The art of producing bricks is one of the major human inventions in the history of human civilization. In primitive era, our ancestors did not know how to make bricks. But, they applied their innovations and had successfully produced bricks. We are presently carrying their legacy. The urban modernization of the present world would have become true without the inventions of the bricks. The skyscrapers or the housing estates, schools, hospitals, museums – each and every major constructions are based upon the bricks. So, how to make bricks? Well, bricks can be produced in several ways, based on several materials. Commonly clay and concrete have been widely used for creating bricks. To make bricks, the standard industrial process has been followed by the brick manufacturing plants, and through this article, we shall have a glimpse of that manufacturing process.
Brick Manufacturing Process
Broadly, four major steps are there in the brick manufacturing process. So, if someone asks how to make bricks, the simplest answer would be clay preparation, molding, drying and firing. However, in case of concrete brick preparation, different process has been followed. But, first, we shall focus on the clay brick preparation. Clay bricks are extensively used in various real estate projects. Thus, it is important to know how to make bricks.
Step 1 – Clay Preparation
In this process, basically the clay has been made ready to undergo a few step by step processes. The process starts with Tampering, which is nothing but adding water to the clay soil. The aim is to make the clay uniform. This is why watering should be done with precision – overuse of water will decrease the quality of the clay. The next process is disintegration and crushing respectively. Disintegration is basically an alternative process of tempering. Disintegration is based on natural seasoning of the clay. First the clay has been left to dry in the sun and then the clay has been left in the rain to acquire moist or water. Crushing is a process to make the clay homogeneous. When it comes to how to make bricks, one of the most important parts of the clay preparation process is mixing. In this phase, clay has been made smooth as well as homogeneous.
Related: Standard brick dimensions
Step 2 – Molding
We are at the half way of making bricks. After the clay preparation, the next process is molding. In various industrial plants, various techniques are used for molding bricks. According to the budget and availability of the raw materials, process for molding has been chosen. Here are some of the common molding processes used:
- Slop Molding – In this case, a wet clay mixture has been used. The clay has been put into rectangular blocks so that rectangular shaped bricks are produced. However, molding in this process is not extensively used by the manufacturers, as the shape of the bricks often do not come as expected. Due to the use of wet clay, the edges of the bricks do not become as sharp as expected.
- Sand Molding – One of the common and widely used processes for molding clay to produce bricks is Sand Molding. A bow cutter has been deployed to produce the bricks. Bow cutter is basically used to get sharp edge bricks. The specialty of this process is that lesser water has been used. It produces perfectly shaped bricks, which are often used by building developers or contractors. Most of the manufacturers follow this process, when it comes to how to make bricks.
Step 3 – Drying
The process of brick production does not end at molding. It involves a few further processes. One of them is drying. Molded clay is left to be dried naturally. In some cases, blowers are used for quick drying. As the clay gets dried up, rock and solid bricks are formed.
Step 4 – Firing
The final process of manufacturing bricks is firing. Clay bricks are put under the flames to form rock and solid bricks.
Producing Bricks from Concrete
If the question is how bricks are made, the answer should vary in case of concrete bricks. Concrete bricks are produced in different styles and they have different applications. One of the main ingredients of concrete bricks is cement. Concrete bricks are harder though they endorse lesser flexibility or elasticity than clay bricks.
