Clay brick manufacture Part one
Bricks made by shaping a plastic mass of clay and water, which is then hardened by drying and firing, are among the oldest and most enduring of mankind’s building materials. Until comparatively recent times the clay was dug, the bricks were made and the kilns set or drawn by manual labour with help from animal power. About 100 years ago, the first effective machines for brick production appeared, and the trend towards mechanisation of clay winning, making and handling operations has continued at an increasing pace to the present day
Brick is the simplest and most ancient of all building materials. Few other fabricated building units have enjoyed such widespread and continuous popularity. This enduring public acceptance is based on the unique combination of the properties offered by brick to the owner and builder. This single material can be used to enclose a structure with a decorative, loadbearing wall, which is exceptionally durable and, if properly constructed in the first place, requires practically no maintenance.
Because of the versatility of the raw material, which can readily be moulded into a great range of shapes and sizes, and the flexibility that this gives to design and construction, building in brick has remained costeffective.