Unit -1

Bricks

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Bricks
 One of the oldest building material brick continues to be
a most popular and leading construction material
because of being cheap, durable and easy to handle and
work with.
 Clay bricks are used for building-up exterior and interior
walls, partitions, piers, footings and other load bearing
structures.
 A brick is rectangular in shape and of size that can be
conveniently handled with one hand.
 Brick may be made of burnt clay or mixture of sand and
lime or of Portland cement concrete.
 Clay bricks are commonly used since these are
economical and easily available

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 The length, width and height of a brick are interrelated as
below:
 Length of brick = 2 × width of brick + thickness of mortar
 Height of brick = width of brick
 Size of a standard brick (also known as modular brick)
should be 19 × 9 × 9 cm and 19 × 9 × 4 cm. When placed in
masonry the 19 × 9 × 9 cm brick with mortar becomes 20 ×
10 × 10 cm.
 The bricks available in most part of the country still are 9" ×
4½" × 3" and are known as field bricks. Weight of such a
brick is 3.0 kg.
 An indent called frog, 1–2 cm deep, is provided for 9 cm
high bricks.
 The size of frog should be 10 × 4 × 1 cm.

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 The purpose of providing frog is to form a key for
holding the mortar and therefore, the bricks are laid
with frogs on top.
 Frog is not provided in 4 cm high bricks and
extruded bricks.

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Chemical Composition of Brick Earth
 Alumina or clay = 20-30 % by weight
 Silica or sand = 35 – 50 % by weight
 Silt = 20-25% by weight
(Total content of clay and silt may preferably be not less than
50% by weight)
 Remaining ingredients, include
i. Iron oxide
ii. Magnesia (MgO) 1-2% by weight
iii. Lime (CaO)
iv. Sodium potash, etc.,
Total lime and magnesia in case of alluvial soil should not more
than 1 % and in other cases should not be preferably more than
15%.
The total soluble material should not be more than 1 % by
weight

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Functions of constituents of brick earth
 Alumina:

 It is the chief constituent of every clay. A good brick earth

should contain about 20% to 30% of alumina.

 This impart plasticity to the earth so that it can be moulded.

 If alumina is present in excess, with inadequate quantity of

sand, the raw bricks shrink and warp during drying and
burning and become too hard when burnt.

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Functions of constituents of brick earth (contd.)
 Silica
 It exists in clay either as free or combined.
 As free sand, it is mechanically mixed with clay and in
combined form, it exists in chemical composition with
alumina
 A good earth brick should contain 35% to 50% of silica.
 It prevents cracking, shrinkage and warping of raw
bricks. It imparts uniform shape to the bricks.
 The durability of bricks depends on the proportion of
silica in brick earth.
 The excess of silica destroys the cohesion between
particles and the bricks become brittle.

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Functions of constituents of brick earth (contd.)
 Lime
 It should be present in a very finely powdered state
because even small particles of the size of a pin-head
cause flaking of the bricks.
 It prevents shrinkage of raw bricks.
 The sand alone is infusible. But it slightly fuses at kiln
temperature in presence of lime. Such fused sand works
as a hard cementing material for brick particles.
 The excess of lime causes the brick to melt and hence its
shape is lost.
 The lumps of lime are converted into quick lime after
burning and this quick lime slakes and expands in
presence of moisture. Such an action results in splitting of
bricks into pieces.

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Functions of constituents of brick earth (Contd.)
 Oxide of iron:
 It helps as lime to fuse sand.
 It also impart red colour to the bricks.
 The excess of oxide of iron makes brick dark blue or
blackish.
 If the quantity of iron oxide is comparatively less, the
bricks will be yellowish in colour.
 Magnesia
 A small quantity of magnesia in brick earth imparts
yellow colour to the bricks and decreases shrinkage.
 But excess of magnesia leads to the decay of bricks

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Harmful ingredients in brick earth
 Lime:
 The excess of lime causes the brick to melt and hence its
shape is lost.
 The lumps of lime are converted into quick lime after
burning and this quick lime slakes and expands in
presence of moisture. Such an action results in splitting of
bricks into pieces.

 Iron pyrites
 If iron pyrites are present in brick earth, the bricks are
crystallized and disintegrated during burning because of
the oxidation of the iron pyrites.

