American Journal of Civil Engineering

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Study of Characteristics of Bricks Produced in Kathmandu, Nepal

Received: 14 June 2020    Accepted: 30 June 2020    Published: 06 July 2020
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Abstract

The quality of brick is determined by its physical, mechanical and microstructure characteristics. The main objective of this study was to assess the characteristics of different types of bricks produced under various clay composition, different types of kiln used, and various firing temperature, and cooling process, which are considered as the major factors affecting the brick quality. A mixed-method approach was used to carry out this study. Both primary and secondary data were collected form field observations, discussions, lab experiments, and literature review. Literature review was done to identify the relationship between affecting factors and brick characteristics. The status of bricks produced was assessed through lab tests. The results from both methods were compared and discussed thoroughly. The purposive sampling method was adopted to collect brick samples from six different brick factories situated in Kathmandu and lab tests were carried out in the Engineering Material Lab at Institute of Engineering (IOE) Pulchowk Campus, Lalitpur, Nepal. Deformation, bulk density, water absorption capacity, and compressive strengths of sampled bricks were observed and then compared with standard code values as well as with previous findings. The study showed that none of the brick samples was found within the standard benchmarks, and the bulk density was low, however, the water absorption capacity and compressive strength values of all the sampled bricks were found to be within the allowable limit, even though they were close to the lower bound. The study also discussed technical, social and environment policy related issues that are important for producing and making the best use of quality bricks. The study results may be applied to other places where similar situation exists.

DOI 10.11648/j.ajce.20200803.13
Published in American Journal of Civil Engineering (Volume 8, Issue 3, May 2020)
Page(s) 64-76
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Brick Quality, Bulk Density, Water Absorption Capacity, Compressive Strength

References
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Author Information
  • Himalaya College of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Lalitpur, Nepal

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  • APA Style

    Shanti Kala Subedi. (2020). Study of Characteristics of Bricks Produced in Kathmandu, Nepal. American Journal of Civil Engineering, 8(3), 64-76. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajce.20200803.13

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    Shanti Kala Subedi. Study of Characteristics of Bricks Produced in Kathmandu, Nepal. Am. J. Civ. Eng. 2020, 8(3), 64-76. doi: 10.11648/j.ajce.20200803.13

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    Shanti Kala Subedi. Study of Characteristics of Bricks Produced in Kathmandu, Nepal. Am J Civ Eng. 2020;8(3):64-76. doi: 10.11648/j.ajce.20200803.13

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajce.20200803.13,
      author = {Shanti Kala Subedi},
      title = {Study of Characteristics of Bricks Produced in Kathmandu, Nepal},
      journal = {American Journal of Civil Engineering},
      volume = {8},
      number = {3},
      pages = {64-76},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajce.20200803.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajce.20200803.13},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajce.20200803.13},
      abstract = {The quality of brick is determined by its physical, mechanical and microstructure characteristics. The main objective of this study was to assess the characteristics of different types of bricks produced under various clay composition, different types of kiln used, and various firing temperature, and cooling process, which are considered as the major factors affecting the brick quality. A mixed-method approach was used to carry out this study. Both primary and secondary data were collected form field observations, discussions, lab experiments, and literature review. Literature review was done to identify the relationship between affecting factors and brick characteristics. The status of bricks produced was assessed through lab tests. The results from both methods were compared and discussed thoroughly. The purposive sampling method was adopted to collect brick samples from six different brick factories situated in Kathmandu and lab tests were carried out in the Engineering Material Lab at Institute of Engineering (IOE) Pulchowk Campus, Lalitpur, Nepal. Deformation, bulk density, water absorption capacity, and compressive strengths of sampled bricks were observed and then compared with standard code values as well as with previous findings. The study showed that none of the brick samples was found within the standard benchmarks, and the bulk density was low, however, the water absorption capacity and compressive strength values of all the sampled bricks were found to be within the allowable limit, even though they were close to the lower bound. The study also discussed technical, social and environment policy related issues that are important for producing and making the best use of quality bricks. The study results may be applied to other places where similar situation exists.},
     year = {2020}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Study of Characteristics of Bricks Produced in Kathmandu, Nepal
    AU  - Shanti Kala Subedi
    Y1  - 2020/07/06
    PY  - 2020
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajce.20200803.13
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajce.20200803.13
    T2  - American Journal of Civil Engineering
    JF  - American Journal of Civil Engineering
    JO  - American Journal of Civil Engineering
    SP  - 64
    EP  - 76
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2330-8737
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajce.20200803.13
    AB  - The quality of brick is determined by its physical, mechanical and microstructure characteristics. The main objective of this study was to assess the characteristics of different types of bricks produced under various clay composition, different types of kiln used, and various firing temperature, and cooling process, which are considered as the major factors affecting the brick quality. A mixed-method approach was used to carry out this study. Both primary and secondary data were collected form field observations, discussions, lab experiments, and literature review. Literature review was done to identify the relationship between affecting factors and brick characteristics. The status of bricks produced was assessed through lab tests. The results from both methods were compared and discussed thoroughly. The purposive sampling method was adopted to collect brick samples from six different brick factories situated in Kathmandu and lab tests were carried out in the Engineering Material Lab at Institute of Engineering (IOE) Pulchowk Campus, Lalitpur, Nepal. Deformation, bulk density, water absorption capacity, and compressive strengths of sampled bricks were observed and then compared with standard code values as well as with previous findings. The study showed that none of the brick samples was found within the standard benchmarks, and the bulk density was low, however, the water absorption capacity and compressive strength values of all the sampled bricks were found to be within the allowable limit, even though they were close to the lower bound. The study also discussed technical, social and environment policy related issues that are important for producing and making the best use of quality bricks. The study results may be applied to other places where similar situation exists.
    VL  - 8
    IS  - 3
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