Water absorption criteria of Clay Bricks - As per IS Code provisions

Kushal
Dec 1, 2021
Determination of water absorption of Clay Bricks is carried out as per IS 3495 (Part-2) : 2019 "Burnt Clay Building Bricks- Methods of Tests (Part-2 Determination of Water Absorption)".

There are 02 methods of assessing the water absorption of Clay bricks which are given as under. Sampling of the clay bricks is done as per provisions mentioned in IS 5454 : 1978.

  1. 24-Hour Water Absorption Test
  2. 05-Hour Boiling water absorption test

Let's have a look at both these methods one by one.

(Method-1) 24-Hour Water Absorption Test


(a) Preconditioning of Brick Samples

  1. Drying the Bricks
    • Dry the bricks in a ventilated oven at a temperature of 105 to 115°C for not less than 24 hours
    • To be dried until two successive weighings at intervals of 2 h show an increment of loss not greater than 0.2 %.
  2. Cooling the Bricks to room temperature
  3. Weighing the dried Bricks (M₁)

(b) Procedure of Water Absorption


  1. Immersion in Water
    • Immerse the dried sample in clean distilled water at 15 to 30°C for 24 h.
  2. Removing excess water by wiping the bricks with a damp cloth
  3. Weighing the Bricks within 03 mins after removal from water (M₂)

(c) Calculation of water absorption


(Method-2) 05-Hour Boiling water absorption test


(a) Preconditioning of Brick Samples

Same as for the 24-Hour Water Absorption Test

(b) Procedure of Boiling Water Absorption

  1. Immersion of the dried sample in clean distilled water at 15 to 30°C
  2. Heat the water to boiling point within 01 hour & boil continuously for 5 hours
  3. Allow the bricks to cool between 15 to 30°C by a natural loss of heat
  4. Removing excess water by wiping the bricks with a damp cloth
  5. Weighing the Bricks within 03 mins after removal from water (M₃)

(c) Calculation of water absorption


Water Absorption conditions as per IS 1077

Following is the condition for assessing whether the brick lot is to be passed or failed:




Reference IS Code with Download Link:

IS 3495 Part 2 2019.pdf 456.97 KB


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Kushal @ Civil Black Box