Abstract
Spanish Colonial Period brick samples dating to the 19th century from the Municipalities of Liliw and Pagsanjan in Laguna, Philippines was investigated. These samples were obtained from two church structures, a church bell tower from Liliw and a church convent from Pagsanjan. Combined X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy allowed the determination of chemical elements and minerals attributed to clay and sand, such as montmorillonite, quartz, corundum, hematite and calcite. On the basis of these compositions, the possible kilning conditions employed to fire the bricks during manufacture was also proposed. MATLAB™ programme was utilised in this study to interpret the data from XRD and FTIR to rationalise the overlapping peaks in the spectrum. Results show that both brick samples were made of clay material that is non-calcareous with low refractory. The firing was performed in an oxidising atmosphere or an open-air environment at an estimated temperature of between 650°C and 850°C. This preliminary study provides a baseline chemical characterisation data of colonial period bricks in the Philippines which will be useful for future conservation and restoration work not only locally but also within the Southeast Asian region.
Highlights
Brick masonry is one of the primary construction materials together with stone masonry that was extensively utilised since antiquity until the present times
Since bricks are made from clay and sand, chemical elements pointing to this raw material origin should be detected by the energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF)
Another information that can be obtained from the EDXRF data are the total amount of flux minerals in the samples represented by K2O, iron (III) oxide (Fe2O3), calcium oxide (CaO), magnesium oxide (MgO) and titanium dioxide (TiO2)
Summary
Brick masonry is one of the primary construction materials together with stone masonry that was extensively utilised since antiquity until the present times. Two brick samples from a church convent and a church bell tower dating to the late 19th century, Spanish Colonial Period, were characterised in detail on this study, including the nature of the clay composition and the possible firing temperature. Both church structures were established by the Order of Friars Minor (OFM) or the Franciscan Order in Laguna, Philippines.[20–22]. EDXRF is effective in obtaining the amount of fluxes These techniques are demonstrated in a Malaysian study that reports the original firing temperature of archaeological bricks excavated from different temple sites in the Bujang Valley.[31–34].
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