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 Harmful ingredients in brick earth (Contd.)
 Pebbles:
 The presence of pebbles or grits of any kind is undesirable because
it will not allow the clay to be mixed uniformly and thoroughly
which will result in weak and porous bricks.
 Also, the brick containing pebbles will not break regularly as
desired.
 Vegetation and organic matter:
 The presence of vegetation and organic matter in brick earth
assists in burning. If such matter is not completely burnt, the
bricks become porous.
 This is due to the fact that the gases will be evolved during
burning of the carbonaceous matter and it will result in the
formation of small pores.
 Hence it is necessary to see that all these gases are removed during
the process of burning for getting bricks of good quality.
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Field tests ( to determine the suitability of soil for
Brick manufacturing)
 First Test - Consistency test
 The soil is to be tested is ground to a fine powder and
sufficient quantity of water is then mixed. It is then
kneaded and converted into plastic mass of required
consistency.
 Then the balls of about 80mm diameter are moulded with
hands and these balls are allowed to dry on the sun.
 If the dry balls deform in shape and crumble down easily
on pressing, it indicated the excessive sand sand content
in the soil.
 On the other hand, if the sand content is deficient, the
balls will develop surface cracks on drying.

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Field tests ( to determine the suitability of soil for
Brick manufacturing) –(contd)
 Second test – Moulding properties
 A small quantity of the original or modified soil used in
the first test is taken and ground well.
 Then required quantity of water is added in the soil so
that soil mixture can be kneaded well to be rolled to form
threads of about 3mm diameter.
 The above kneaded soil is then put into the mould and a
brick is moulded out of it.
 If the edges and corners of the moulded brick are not well
formed or sharp, this test is repeated with varying water
contents till a satisfactory result is obtained.
 Then an approx. soil and water ratio may be found when
the correct moisture content is obtained.

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Field tests ( to determine the suitability of soil for
Brick manufacturing) –(contd)
 Third test – Deformation and shrinkage on burning.
 The sample of bricks moulded as above are burnt in the
ordinary potter’s clamp for 3 days and 4 nights until the
bricks become red hot.
 Then the bricks are allowed to cool and removed from the
clamp. These burnt bricks should be examined for
shrinkage and deformation.
 The bricks which have shrunk evenly and do not show
any bad effect due to burning should be sorted out and
those which have lost their shape or deformed, should be
rejected.

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Classification of bricks
Classification of Bricks

Based on field Based on Based on

Based on use
practice strength finish

First class Common Sand-faced

bricks bricks Brick

Second class Engineering

Rustic brick
bricks bricks

Third class Facing

bricks bricks

Fourth class
bricks
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Classification Of Bricks

On Field Practice

Clay bricks are classified based on their physical and
mechanical properties

 First Class,
 Second Class,
 Third Class and
 Fourth Class

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First Class Bricks
1. These are thoroughly burnt and are of deep red, cherry or copper colour.
2. The surface should be smooth and rectangular, with parallel, sharp and
straight edges and square corners.
3. These should be free from flaws, cracks and stones.
4. These should have uniform texture.
5. No impression should be left on the brick when a scratch is made by a
finger nail.
6. The fractured surface of the brick should not show lumps of lime.
7. A metallic or ringing sound should come when two bricks are struck
against each other.
8. Water absorption should be 12–15% of its dry weight when immersed in
cold water for 24 hours.
9. The crushing strength of the brick should not be less than 10 N/mm2.
This limit varies with different Government organizations around the
country.
Uses:
First class bricks are recommended for pointing, exposed face work in masonry
structures, flooring and reinforced brick work

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Second Class Bricks
Second Class Bricks are supposed to have the same
requirements as the first class ones except that
Small cracks and distortions are permitted.
1. A little higher water absorption of about 16–20% of
its dry weight is allowed.
2. The crushing strength should not be less than 7.0
N/mm2.
Uses:
Second class bricks are recommended for all important
or unimportant hidden masonry works and centering
of reinforced brick and reinforced cement concrete
(RCC) structures.

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Third Class Bricks
 Third Class Bricks are underburnt.
 They are soft and light-coloured producing a dull
sound when struck against each other.
 Water absorption is about 25 per cent of dry weight.
Uses :
 It is used for building temporary structures.

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Fourth Class Bricks
 Fourth Class Bricks are over-burnt and badly
distorted in shape and size and are brittle in nature.
Uses:
 The ballast of such bricks is used for foundation and
floors in lime concrete and road metal.

