Brick is a very common building material. Even without being involved in construction activities, each of us sees brick objects every day. But not many people think about what the brick is made of.
The main component of any brick is clay. In the production of bricks, various types of clay and its impurities are used. But depending on the type of bricks, the composition may vary.
What is silicate brick made of
White sand-lime brick is the most popular and inexpensive building material. It contains only environmentally friendly substances. About ninety percent of the silicate brick consists of refined quartz sand, and ten percent of water and lime. Depending on the method of its production, the percentage may vary.
Usually the sand that is used to make bricks is very carefully processed. It is cleaned from all kinds of clay and organic impurities, since impurities reduce the strength of the product. Lime, which is part of silicate bricks, must also have a certain chemical composition. For example, the MgO content in lime cannot exceed five percent. Ground quicklime is usually used to create bricks.
Red brick composition
Red brick has long been recognized as the most reliable and versatile building material. This natural material is created from clay. Depending on the iron content in it, the color of the brick changes. Red bricks are usually obtained from red-burning clay. If the clay is white-burning, then the brick will acquire an apricot hue. Often, certain pigment additives are added to the composition of the brick.
To obtain high-quality red bricks, homogeneous clay is used, which is mined with a fine fraction. The quality of the resulting product depends on correctly selected components.
What ceramic bricks are made of
Ceramic or building bricks are actively used for the construction of load-bearing wall structures and interior partitions. High-quality bricks should be made from a constant composition and clay of fine fractions. In the process of proper firing of clay, its refractory elements dissolve. If the correct technology of molding and drying of raw materials is observed, the most durable ceramic brick will be obtained.
Depending on the components, the brick can be light yellow or dark brown. Nowadays, pigmentation of ceramic bricks is often used in order to give it certain shades.
