Bricks

BRICKS

What is bricks? 

Bricks refer to a small units of building material, often made from fired clay and secured with mortar, a bonding agent comprising of cement, sand, and water. Long a popular material, brick retains heat, with-stands corrosion, and resists fire. Because each unit is small—usually four inches wide and twice as long, brick is an ideal material for structures in confined spaces, as well as for curved designs. Moreover, with minimal upkeep, brick buildings generally last a long time.

There are various types of bricks used in masonry and have different roles

lets look at types of bricks~

TYPES OF BRICKS

Stock Bricks       

•  Traditional type of brick with a slightly irregular shape made by using a mechanized moulding process known as soft mud moulding.  
• A wide range of colours is available.

• This type of brick is currently one of the most popular. 

Engineering Bricks

 

• Used for their performance characteristics rather than their appearance

•  Most suited for ground works, manholes and sewers, retaining walls and other situations where strength and resistance to frost attack and water are the most important factor.

Fletton Bricks

• Made from deposits of Oxford clay

• Available in a wide range of colours and textures, and are particularly popular for matching existing brickwork.

Handmade Bricks

• Literally made by hand by skilled craftsmen throwing clay into moulds.

• Each brick is unique and they have a pleasing and distinctive appearance with a creased face. 

How was Handmade Bricks produced ? Well, check this video :)

Re-Pressed Bricks

• It is wirecut bricks which are re-pressed to create a solid brick with very precise size tolerances and distinctive surface texture.

• Known as the 'Jacobean', this range is unique to Butterley and is a high quality product that can be used effectively in housing.

 

Properties of Bricks

Clay Bricks

Strength

-high compressive strength, fired to sufficiency high temperature can withstand compressive strength.

Moisture movement

-reversible: Reversible moisture movement is less than calcium silicate bricks and concrete bricks.

-irreversible: Irreversible moisture movement is high which may amount to between 0.1 to 0.2 percent due to absorption of moisture from the atmosphere.

Durability

-Generally well-burnt clay bricks are extremely durable.

-Durability of bricks depends on: the amount of soluble salts present in the bricks and the firing temperature.

Fire resistance

-A 100mm thick clay brickwork with 12.5mm thick plastering can provide a fire resistance of 2 hours and a 200mm thick similar wall non-plastered can give a maximum fire rating of 6 hours.

Clay brick making process

(Skip to 2.07min & reduce your volume if the music is to loud) Enjoy the video~

Calcium Silicate Bricks

Strength

-strength is more uniform and comparable to clay bricks.

-cannot achieve the extremely high strength of engineering clay bricks.

Moisture movement

-Reversible moisture movement is greater than clay bricks but lower than concrete bricks.

Durability

-Calcium silicate bricks have satisfactory durability.

Fire resistance

-Fire resistance is good but calcium silicate brickwork need to be thicker to achieve 3 and 4 hours fire resistance.

Concrete Bricks

Strength

-harder, more difficult to cut.

-less pleasant to handle than clay and calcium silica bricks.

Moisture Movement

-Reversible moisture movement varies considerably and is greater than clay and calcium silicate bricks.

Do you know how to build a brick wall? 
Actually it is very simple. You just need to follow the step.
Well lets look at this video and you will know how to make it yourself.