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Classification of bricks based on Strength

Classification of Bricks based on Compressive

Strength (IS: 1077)

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Notes:
1. The burnt clay bricks having compressive strength
more than 40.0 N/mm 2 are known as heavy duty
bricks and are used for heavy duty structures such as
bridges, foundations for industrial buildings,
multistory buildings, etc. The water absorption of
these bricks is limited to 5 per cent.

2. Each class of bricks as specified above is further

divided into subclasses A and B based on tolerances
and shape. Subclass-A bricks should have smooth
rectangular faces with sharp corners and uniform
colour. Subclass-B bricks may have slightly distorted
and round edges
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Classification of bricks based on the Basis of
Use
 Common Brick is a general multi-purpose unit
manufactured economically without special reference to
appearance. These may vary greatly in strength and
durability and are used for filling, backing and in walls
where appearance is of no consequence.
 Facing Bricks are made primarily with a view to have
good appearance, either of colour or texture or both.
These are durable under severe exposure and are used in
fronts of building walls for which a pleasing appearance
is desired.
 Engineering Bricks are strong, impermeable, smooth,
table moulded, hard and conform to defined limits of
absorption and strength. These are used for all load
bearing structures.

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Classification of bricks on the Basis of Finish
 Sand-faced Brick has textured surface manufactured
by sprinkling sand on the inner surfaces of the
mould.
 Rustic Brick has mechanically textured finish,
varying in pattern.

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Additives in the Manufacture of Bricks
 Certain additives such as fly ash, sandy loam, rice
husk ash, basalt stone dust, etc. are often required
not only to modify the shaping, drying and firing
behaviour of clay mass, but also to help conserve
agricultural land and utilise waste materials
available in large quantities.
 These additives should, however, have a desirable
level of physical and chemical characteristics so as to
modify the behaviour of clay mass within the
optimum range without any adverse effect on the
performance and durability.

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Characteristics of Good Bricks
 Size and shape – uniform size, rectangular
surfaces, parallel sides, sharp straight edges
 Color – uniform deep red or cherry
 Texture and compactness – uniform texture,
fractured surface should not show fissures,
holes, grits or lumps of lime
 Hardness and soundness – not scratch able by
finger nail. Produce metallic ringing sound
 Water absorption – should not exceed 20% wt
 Crushing strength – not less than 10.5 N/mm2
 Brick earth – free from stones, organic matter

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Manufacturing of Bricks
 Preparation of Brick Earth
 Un-soiling
 Digging
 Weathering
 Blending
 Tempering
 Molding of Bricks
 Drying of Bricks
 Burning of Bricks

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 Excavation of soil
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 Carting of Water from Source for mixing
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in the soil
 Mixing of sand in the soil
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45 Mixing of clay with Feet to form clay paste
 Preparation of Bricks by inserting lump of clay paste
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in the mould
 Placing the newly moulded bricks on the ground for
47 drying
 Transportation of fully dried bricks for placing in
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the kiln
 Arranging the bricks in the Kiln for firing
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51 Fully prepared Kiln ready for firing
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Preparation of Brick Earth
 Unsoiling:
 The soil used for making building bricks should be processed so
as to be free of gravel, coarse sand (practical size more than 2
mm), lime and kankar particles, organic matter, etc.
 About 20 cm of the top layer of the earth, normally containing
stones, pebbles, gravel, roots, etc., is removed after clearing the
trees and vegetation.

 Digging:
 After removing the top layer of the earth, proportions of
additives such as fly ash, sandy loam, rice husk ash, stone dust,
etc. should be spread over the plane ground surface on volume
basis.
 The soil mass is then manually excavated, puddled, watered
and left over for weathering and subsequent processing. The
digging operation should be done before rains.

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 Weathering:
 Stones, gravels, pebbles, roots, etc. are removed from the dug
earth and the soil is heaped on level ground in layers of 60–120
cm.
 The soil is left in heaps and exposed to weather for at least one
month in cases where such weathering is considered necessary
for the soil.
 This is done to develop homogeneity in the mass of soil,
particularly if they are from different sources, and also to
eliminate the impurities which get oxidized.
 The soil should be turned over at least twice and it should be
ensured that the entire soil is wet throughout the period of
weathering. In order to keep it wet, water may be sprayed as
often as necessary.
 The plasticity and strength of the clay are improved by
exposing the clay to weather.
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 Blending:
 The earth is then mixed with sandy-earth and calcareous-
earth in suitable proportions to modify the composition
of soil.
 Moderate amount of water is mixed so as to obtain the
right consistency for moulding.
 The mass is then mixed uniformly with spades.
 Addition of water to the soil at the dumps is necessary for
the easy mixing and workability, but the addition of
water should be controlled in such a way that it may not
create a problem in moulding and drying.
 Excessive moisture content may effect the size and shape
of the finished brick.

