bricks Archives - The Prakriti Story

Builders all over the globe are gravitating towards greener technology methods that can make buildings energy-efficient and sustainable. Homeowners are also showing interest in projects that deploy raw material and construction techniques with a lower carbon footprint and that are not detrimental to the environment. These techniques are being extensively used in modern construction right from the inception phase and in every aspect of the project construction; design, selection of raw material, the systems that run the construction, and the operation.

Renewable power

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Renewable energy sources help in the creation of self-powered buildings. These structures generate their own power to support their energy requirement. In most cases, it is done through solar and wind power. The use of solar power isn’t a new technology. It has been around for a long, but now it is widely used by builders as an effective and green alternative to traditional energy sources.

Using the sun’s energy in active solar power generation involves using solar panels to generate electricity. Passive solar power generation, on the other hand, uses the sun’s rays to heat the houses using the strategic placement of windows and heat-absorbing surfaces. Wind power is being used by skyscrapers that have wind turbines mounted on the rooftops. The strong air currents at high altitudes propel the turbine blades which results in the generation of power.

Green Insulation

Pic Credits: https://theconstructor.org/building/

Thermal insulation of a building plays a very important role in improving the quality of life of the people residing or working there. Using hollow clay bricks like the Porotherm Thermo bricks is one such greener technology innovation in the field of modern construction for green insulation. These bricks are eco-friendly, made from easily available raw material that is clay, and rank high on the sustainability meter.

Sustainable raw material

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Using bio-degradable raw material is one of the ways of creating a sustainable structure. A lot of waste products and toxin materials are generated during the construction of a building. This waste piles up in landfills for centuries before degrading. We can avoid this by going in for bio-degradable raw materials like bamboo, recycled glass, and organic paints. A relatively newer but effective sustainable material that can be used is eco-concrete. It is practical, durable, strong, and acts as an air purifier with its smog-eating properties. These raw materials do not pose any threat to the environment and improve the productivity and health of people.

Water-efficient systems

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Using water-efficient technologies in the construction process is one of the greens and sustainable ways of making the structure adhere to green standards and green technology. These technologies include the re-use and application of efficient water supply systems and deploy methods like rainwater harvesting, dual plumbing, grey-water re-use, and water conservation fixtures. The use of these water-efficient technologies can lower water wastage by as much as 15%.

Cool roofs and smart glasses

Pic Credit: https://energyhawksusa.com/

Cool roofs reflect more of the sun’s rays than other roofs and prevent the warm or cool air inside from escaping through the top of a building. A cool roof keeps the temperature inside a building low (a cool roof can cut that down by more than 50 degrees) that reduces the strain on the air conditioning systems. This, in turn, reduces the emissions from the heating and cooling units.

Smart glass is an electrochromic glass that uses a tiny burst of electricity to charge ions on a window layer. It controls the amount of light that the glass will reflect. It is different from the low emittance windows that block partial radiation of the sun as with smart glass, you can choose the amount of light you want to block. This technology is especially beneficial for skyscrapers that use a lot of glass in their façade. The smart glass windows tint automatically during peak sun hours and become transparent in the evenings, night. This glass is expected to reduce HVAC costs by almost 25 %.

A structure becomes great not only by its design but also by its impact on the environment. It is time for the buildings to enter into a symbiotic and healthy relationship with the environment by using green technology-based construction methods.

Source – gosmartbricks.com

Following China, India is the second largest manufacturer of bricks across the globe. No wonder, this very building material holds so much of importance in the Indian architecture. India alone produces over 10 percent of the bricks which are globally produced and has about 1,40,000 brick-making enterprises, who account for 250 billion brick masonry units (Source). This industry also employs around 15 million workers and consumes annually over 35 million tons of coal. Today there are many other options available to choose from when it comes to building materials, but bricks have always been one obvious choice. This is industry is surely growing as the demand for Bricks never declines due to the fast-economic growth, urbanization, and prosperity. This blog aims to explain how this legendary building material – Bricks, are made. Yes, let’s simplify it for you – The Brick Making Process In India.

Demystified – Brick Making Process In India

The brick making process typically consists of the following steps.

