Abstract
This study examines the influence of raw material characteristics, methods of shaping and of parameters of firing process of clay bricks, on pore-size distribution and on resistance to freeze–thaw cycles (with particular emphasis on the retention time of the specimens at the maximum achieved temperature). Pore-size distribution was measured by mercury-intrusion porosimetry, while the resistance to freeze–thaw cycles was assessed by exposing the bricks to freeze–thaw cycles (HRN B.D8.011 standard) monitoring the appearance of surface changes, decrease of compressive strength as well as the Maage factor. A correlation was set up between the Maage factor and the ratio of the compressive strength before and after freezing as a quantitative indicator of bricks resistance to frost. By using this correlation for all the examined bricks, regardless of their raw material and shaping procedure, a low coefficient of correlation (R2 = 0.26) was obtained. When processed separately, machine-made bricks had a significantly higher correlation coefficient value (R2 = 0.60) than the hand-made bricks (R2 = 0.28).
Highlights
IntroductionSalt crystallization and cycles of water freezing–thawing are considered to be among the main factors of brick degradation [1,2,3]
One of the main requirements of brick wall elements is their durability
The authors of this paper study the simultaneous influence of the following factors: the characteristics of raw material, shaping method and influence of firing regime on frost resistance of the bricks exposed to freeze–thaw cycles, by monitoring the changes in surface appearance and the changes of compressive strength as well as the Maage factor
Summary
Salt crystallization and cycles of water freezing–thawing are considered to be among the main factors of brick degradation [1,2,3]. Porous building materials such as brick wall elements always contain a certain amount of moisture in their structure, which directly influences the material properties such as strength, shrinking/expansion properties, vapor permeability and resistance to external conditions. A highly acknowledged indirect procedure for predicting the resistance of bricks to freeze–thaw cycles is the well-known Maage coefficient [5,6,7,8,9,10]. Other authors claim that it is precisely the large pores that are responsible for the good resistance of clay bricks to freeze–thaw cycles [1,3,11,12,13,14]
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