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 Blending brick clay

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Tempering:
 Tempering consists of kneading the earth with feet
so as to make the mass stiff and plastics (by
plasticity, we mean the property which wet clay
has of being permanently deformed without
cracking).
 It should preferably be carried out by storing the soil
in a cool place in layers of about 30 cm thickness for
not less than 36 hours.
 This will ensure homogeneity in the mass of clay for
subsequent processing.
 For manufacturing good brick, tempering is done in
pug mills and the operation is called pugging

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Pug Mill

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Manufacturing of Burnt Bricks
 Molding – giving right shape
◦ Hand molding
 Ground molding. Molded on sand. No frog in bricks

 Table molding. Molded on stock boards with frog

◦ Machine molding
 Plastic method or Stiff-Mud process. Molded stiff clay bar cut
by wire into brick size pieces.

 Dry Press method. Moist powdered clay fed into machine to be

molded into bricks.
 Drying
Natural drying: also known as hack drying, bricks are dried in
open air and sunlight.

Artificial drying: brick are dried in Kiln chamber or tunnel.

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Brick Molds

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 Hand molding of bricks

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Table Molding

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Strikes

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Method of
Drying
Bricks
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 Drying of bricks

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 Drying of bricks

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 Protecting dry bricks

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 Manufacturing of Burnt Bricks
 Burning Stages
 Dehydration (400-650 °C). Water smoking stage in which water
from pores is driven off
 Oxidation (650-900 °C). Carbon eliminated and ferrous iron
oxidized to ferric form. Sulphur is removed
 Vitrification (900-1250 °C). Mass converted into glass like
substance

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Dehydration (400–650°C):
 This is also known as water smoking stage. During
dehydration,
(1) The water which has been retained in the pores of the
clay after drying is driven off and the clay loses its
plasticity,
(2) Some of the carbonaceous matter is burnt
(3) A portion of sulphur is distilled from pyrites.
(4) Hydrous minerals like ferric hydroxide are dehydrated,
and
(5) The carbonate minerals are more or less decarbonated.
Too rapid heating causes cracking or bursting of the
bricks.
(6) On the other hand, if alkali is contained in the clay or
sulphur is present in large amount in the coal, too slow
heating of clay produces a scum on the surface of the
bricks.
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Oxidation Period (650–900°C):
 During the oxidation period,
1. Remainder of carbon is eliminated and,
2. The ferrous iron is oxidized to the ferric form.
 The removal of sulphur is completed only after the
carbon has been eliminated. Sulphur on account of its
affinity for oxygen, also holds back the oxidation of iron.
 Consequently, in order to avoid black or spongy cores,
oxidation must proceed at such a rate which will allow
these changes to occur before the heat becomes sufficient
to soften the clay and close its pore. Sand is often added
to the raw clay to produce a more open structure and
thus provide escape of gases generated in burning.

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 Vitrification—
 To convert the mass into glass like substance — the temperature
ranges from 900– 1100°C for low melting clay and 1000–1250°C for
high melting clay.
 Great care is required in cooling the bricks below the cherry red
heat in order to avoid checking and cracking.
 Vitrification period may further be divided into
 (a) incipient vitrification, at which the clay has softened sufficiently
to cause adherence but not enough to close the pores or cause loss of
space—on cooling the material cannot be scratched by the knife;
 (b) complete vitrification, more or less well-marked by maximum
shrinkage;
 (c) viscous vitrification, produced by a further increase in
temperature which results in a soft molten mass, a gradual loss in
shape, and a glassy structure after cooling. Generally, clay products
are vitrified to the point of viscosity. However, paving bricks are
burnt to the stage of complete vitrification to achieve maximum
hardness as well as toughness.
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Manufacturing of Burnt Bricks
 Clamp or Pazawah Burning
◦ Alternate layers of bricks and fuel encased in mud
plaster.
◦ Fuel consists of grass, cow dung, wood, coal dust
◦ Brick layer consists of four to five courses of brick
◦ 25,000 to 100,000 bricks in three months cycle
 Kiln Burning
◦ Intermittent kiln. Loaded, fired, cooled and unloaded
before next loading
◦ Continuous kiln. Bricks are loaded, fired, dried and
cooled simultaneously in different chambers.
◦ Example: Bull’s trench kiln and Hoffman’s kiln
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Clamp Burning
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 Burning of bricks in kilns

