Effect of the change of firing temperature on microstructure and physical properties of clay bricks from Beruas (Malaysia)

I Johari,B Hisham,A Bakar,Z.A Ahmad,S Said

doi:10.2298/sos1002245j

Abstract

This study is focused on the behaviour of fired-clay brick from the area around Beruas (Malaysia) that is known for it brick industries. The firing temperatures were set from 800?C to 1250?C and soaking time was fixed for an hour. The effects of firing temperature on the phase changes, microstructure, compressive strength, water absorption and porosity of the bricks were investigated. Test results indicate that the optimum firing temperature was found to be 1200?C. The percentage of porosity significantly reduces from 39.33% to 5.87% when sintered from 1000?C to 1250?C. Bricks sintered at 1200?C exhibited the highest strength of 89.5 N/mm2. The effect of firing temperature significantly improved the microstructure in terms of porosity and the quality of physical properties of fired-clay bricks.

Highlights

During firing of fired clay brick, a series of transformation occurs which determine the final properties of the brick product
The objective of this research is to study the effect of the change of firing temperature on microstructure and physical properties of clay bricks from Beruas (Malaysia)
The colour of fired-clay brick turned into dark red (Fig. 3) at the temperature of 1200oC and indicated that there is a Fe2O3 content

Summary

Introduction

During firing of fired clay brick, a series of transformation occurs which determine the final properties of the brick product. The main factors involved in manufacturing bricks are the type of raw materials, fabrication method, drying procedure, firing temperature and firing profile. These factors will affect the quality of the final product [1]. The strength and water permeability are related to the size and shape of the particles present and the forming process, but upon heating, the nature of the mineral comprising the mass has a very important influence because of the chemical reactions and partial fusings which occur [3]. A previous study by [5] showed that vitrification of ceramic material is an important factor that influences the quality and physical properties of the end product such as strength and permeability

Objectives

Results

Conclusion