Question

57) How are bricks manufactured?

Answer 1

Manufacturing of Bricks

Step 1 - Preparation of brick clay

Here the soil is extracted and laid on plain ground and impurities are removed from it. Then it is left open for weathering and thereafter it is blended with other materials to make good quality brick. Again there takes place tempering of soil in an instrument known as a pug mill, where the soil is broken up, kneaded and watered.

Step 2 - Moulding

Two kinds of moulding are preferred

(i) Hand Moulding - Tempered soil is kept in a mould and then extra soil is removed by hands and then mould is removed.

(ii) Machine moulding - Here clay is reduced to powder and then put into machines and is subjected to high pressure to form hard brick

Step 3 - Drying

Now the moulded bricks are dried in a shed in sunlight

Step 4 - Burning

Burning of moulded and dried bricks in the flame kiln is known as kiln burning. The moulded clay is stacked and then dried and burned to high temperature and then cooled. It takes a longer period of time