Handmade Traditional Kiln Clay Bricks from Tamilnadu, India: Mineralogy, Temperature Effect and Mechanical Analysis

P Sutharsan

doi:10.47191/ijcsrr/v5-i1-26

Abstract

This work shows the changes in properties of industrial clay bricks collected from the traditional kiln situated at bank of Cauvery, Tamilnadu, India. Samples of local raw clay material already in use for the production of bricks and industrially produced fired brick materials were characterized by combined multi-analytical techniques to determine the relationships among chemical, mineralogical, textural and mechanical properties. FTIR absorption spectra of re-fired industrial clay bricks to different temperatures in air in the laboratory supply information about type of clay mineral presence, its original firing temperature and firing atmosphere. The minerals like quartz, plagioclase (albite or anorthite) and orthoclase were identified using XRD. In order to study the quality of the bricks they were submitted to mechanical analysis such as compressive strength, flexural rupture strength, water absorption, porosity and bulk density. The mechanical analysis reveals that when laboratory re-firing temperature exceeds the original firing temperature of industrial bricks, the compressive strength, flexural rupture strength and bulk density increases, whereas water absorption and porosity values decreases. The results showed that there is a drastic variation in the quality of the bricks collected from different parts of the same kiln.

Highlights

Bricks are small rectangular ceramic blocks obtained by firing raw clay (650 to 1000 C) which are played a significant role in the building and construction industries over 5000 years due to the certain and favorable properties such as durability, high strength and economic affordability [1]
The chemical composition of the raw clay material (Table 1) shows the expected typical composition, it is rich in silica (60.75 %) and second rich in alumina (17.21 %) with minor contents such as Mg, Ca, K, Na and Mn oxides, accompanied with significant
FTIR, XRD and mechanical studies were performed on fired industrial clay bricks collected from inner and outer parts of a traditional kiln

Summary

Introduction

Bricks are small rectangular ceramic blocks obtained by firing raw clay (650 to 1000 C) which are played a significant role in the building and construction industries over 5000 years due to the certain and favorable properties such as durability, high strength and economic affordability [1]. In brick production, the raw clay is extracted, mixed with water moulded into various shapes and patterns in an extruder, dried under the sun to evaporate water, and fired in a kiln using combustible materials such as coconut shells, firewood, and waste etc. The quality of bricks is still major concern in most part of the world because brick-makers heavily dependent on local techniques, unaware about firing temperature and quality of clay. They have not achieved proper density, degree of hardness and colour desired. Vitrification is the process of forming glass-like material due to the binding of all the necessary elements with clay at and above

Methods

Results

Conclusion