Bricks

Brick is the oldest construction material next to stone that is still in use. Ancient Egyptians invented the bricks around 3100 B.C. The bricks were hand-moulded and sun-dried. Mass production of bricks started during the period of Industrial Revolution. At present, Brick is the most common construction material in India.

What is a Brick ?

A brick is a small rectangular block of certain size and strength. It is used to construct masonry walls, pavements and other structures. At first, the term brick indicated blocks that are made of clay. As the technologies advances, new materials are starting to emerge. Building blocks are also made using materials other than clay. And so, the term Brick applies to all the building blocks of certain size and strength, irrespective of raw materials.

Why brick is the most common construction material ?

The following are the reasons that make bricks as the most common building material:

• Easy to handle.
• They are strong in compression.
• They are relatively small. And so, bricks are useful to construct complex shapes.
• Bricks are more durable.
• They require less maintenance.
• Cheap.

Size & Shape of a Brick

Usually, brick is of rectangular shape with parallel sides and sharp edges. But, brick of shapes other than rectangular exist. Such non-rectangular brick are manufactured to suit certain requirements. Example of non-rectangular bricks are Bull Nose Brick, Coping Brick, Channel Brick, etc.,

As per Indian Code, the size of modular brick is 190 mm x 90 mm x 90 mm (or) 190 mm x 90 mm x 40 mm. But this size of brick is not available commonly throughout the country. The commonly available size of brick is 210 mm x 90 mm x 90 mm. The size of the brick also varies depending on the location.

There is a thumb rule for determining the size of the brick.

Length of the Brick = 2 x Width of the brick + Mortar thickness

Height of the Brick = Width of the Brick

The thickness of mortar is 10mm.

What is a Frog ?

Frog is an indent provided on the top surface of the brick. The provision of frog acts as a key to hold mortar. The depth of the frog must be 10 or 20 mm if the height of the bricks is 90 mm. The dimension of the frog is 100 mm x 40 mm on a brick of size 190 mm x 90 mm x 90 mm. Usually, frogs are not provided in brick of size 190 mm x 90 mm x 40 mm.

The common practice of manufacturers is to make initials as frog instead of providing rectangular indent.

Read More for other Questions on Bricks:

• What are the characteristics of good brick ? – Click Here
• What is the composition of brick earth ? – Click Here
• Mention the harmful ingredients that are not to be present in brick earth. – Click Here
• How are Bricks Classified ? – Click Here
• Explain the tests for bricks. – Click Here
• What are the field tests available for bricks ? – Click Here
• What are the defects of bricks ? – Click Here
• How are clay bricks manufactured ? – Click Here

To Know more about Other Construction Materials – Click Here