Preparation Of Raw Materials

In this first stage, the soil is mined in steps and then laid on a leveled ground where it is cleaned of all sorts of impurities (like vegetation matter, stones, pebbles etc). Once the material is clear from all impurities it is left exposed to weather for few months, this process is known as weathering. After this, the soil is mixed with other material to prepare good brick earth. Post raw materials are mixed, it is tempered in a pug mill by thoroughly breaking, watering and kneading it.

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Shaping Or Moulding

Initially, moulds used for shaping bricks were made of wood, and the makers used sand to ensure the bricks didn’t stick to the moulds. But today there are many other options available for this process. Depending on the quality of the end product, bricks are moulded in many different ways. The most common methods for shaping or moulding bricks are hand moulding and machine moulding.

Hand Moulding – The tempered is clay injected into a mould in such manner that it fills in all the corners. Extra clay is removed using a frame with wire or with a wooden strike. Once proper shape is ready, the mould is lifted and what remains on the ground is raw brick.
Machine Moulding – This method is used where large numbers of bricks are manufactured. Essentially there are two different types of machines used for moulding bricks:

Plastic Clay Machines – Here the clay is in a plastic state and it is forced into rectangular openings of a size which is equal to the length and breadth of the bricks. Further, these are cut into strips of a similar width of the bricks with the help of wires in frames.
Dry Clay Machines– Here dry clay is condensed to powder which is filled into moulds by the help of machines. These are then exposed to high pressure to form hard and well-shaped bricks.

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Drying

Drying is one of the most important steps in the brick making process. Thinking why are bricks dried? The main reason is to avoid cracks, it is important to understand that damp bricks if taken directly for burning result in cracking. Drying bricks ensure that inadequate moisture is removed before the burning process. Also drying increases the overall strength of raw bricks making them ready to be stacked on greater heights in the kiln for the burning process without damaging it.

Usually, drying is done by simply placing the bricks in sheds which have open sides, this ensures free air circulation and protection from extreme weather conditions. The drying process of bricks varies from 7 to 14 days.

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Firing or Burning

After drying, the bricks are fired to high temperatures in furnaces. Burning is another very important step in the brick making process. Bricks in India are burnt by two distinct methods listed below:

Pazawah Or Clamp Burning
Bhatta Or Kiln Burning

Talking about clamps now, this is a field kiln which is built from the green bricks which would be fired. Clamps vary in size and shape and are carefully oriented with respect to the direction of the wind. Once a clamp constructed and laid out, it needs to be insulated.

The process of firing takes place in several steps. The first step is pre-heating or water-smoking which removes the leftover water from the drying process. After this process comes the stage of firing, here clay bricks vitrify through a chemical process. Temperatures in the clamp must remain constant during this stage to complete vitrification. Cooling stage is the final one, here the temperature needs to be slow and steady.

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Brick Production In India

The major brick producing states in India are Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab. These states together account for around 65 % of the entire production in the country.

The scale and production of bricks in India varies across India mainly due to the availability of fuel and soil. Even today, traditional techniques are used to produce bricks, and the process involves the use of inefficient methods and manual labor. The manufacturing process of bricks is dependent on seasons as the process of drying and firing are still carried out under open air.

The brick kilns are located around main cities and towns, these clusters have an annual production capacity of over two to ten million bricks. Because of the seasonal dependencies, these kilns operate only for six to eight months in a year. During the monsoon season, the production process literally comes to a virtual halt. In the Northern mountain regions, (like Jammu, Srinagar, and Dehradun) brick production is very limited and low.

Conclusion

The building construction in India is expected to grow at a rate of 6.6 percent from 2005 – 2030. Over the coming years, the demand for building materials will also rise exponentially. Also, in the past two decades, many alternatives like concrete blocks, FaL-G blocks (fly ash-lime-gypsum) and AAC (autoclaved aerated concrete) have come up. While these alternatives might cost you less, think about what it would give back to the environment. Think Green and Build Green!

Tags: Building materials, Demystified – Brick Making Process In India, Green India, Need for Bricks modification practice to improve the quality of Construction, Steps For Bricks Modification, Sustainable development products