Author: Haroon Khalil

In continuous kilns, the process of burning is continuous. There are three types of continuous kilns, viz., (i) Bull’s Trench Kiln This type of kiln is usually oval in plan and is constructed in a trench excavated in the ground. It may be fully underground or partly projecting above ground. The depth of trench is…

When a large quantity of good-quality bricks are needed, intermittent or continuous kilns have to be used. In intermittent kilns, the process of burning is discontinuous. Figure 3.5 shows the plan of an intermittent kiln. The operations are in the order of loading the bricks, firing, cooling and unloading, which are performed one after the…

Clamp or open kiln is a temporary structure where dried bricks are stacked in alternate layers of fuel, i.e., both bricks and fuels are placed in alternate layers. Locally available materials such as grass, rice, husk, wooden chippings, cheap quality woods and dried cow dung are used as fuel. About 20,000 to 1,00,000 bricks are…

Bricks are burnt in kilns after moulding and drying so as to impart hardness and strength and to increase the density of the brick so that it absorbs less quantity of water. Physical and chemical changes take place in burning of bricks. Heating brick earth up to about 640°C produces only physical changes. At this…

Moulded bricks can not be burnt directly as they may get cracked or distorted. Hence, before burning they are dried. Natural drying or artificial drying may be resorted to. The bricks are left to dry for about two weeks. 1. Natural Drying It is also called hack drying. It comprises placing moulded bricks in rows on…

Moulding machines are used when a large number of bricks are to be manufactured within a short time. Machine-moulded bricks are heavier and stronger than the hand-moulded ones. These bricks have a sharp regular shape and size, a smoother surface and sharp edges. There are two types of machine moulding, viz., plastic method and dry…

Two types of hand moulding, viz., ground moulding and table moulding, are adopted in India. In hand moulding, bricks are moulded manually. This is preferred in areas where the manpower is cheap and available readily and where only a small quantity of bricks is needed. (i) Ground Moulding The process of moulding bricks on the…

Bricks are made in traditional size (in inch) and in metric size (cm) as prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards. Metric size bricks are called modular bricks. Nominal size of bricks is the size including thickness of the mortar. Hence, the actual size of modular bricks is 19 cm × 9 cm × 9…

1. Removal of Top Soil The preparation of soil involves first renewal of loose materials at the top of the ground for a depth of about 200 mm. As it contains a lot of impurities, this material is not used for the preparation of bricks. 2. Digging and Spreading The earth is dug out 200…

The manufacturing of bricks involves four stages, viz., preparation of soil, moulding, drying and burning.