Building Materials: Characteristics of Bricks

Bricks

• Bricks are one of the oldest manufactured materials, with a variety of colors, shapes, and textures.
• They are produced to withstand load-bearing compressive loads and must be fairly impervious, weather/frost resistant, and have an attractive appearance.

Types of Bricks

• Clay bricks: made from clay, silica, and alumina, with small quantities of lime, iron, and manganese, and baked in a kiln.
• Calcium silicate bricks: made from sand and lime, and hardened by exposure to steam at pressure.
• Common brick: generally used for building, can vary in quality, and has no decorative face.
• Facing brick: used for decorative appearance, more expensive than common brick.
• Engineering brick: very hard, dense, and smooth, with high load-bearing capacity and used for strength and durability.

Concrete Blocks

• Produced in a range of shapes and sizes, typically 450mm long by 150mm or 225mm high, and 100mm wide.
• Manufactured from sand, cement, and aggregate, and usually used where the surface will be covered with plaster.

Mortar for Bricks and Blocks

• Typically includes water, sand, cement, lime, or plasticizer.
• Well-graded clean sand helps produce a good workable mix of adequate strength.
• Ordinary Portland Cement is normally used for mortar.
• Plasticizer is an additive that can be mixed to make the mortar more workable.

Insulation

• Various types of insulation are available to place in a cavity wall to prevent heat loss in the building.

Damp-Proof Courses (DPC)

• Function: to prevent the passage of moisture or water through those parts of a structure in contact with the ground.
• Used to prevent downward passage of moisture or water through wall structures, such as window jambs.

Plaster

• Internal plaster: provides a smooth and level surface to walls and ceilings, and can improve fire resistance, acoustic, or thermal properties.
• External plaster: typically sand and cement, rubbed smooth, and painted with a masonry paint.