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 Burning fuel

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 Preheating bricks
Loading raw bricks

Unloading cooled Cooling bricks

bricks

Bull’s
Trench Kiln
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Hoffman’s
Continuous
Preheating
Kiln
Fuel
supply
Hot air leaving

Loading raw bricks

Cool air entering

Removing cooled bricks

Cooling
bricks
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Testing of Bricks
 Compressive strength Test.
 Specimen brick is immersed in water for 24 hours
 The frog of brick is filled flush with 1:3 mortar and
brick is stored under damp jute bags for 24 hours
followed by immersion in clean water for three
days.
 The specimen is then placed between plates of
compression testing machine.
 Load is applied axially at uniform rate till failure.
Maximum load at failure divided by average area of
bed face gives compressive strength.
𝑚𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑎𝑡 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑢𝑟𝑒
 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ =
𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑘

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Testing of Bricks
 Absorption Test.
◦ 24 hours immersion cold water test.
 Dry bricks are oven dried at 105° ± 5° C
 Room temperature cooled bricks weighed W1
 Bricks immersed in water at 27° ± 2° C for 24 hrs
 Soaked bricks weighed W2
 Water absorption in % = (W2 – W1)/W1 x 100
◦ Five hours boiling water test
 Oven dried bricks weight : W1
 Bricks immersed in water and boiled for 5 hours and then
cooled down at room temperature in 16-19 hours
 Cooled down weight as W2
 Water absorption in % = (W2 – W1)/W1 x 100

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Testing of Bricks
 Efflorescence Test. The soluble salts if present in
bricks cause efflorescence on the surface of brick.
 Brick is immersed in water for 24h. It is then taken
out and allowed to dry in shade. The absence of
grey or white deposits on its surface indicates
absence of soluble salts.
◦ Nil imperceptible efflorescence
◦ Slight deposit covers area < 10% of exposed area
◦ Moderatedeposit covers exposed area 10% to 50%
◦ Heavy deposit covers exposed area > 50%
◦ Serious deposits are heavy and powder or flake
away the surface

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Testing of Bricks
 Structure Test. A specimen is broken and its
structure is examined.
 It should be homogeneous, compact, and free from
defects e.g., lumps and holes, etc.
 Soundness test. This test is performed by
striking two specimen bricks with each other.
The bricks should not break and a clear ringing
sound should be produced.
 Hardness test. This test is performed by making
a scratch on brick surface with the help of finger
nail. If no impression is left on surface, the brick
is considered to be sufficiently hard.

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Testing of Bricks
 Shape and size test
 In this test, a specimen brick should be closely inspected.
 It should be of standard size and its shape should be truly
rectangular with sharp edges.
 20 bricks of standard size (190mm x 90mm x90mm) are
randomly selected and stacked length-wise, along the
width and along the height.
 For good quality bricks, the results should be within the
following permissible limits:
 Length : 3680 mm to 3920 mm
 Width : 1740 mm to 1860 mm
 Height: 1740 mm to 1860 mm

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Special Bricks
 Specially shaped bricks
 Burnt clay facing bricks
 Heavy duty bricks
 Perforated bricks
 Burnt clay hollow bricks
 Sandlime bricks
 Sewer bricks
 Acid resistant bricks

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Special shaped bricks
 Bull-nosed bricks
 Cant or plinth bricks
 Circular bricks
 Squint bricks
 Cornice bricks
 Coping bricks
 Paving bricks

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Specially Shaped Bricks

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Burnt clay facing bricks
 These bricks are used in the exposed face of masonry
without any further surface protection
 The use of these is economical where external
plastering or rendering have to be frequently
renewed due to corrosive atmosphere and also for
high rise buildings.

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Heavy duty bricks
 These bricks are characterised by high compressive
strength, low water absorption, high durability and
high bulk density.
 They should be free from cracks and other flaws and
lime nodules.
Uses:
 Masonry in heavy engineering works such as bridge
structures, multi-storeyed buildings and industrial
foundations.

