Properties of Brick and Block Experiment - Lab Report Example

Properties of brick and block experiment Name Institution Subject Instructor Date Abstract In the construction work, the use of block and brick play an important role in the masonry work. They take advantage in the nature of the capillary action that is experienced in these materials. Little care may result in dampening of the buildings, penetration of various actions such as the frost, efflorescence and sulphate which may cause damage to the building. This action depends on the size of pores found in the blocks and bricks. There are three engineering bricks that are used in the construction purpose namely; Thermilite or common, facing brick and Engineering bricks. The thermilites are used for general purpose. The engineering bricks have high strength and are known to have low permeability. Various experimental procedures may be conducted to predict such actions and avert any dangers that may arise. Introduction The testing of bricks and blocks aids in determining proper standards, which would be used in construction as noted by Sherwyn (2008). When the pore is small, the suction rate would be relatively high. On the other hand, when the numbers of pores are increased, there would be an increase in the water absorption rate (Allen and Joseph, 2009). This experiment aims to conduct tests on capillary action that takes place in the masonry materials. This would be possible by weighing the mass that occurs when the sample is immersed in water. Procedure The three specimen were selected namely, the facing brick, engineering brick and the thermalite block. The specimens were weighed so as to determine their weight. The width, height and depth of the samples were measures using a ruler. The supports were placed at the bottom then filled with water in a dish that covered a depth of about 5mm. The sample was placed on the supports after which the timer was started and left for about one minute. The specimen was removed from the dish and wiped off with a damp cloth. Its weight was recorded while the timer was still running. The specimen was replaced on the same support while still using the same support that exposed the same surface of water while the sample at an interval of 10 minutes as the water level was adjusted accordingly. Results Measurement Thermilite block Engineering block Facing block Length 19.5 21.5 21.3 Height 6.9 6.2 6.5 Width 9.7 10 10.2 Area 189.15 215 217.26 Specimen Themelite block Mass dry 642.4 Area 189.15 Time Mass when weighed after every min Cumulative mass of water absorbed Mass of water absorbed per minute Square root of time 1 655.61 13.21 13.21 1 2 660.25 17.85 4.64 1.41 3 663.7 21.3 3.45 1.73 4 666.26 23.86 2.56 2 5 668.53 26.13 2.27 2.24 6 670.81 28.41 2.28 2.45 7 671.92 29.52 1.11 2.65 8 673.39 30.99 1.47 2.83 9 675.19 32.79 1.8 3 10 676.53 34.13 1.34 3.16 B. Comparative water absorption of Brick and block materials The aim of this experiment is to find the rate of water absorption so as to determine the number of pores that are present in a given masonry sample. This aids in studying aspect of frost resistance and durability of the bricks and blocks. This test tries to explain why some samples would absorb water while other would not absorb water. In essence to this, porosity plays a major factor in ascertaining the rate of water absorption in various constructions block and brick particles. Procedure The same samples that were used in part A were used in this experiment. The weights that were recorded in part A were also recorded. The vacuum saturation apparatus was used to saturate the samples in which they were evacuated for ten minutes. The chamber was flooded with water that saturated the specimens. After 10 minutes the specimen were removed. The surplus water was wiped of then the masses of the samples were recorded. The volume for the specimens was also determined. Results Mass absorbed by terminate block - 676.65-642.4= 44.16g Mass absorbed by the engineering block - 3229.99-3228.72=1.27g Mass arbsorbed by facing brick - 2011.97-1983= 28.38g The initial rate of absorption= Thermalite= g/cm2 Engineering brick g/cm2 Facing brick=g/cm2 The results indicated that, the engineering block was the specimen that least absorbed water while the themalite block was the specimen that had the highest absorption rate. This is an indication that, the thermilite block had many pores which were small that elucidated the high rate of water absorption. Sources of error The data obtained had slight variations as compared to the expected data. The errors are a result of systematic and random factors. These could be attributed to the environmental factors, difference in changing times, parallax reading, faulty apparatus and human error. Answers to questions Initial rate of absorption Initial rate of absorption is defined as the amount of water that a given substance would take in water in its particles. Capillary action is a scenario in which water rises in matter via the small pores or tubes. This is usually as a result of adhesive forces between water molecules and the substances (Allen and Joseph, 2009). The size of the pore has great impact on the initial rate and the capillary action. Wide pores would lead to an increase in the initial rate of absorption and the capillary action whereas, small pore size would lead to decreased initial rate of absorption and capillary action. How does initial rate of absorption affect the bond between bricks and the mortar? It has a great effect as the in the bond between the bricks and the motors. All these have a purpose of retaining water that ensures proper cement is created at the bond. In a situation, where the brick is absorbing a lot of water from the motor, there would be depreciation that would make the it to sting out from the joint making it to become stiff. This would hinder the next layer from bonding effectively. Essentially, in case more water is absorbed in the mortar, the bricks would float in the mortar bed. Water absorption is an important factor in the durability of a brick. State two adverse conditions that could arise from excess water in bricks Presence of efflorescence may be present and freezing of the bricks that would crumble the bricks. References Allen, E. and Joseph I., 2009. Fundamentals of building construction: Materials and Methods. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.  Lamond, J. 2006. Significance of test and properties of concrete and concrete making material. New Jersey: Bridge point. Sherwyn, S., 2008. Building and Construction. Wellington: New Zealand Law Society, Family Law Section and Property Law Section. Zhu, Y, and Raymond, I., 2011. Computing in Civil Engineering: Proceedings of the 2011 ASCE International Workshop on Computing in Civil Engineering, June 19-22, 2011, Miami, Florida. Reston, VA: American Society of Civil Engineers. Read More