How to check quality of a brick?

Bricks, It is most widely used in civil engineering for making buildings, temples, structures, etc. The bricks are obtained by moulding clay in a rectangular block of uniform size and then by drying and burning these blocks. As bricks are of uniform size, they can be properly arranged, and further, as they are light in weight, no lifting appliances are required for them. The bricks do not require dressing and the art of laying bricks is so simple that the brickwork can be carried out with the help of unskilled laborers. Thus, at the place where stones are not easily available, but if there is plenty of clay suitable for the manufacture of bricks, the bricks replace stones.

Bricks

            The common brick is one of the oldest building materials and it is extensively used at present as a leading material of construction because of its durability, strength, reliability, low cost, easy availability, etc. The brick is most widely used for the construction of homes and buildings because it is cheap in cost and made with natural material and have good reliability, and has long life periods, it also works as an insulator for houses because it captures the internal heat of the room and provides warmness in winter.

             The bricks have been used all over the world in every class and kind of building. If the total produced till today are to be counted, The figure would indeed be astronomical. India has the production capacity to manufacture over 100000 million bricks through about 45000 local kilns in the unorganized sector. It is understood that about 65% of the bricks in the world go into dwellings and the balance into commercial, industrial and institutional buildings.

• Characteristics of Good Bricks:-

         The good brick which is to use for the construction of important structures should possess the following properties:-

• The bricks should be table-molded, well burnt in kilns, copper-colored, free from cracks, and with sharp and square edges. The color should be uniform and bright in the whole length of bricks.

• The bricks should be uniform in shape and should be of standard size, The brick should give a clear metallic ringing sound when stuck with each other. The brick when broken or fractured should show a bright homogeneous and uniform compact structure free from voids.
• The bricks should not absorb water more than 20% by weight for first-class bricks and 22% by weight for second-class bricks when soaked in cold water for a period of 24 hours. The bricks should be sufficiently hard. No impression should be left on the brick surface when it is scratched with a fingernail.
• The bricks should not break into a piece when dropped flat on the hard ground from a height of about one meter. It should have low thermal conductivity and it should be soundproof.
• The bricks, when soaked in water for 24 hours, should not show deposits of white salt when allowed to dry in shade. No brick should have a crushing strength below 5.50 N/mm square.

• Uses of bricks:-

• The first and second-class bricks are widely used for all sorts of sound work especially of permanent nature. These structures include buildings, dams, roads, sewers, bridge piers, tunnels, pitching works, etc.
• The use of first-class bricks is specified for obtaining the architectural effects on the faces of structures where they are to e kept exposed for beauty.
• The third class and sun-dried bricks are used for construction work of temporary nature. These bricks are not used in damp situations or at places subjected to heavy rains.