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Perforated bricks
 Standard size bricks and contain cylindrical holes
throughout their thickness.
 The aperture of the perforations is such that it gives
maximum amount of ventilation but does not
permit the entry of rats or mice.
 Light in weight
 Require less quantity of clay for their preparation
 Easy to burn
Use:
 For constructing panel walls for multi-storeyed
buildings and for providing walls.
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Burnt clay hollow bricks
 Prepared from special homogeneous clay
 Clay – uniform colour, fine, compact and uniform
texture.
 Light in weight
 Impart insulation against heat, sound and dampness
to the building.
Uses:
 Construction of load bearing walls, partition walls or
panel walls in multi-storeyed buildings.

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Sand lime bricks
 Calcium silicate bricks
 An intimate and uniform mixture of siliceous sand
or crushed siliceous rock and lime combined by the
action of saturated steam under pressure.
Uses
 Masonry construction

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Sewer bricks
 Manufactured from surface clay, fire clay or shale or
a combination of these materials.
 Uses:
 Lining of walls, roofs and floors of sewers (for ordinary
sanitary sewage.

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Acid resistant bricks
 Made of raw materials such as clay or shale of
suitable composition with low lime and iron content,
feldspar, flint or sand and vitrified at high
temperature at ceramic kiln.
Uses:
 Masonry constructions
 Flooring subjected to acid attacks,
 Lining of chambers and towers in chemical plans,
 Lining of sewers carrying industrial effluents.

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Refractory bricks
 made from fire-clay, using same process as an
ordinary clay.
 The color of the Brick is yellow or light brown.
 The water absorption varies from 4-10 %.
 The compressive strength b/w 15-2 0 N/mm2
 Used for the lining blast furnaces, Ovens, Kiln,
Boilers and Chimneys.

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Varieties of fire bricks
 Acidic bricks
 Ordinary fire bricks
 Prepared from natural fire-clay.
 Used for acidic refractory lining.
 Silica bricks
 Silica 95-97%
 Lime 1% - added as binding material.
 These bricks moulded under pressure and burnt @ high
temperature.
 Withstand up to 2000o C
 Compressive strength – 15 N/mm2

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 Basic Bricks
 Used for basic lining.
 Prepared from lime ad magnesia rocks
 Neutral Bricks
 Used for neutral lining.
 Offers resistance to corrosive action of slags and fumes.
 More inert to slags
 Chromite bricks
 Prepared from chrome, iron ore, ferrous oxide, bauxite and silica.
 Unaffected by acidic or basic actions
 High alumina bricks
 Contain high % of alumina
 More inert to slags.

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Defects of Bricks
 Over-burning. Burnt beyond complete vitrification

 Under-burning. Burnt less not to cause complete

vitrification

 Bloating. Spongy swollen mass over the surface due to

excess carbonaceous matter and sulphur

 Black Core. Due to bituminous matter or carbon

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 Efflorescence. Grey of white crystallization of
alkalis on the surface, due to water absorption
 Spots. Dark sulphur spots due to iron sulphides
 Blisters. Broken blisters due to air entrapped
during molding
 Laminations. Thin lamina produced due to air
entrapped in voids of clay

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Substitutes for Bricks
 Reason for Alternatives
 High wastage during transportation
 High water absorption of bricks
 Inconsistency in size of bricks
 Increasing cost of kiln fuel
 Unavailability of skilled labour.
 Substitutes
 Concrete blocks
 Flyash bricks
 Sand-lime or calcium bricks.

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Cement and concrete blocks
 Cement and concrete blocks are also used for
masonry construction. They are available in 3 types
 Solid
 Hollow
 Cellular.
 Concrete blocks are usually made larger in size so
that the block work is faster and consume less
cement in joints than brick work.
 These blocks are extensively used for compound
walls and non-loadbearing walls.
 Specially made hollow blocks are also used for load
bearing walls.

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Solid Concrete Block Hollow concrete block

Light weight concrete block

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 The main disadvantage of concrete blocks is shrinkage
due to movement of moisture which is absent in bricks.
 These blocks are much larger in size than bricks, any
foundation movement will cause block work to crack
more than the brick work.
 The mortar strength should not be higher than the
strength of the block. With high mortar strength, the
cracks will be few and very large, but with low mortar
strength, the cracks will be small and distributed.
 The blocks should be cured properly for 14days and
dried for 4 weeks.
 The ordinary unreinforced block works in walls is very
weak for resisting lateral loads that are caused due to
expansion of roof or earthquake and cyclones.

