Types of bricks

Brick is one of the main materials used in construction. And if you decide to build, say, a brick bathhouse in your summer cottage, you need to know what kind of types of bricks. On the types of bricks tells the Land of Soviets.

In fact, brick is an artificial stone. It has the form of a bar and is made of mineral materials that are burned or processed with steam to give them the necessary properties (strength, frost resistance, water resistance).

Types of bricks vary according to different criteria. One of the main criteria is material, from which the brick is made. By this criterion, ceramic and silicate bricks are distinguished. Ceramic brick - this is a brick in the classical sense; it is made of clay or a mixture of clays and is fired in a special kiln.

Lime brick is made of quartz sand (90%),air lime (10%) and a small number of additives. Unlike ceramic bricks, silicate bricks are not fired in the oven, but are treated in an autoclave with saturated steam at high temperature and pressure. Sometimes pigments are added to the silicate brick to get colored bricks.

On the silicate and ceramic bricks existdifferent GOSTs. In this article, we will mainly consider ceramic bricks - it is more often used in domestic construction. Ceramic brick is divided into different types depending on appointment, the presence of voids, size and other factors.

There are the following basic types of bricks depending on the purpose: ordinary, facial and stove (although oven brick in this case stands somewhat apart). Private (building) brick Used for the construction of walls and partitions. It is not displayed, but covered with plaster. The ordinary brick must be strong, frost-resistant and well insulated with heat.

Facing (facing, facade, finishing) brick serves for facing surfaces. Such a brick must have a regular shape, clear edges and a uniform color. In addition to the decorative function, it also serves to protect the walls from the effects of natural factors. Therefore, good facing brick has good frost resistance and thermal insulation ability, almost does not absorb water.

Among the facing bricks, these types of bricks are made separately:

decorative, having a regular shape and a smooth glossy surface of the outer walls
invoice (on its front surface there is a relief figure)
shaped (profile, figured), used for laying pillars, arches, windows and other complex forms
glazed brick with special coating
engobed brick (colored brick with a matte surface, covered with a special compound)

The color range of the front bricks is impressive: from soft pink to anthracite (blue-black) shades. Different types of bricks are painted according to different technologies.

Clinker brick sometimes isolated in a completely separate form, andsometimes referred to as facing bricks. This kind of brick is made from clay of valuable rocks and is baked at a very high temperature (about 1100 ° C). Thanks to this, clinker bricks are almost as hard, dense and strong as natural stone. He is not afraid of pressure, intense wear, atmospheric effects. This is the most durable and frost-resistant type of brick.

Oven brick, as is clear from the name, is used to make stoves and fireplaces. Such a brick can be of different sizes; it can be embossed and not. For the production of the furnace part of the fireplace is used chamotte brick. It is made of refractory clay, so it can withstand temperatures over 1000 ° C. Fireclay bricks can be recognized by a granular structure and a sandy-yellow color.

Depending on the presence of voids distinguish such types of bricks: solid and hollow. According to GOST, the volume of voids in full bricks can not be more than 13%. It is used for laying structures that carry an additional load in addition to their own weight: external walls, internal walls, pillars, columns, etc. Hollow (slotted, holey) brick can have through and blind holes in a square, oval, slit or round shape (more than 13% of the volume). It can be used for laying structures that are not subject to special stress.

Depending on the size make such types of bricks: