Top 8 Tests conducted on Brick to Check the Quality
TweetWhat Are Bricks
Formally the term Brick is used to denote a building unit made of shaped clay but in today's world, it is defined as any stone- or clay-based building unit that is blended with cementitious mortar when used in construction.
Brick is a durable finish that can be used to produce many styles of facade and is easily available.
How To check the quality of Bricks on site
Mostly bricks are made of clay, however, they are also made of calcium-silicate and concrete. To produce a good quality of Structure, good materials are always required. The Research and Development Team on the construction site always carries out some tests to check the quality of bricks.
In this article, we are going to reveal 8 types of tests conducted on bricks to check the quality.
Types of Test Conducted on Bricks to check the Quality
The specified test is conducted on-site to test the quality of materials and also their sustainability in Construction Work.
- Absorption test
- Crushing strength test
- Hardness test
- Shape and size Test
- Color test
- Soundness test
- Structure of brick
- Efflorescence Test
Absorption Test On Bricks
An absorption Test is conducted on bricks to check the amount of moisture content absorbed by the brick. The Test is very simple, dry bricks are taken and weighed. After weighing these bricks are placed in water with full immersing for a period of 24 hours. Then weigh the wet brick and note down its value.
The difference between wet and dry brick weights will give the amount of water absorption. For a good quality brick, the amount of water absorption should not exceed 20% of the weight of dry brick.
Crushing Strength test
This test is also known as the compressive strength Test. In here the first step is to take the brick and put it into the compression testing machine. Then Apply the load to the brick until it breaks, once it breaks note down the value of the failure load, and then find out the crushing strength value of Brick. The minimum crushing strength of brick is 3.50N/mm2. if it is less than 3.50 N/mm2, then it is not useful for construction purposes.
Hardness Test On Brick
To check the resistance power of Brick the hardness test is required. For this kind of test, a sharp tool or fingernail is required to make a scratch on the brick. If there is no scratch impression on the brick, then it is said to be hard brick.
Shape and Size test On Bricks
For construction shape of bricks should be of the same size. The shape of bricks should be purely rectangular with sharp edges. Standard brick size consists length x breadth x height as 19cm x 9cm x 9cm.
To start this test 20 bricks are randomly picked from a brick group and stack them along its length, breadth, and height and compare. If you found all the bricks have the same size then it is perfect for construction.
Colour Test
The Colour test on bricks is simple. It simply involves the visual examination of bricks for acceptable uniform color throughout the body of the brick.
Sound Test on Brick
Sound Test is conducted to detect the nature of the brick under the sudden impact. to conduct this test two bricks are required. The next step is to struct the two bricks against one another. The sound produced during this strike should be like a bell ringing sound and the bricks should not break. If the bricks are broken then one must replace and reject the bricks. If the bricks are not broken then the bricks are of good quality.
Structure Test
To know the structure of bricks pick one brick randomly from the brick group and break it. Observe the inner portion of the brick. If it is homogeneous and lump-free then the structure of the brick is good.
Efflorescence Test on Brick
A good brick should not contain any soluble salts. The presence of soluble salts in the bricks leads to Efflorescence on the bricks thereby decreasing the quality of the bricks. To carry out the efflorescence test on brick the following steps must be conducted.
Pick the sample bricks, and then immersed them in water for 24 hours and dry it in shade. The next step after drying, the specified brick is thoroughly analyzed. If there is a presence of grey or white color deposit , it indicates that the brick contains soluble salt, which is not suitable for construction. However, if there is no white or grey deposit one can go ahead with the bricks.
Types of Brick for Construction
In modern construction practices, common bricks are categorized according to their component materials and method of manufacture. Under this classification, there are five common types:
- Burnt clay bricks
- Sand lime bricks (calcium silicate bricks)
- Concrete bricks
- Fly ash clay bricks
- Firebrick
Burnt Clay Brick
Burnt clay bricks are formed by pressing wet clay into molds then drying and putting it fire inside the kilns. This is the most primitive method of making brick. It is used since ancient times. Apparently, these bricks are solid blocks and are reddish in color.
Sand lime bricks (calcium silicate bricks)
Sand lime bricks are produced from sand, fly ash, and lime. One can add pigments for color. This mixture is then molded under huge pressure to form bricks. With the help of a chemical reaction, the materials bond together and create wet bricks which are then dried under heat and pressure.
Concrete Bricks
Concrete Bricks as the name suggest is made up of pure concrete then different colors pigment are added in it. These type of bricks are used in building fences, facades,and provide an excellent aesthetic presence.
Fly Ash Clay Brick
These types of Bricks are made with fly ash and clay. The mixture is burnt at about 1,000 degrees Centigrade. Because fly ash contains a high volume of calcium oxide, this type of brick is sometimes described as self-cementing since it expands when exposed to moisture. This tendency to expand, however, can also produce pop-out failure.
Fire Bricks
Fire Bricks can also be termed as refractory bricks. They are produced from specially formulated earth blended with high aluminum oxide content. After burning, these bricks can withstand very high temperatures without their shape, size, or strength being affected.These type of bricks are used for lining chimney, furnaces and Pizza oven.
Final Thoughts
Bricks form the most important constituent for Building construction. Bricks provide an excellent aesthetic presence. This article gives a brief description about different types of test are conducted to detect the quality of bricks and also the different forms of bricks used in construction industry.