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Manufacturing of Concrete Blocks
 The concrete mix for concrete blocks shall not be
richer than one part of cement to six part of
combined aggregates.
 Lean mixes upto 1:8 are also commonly used.
 BIS recommends a fineness modulus of combined
aggregates between 3.6 to 4.
 Coarse aggregates of size 6 to 12 mm is generally
used.
 60% Fine and 40% Coarse aggregates is the mix
recommended.

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Manufacturing of Cement concrete blocks
 Cement concrete blocks can be hand-made and also
preferably machine made.
 The cast block is then cured in a water tank or yard for at
least 14days.
 When immersed in the tank, the water shall be changed at
least every 4 days.
 After curing, the blocks are dried for a period of 4 weeks
before being used on the work.
 They should be stacked with voids in the horizontal
direction to facilitate easy drying. Otherwise, they should
be steam cured and dried.
 This process allows the complete shrinkage of the block to
take place before to take place they are laid on the wall.

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Process
 Selection and proportioning of ingredients
 The main criteria for the selection of the ingredients is the
desired strength of the block.
 The greater the proportion of CA, the greater will be the
strength of the quantity of cement used.
 Mixing of ingredients
 The blending of aggregates, cement and water should be
done very carefully.
 The mixing should preferably take place in mechanical
mixer.
 For hand mixing, extreme care should be taken to see that
cement and aggregates are first mixed thoroughly in dry
state and the water is then added gradually.

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 Placing and vibration
 The mixed concrete material is fed into the mould box up
to the top level and it is ensured that the box is evenly
filled.
 The vibration of concrete is done till it has uniformly
settled in the mould box.
 Curing
 The block is watered after about one day of casting and
continued for a minimum of 7 days and preferably 28
days.
 The longer the curing period, the better will be the block.

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Dimensions and tolerances
 Nominal dimensions
 Length – 400,450,500 or 600mm
 Height – 200 or 100 mm
 Width – 50,75,100,150,200,250 or 300 mm
(Actual sizes will be less by 10mm the mortar
thickness)

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Classification of concrete blocks
 Hollow concrete blocks (Open and closed cavity
types)
 Grade A
 Grade B
 Grade C

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Grade A
 These blocks are used for load bearing walls.
 They should have a minimum density of
1500Kg/m3.
 They should be manufactured for minimum
specified compressive strength of 3.5,4.5,5.5 and 7.0
N/mm2 in 28 days.

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Grade B

 These blocks are also used for load bearing walls.

 They may have a density below 1500Kg/m3 but not
less than 1000 Kg/m3.
 They should be manufactured for minimum
specified compressive strength of 2.0,3.0 and
5.0N/mm2 in 28 days.

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Grade C

 These blocks are used for non-load bearing walls.

 Its density is not less than 1000 Kg/m3.
 They are made for specified strengths of 1.5 N/mm2
in 28 days.

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 Solid Concrete Blocks:
 These blocks are used for load bearing walls.
 They may have a density below 1800 Kg/m3
 They should be manufactured for minimum specified
compressive strength of 4.0 and 5.0 N/mm2 in 28 days.
 Paver Blocks
 These blocks are solid concrete blocks of various shapes
especially for exterior ground paving on side walls, drive
ways, parking lots, industrial floors, petrol pumps, etc.

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Advantages of concrete blocks over clay bricks
 One concrete block 390x190x190 mm can replace 8 bricks, thus
resulting in considerable reduction in cement mortar and speed
of construction.
 Clay brick manufacturing requires excavation of good earth
from fertile areas. It also involves burning of fuel. Hence,
concrete blocks are more environment friendly.
 Because of the air columns, hollow concrete blocks offer good
thermal and acoustic insulation. Hence, air conditioning and
insulation costs come down very much.
 With good concrete blocks, we get a good surface finish which
need not be plastered, thus saving the cost of plastering of walls.
 A great advantage of using hollow concrete blocks instead of
solid clay brick in wall construction is the large reduction in
dead load on foundations, beams,etc., that have to be considered
in structural design.
 The design of mortar used in block work need not be more than
the strength of the blocks.
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