.
This pattern is used in only for those walls which
have thickness of half-brick.
It is used as partition walls, division walls etc.
The bond is not possible if the thickness of the wall is
more.
25. HEADER BOND
Bricks are laid as headers on the faces of walls.
The pattern is used only when the thickness of the
wall is equal to one brick.
This bond does not have strength to transmit
pressure in the direction of the length of wall.
It is used in construction of footing.
27. ENGLISH BOND
In this type of bond alternate course of headers and
stretchers are laid.
This bond is considered to be the strongest.
In this bond, the vertical joints of the of the header
course come over each other; similarly, the vertical
joints of the stretcher course also come over each other.
Every alternate header comes centrally over the joint
between two stretchers in course below.
There is no continuous vertical joint.
It is necessary to place queen closer in the heading
course for breaking the joints vertically.
29. FLEMISH BOND
In this type of bond, each course is comprised of
alternate headers and stretchers.
This bond creates better appearance than English
Bond.
This bond is not as strong as English bond and is not
used generally.
Every alternate course starts with a headers at the
corner.
It is of two types:-
Double flemish bond
Single flemish bond
31. COMPARISON OF ENGLISH & FLEMISH
BOND
English bond is stronger than Flemish bond.
Flemish bond gives more pleasing appearance than
the English bond.
Broken bricks can be used in the form of bats in
Flemish bond. However more mortar is required.
Construction with Flemish bond requires greater skill
in comparison to English bond.
32. GARDEN WALL BOND
As the name suggests, this type of bond is used for
the construction of garden walls, boundary walls,
compound walls.
It is used where the thickness of the wall is one brick
thick & the height does not exceed two meters
This type of bond is not so strong as English bond,
but is more attractive.
34. ZIGZAG BOND
In this bond bricks are laid in zigzag fashion.
This type of bond is commonly used for making
ornamental panels in the brick flooring.