Biological cells are called the building blocks of life. Just like that, Bricks are called the basic building units of a Home. To build a durable home/ building that withstands all kinds of climatic changes, it is necessary to use high strength & superior quality bricks. But how do you know whether the bricks that you have procured is of good quality?
Now you can easily check the quality of bricks at site by conducting following simple tests:
- Water Absorption
- Visual Inspection
- Dimension Tolerance test
- Efflorescence test
- Impact test
- Hardness check
- Soundness test
- Structure check
1. Water Absorption:
In this test, the bricks are taken and weighed first in dry condition(W1) and then they are immersed in water for a period of 24hours. After 24hours of immersion, the bricks are weighed again in wet condition(W2). The difference of weight between dry and wet condition is considered as the water absorbed by the bricks. Later, the amount of water absorption is determined in percentage.
Water absorption(%) = [(W2-W1)/W1]*100
The less consumption of water by the bricks indicates the greater quality. If bricks does not consume more than 20% water of its own weight then it will be considered as a good quality.
2. Visual Inspection:
The bricks are closely inspected for its shape in this test. If the bricks are in uniform rectangular shape with sharp edges, the brick is of good quality.
3. Dimension Tolerance test:
In this test, 20 bricks are selected at random to check the variation in size,shape and colour with the standard bricks.
4. Efflorescence test:
The test must be conducted in a well ventilated room. The bricks are fully immersed in fresh water for a duration of 24 hours. After the completion of 24 hours they are collected from water and left them to dry. After the bricks are completely dried they are closely observed to find the presence of alkali. The alkali is present in the brick only when a white or gray layer is formed on the brick surface.
For general construction of bricks it should not have more than slight to moderate efflorescence.
5. Impact test:
During this test, few bricks are dropped from 1-meter height. If the bricks break it indicates low impact value and if the bricks are not broken it indicates good quality.
6. Hardness Check:
In this test, scratches are made on the surface of the brick using a hard metal. If there is no impression left on the surface then it is considered as good quality brick.
7. Soundness Test:
In this test, two bricks are taken and they are struck or hardly punched with each other. If the bricks produce a clear ringing sound and remain unbroken then it indicates that the brick is of good quality.
8. Structure test:
A brick is broken and is firmly investigated. If there is any flaws, holes or lumps inside the brick it is considered as a poor quality brick whereas if the brick is homogeneous and compact inside it indicates that the bricks are in good quality.
Tests are very important to make sure that you are using the right material for the construction. Hence, a field test of bricks gives an idea about its size, shape and colour at first observation.
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