Enhancement of porosity and strength of clay brick fired at reduced temperature with the aid of corn cob and waste glass

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate how corn cob (CC) and waste glass (WG) could enhance the porosity and strength of clay bricks fired at a reduced temperature. The raw clay and CC used in this experiment were from Maha Sarakham province, Thailand. Clay brick specimens were fabricated using 10 wt% CC. The WG was recycled window glass (soda-lime glass) and then added to the clay mixture at 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt%. Green clay mixtures were fired at 900, 1000, and 1100 °C. The fired clay bricks were tested for their physical, mechanical, and thermal properties. The results showed that the porosity and strength of clay brick could be enhanced with the aid of CC and WG using the low firing temperature because CC added porosity to the bricks, and WG acted as a flux, promoting sintering, then forming the mineral albite, which improved the strength of the bricks. The sample with 10 wt% CC, and 20 wt% WG fired at 900 °C met the strength and water absorption requirements of MW-grade clay brick with an acceptable thermal conductivity of 0.81 W/mK.