Adobe brick: composition, properties, production, application

Adobe Brick (another name for this building material-Adobe) is an excellent building material. It has long been known to mankind, simple and easy to manufacture and use. Adobe is more common in southern areas, but sometimes found in the middle lane.

Of the history

The building where brick was used raw, there was almost six thousand years ago. This is not surprising, because a person needs to live somewhere, and funds for the construction of housing is often not enough. It's now a hundred years ago, a thousand… If we are talking about living close to mountains or in the forest area, then there cheap building materials are available in sufficient quantities. And what about those who live in the steppes or deserts? There is a stone and wood was very expensive and was available not for everyone. Of course, houses were built of expensive materials, but to afford such a luxury could not all. And that's about the fourth Millennium BC, was found a way to build mud houses with an admixture of straw.

Properties of the Adobe, the pros and cons

Adobe Brick with sliced straw - a very convenient construction material. Its advantages are the extremely low cost. Because the cost of its production is practically equal to zero, since the feedstock is literally underfoot. Another advantage of using this building material are its acoustic and thermal insulation characteristics. Also Adobe is hygroscopic, so it has a beneficial effect on the indoor climate by absorbing excess moisture and preventing damp and mould inside. Also Adobe brick, like any building material, which is based on clay, is fireproof and provides a significant fire safety of the building.

But there is this building material a few drawbacks. Walls of raw brick moisture, so you need a good quality layer of plaster to protect them. In temperate climates, the brick dries long and slowly gaining strength. Also Saman unsuitable for construction in winter. Even within the walls of raw brick often like to settle rodents and other pests. It is possible to prevent in advance, using special additives or properly treating the surface. In addition, the construction of this brick elevated somewhat longer, since the walls need more time to achieve the desired strength.

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Adobe Brick and its types

Adobe is of two types: light and heavy. For construction from easy Adobe brick as such is not needed. Prepared a mixture of clay and filler, and the filler is taken proportionally more than clay, and is overlaid on a wooden frame structure with the crate. Sometimes she just lay between the inner and outer wall skins. The advantages of this method-simplicity and speed. Disadvantages-requires a lot of wood. Heavy Adobe – this is the same Adobe brick with straw. At home it is much stronger, more reliable, built from ready-made blocks. Walls available immediately after construction.

Selecting material

Roasting raw brick do not, therefore, to get quality, and the structure is sturdy and reliable, it is necessary at the initial stage with all the attention to choice of material, that is clay. A brick of low-plasticity clay, get brittle, and very oily will crack from changes in temperature and humidity. There are many ways of determining its quality. Consider a few of them.

The first Way-mix the clay to the desired viscosity, makes it three small cube with sides of 20 cm in the First block of clay. Secondly you need to add about 10 % sand. And in the last cube you need to add fat clay, also in a proportion of 10-15 %. All dice on one side with a stick or nail crosswise on the diagonal make a shallow line. Their width is about 5 mm, and the length – 10 cm Cubes, dried for a week and a half, and then measured lines. That clay, where the lines are shorter 6-10 mm (compressibility 6-10 %), it is optimal for the manufacture of Adobe bricks.

The second Way – the clay is well kneaded, form it round with a diameter of about five cm and gently squeeze it two smooth planks. Clay of low plasticity starts to crack when you compress the ball on the fifth or the fourth part of its diameter. The average plasticity – cracks appear during compression one-third of the diameter of the ball. High plasticity – crack when compressed to half of the diameter. Optimal plasticity – medium. Brought to the required plasticity with sand or fat clay.

The third Way – of well-mixed clay roller is formed with a length of about 20 cm and a thickness of 1-1,5 cm is wound on a Roller tube with a diameter of 20 cm low-plasticity clay are much cracked and torn, highly plastic remains without cracks, and the suitable composition of the clay forms a mesh of small cracks.

Preparation of clay

The Best option would be to prepare the clay in advance. Fold it in a stepped ridge with a width down to two and a half meters and a height of one meter. Poureach stepped layer of water and material to withstand one winter. But you can use the clay and without preparation. You need to mix such a quantity of clay to be enough work for one day. To calculate: in order to produce 1000 pieces of standard brick of raw, you need almost 3 cubic metres of clay. It fell apart the layers of 15-20 cm, crushed and mixed with a fat clay or sand and filler that is selected, that is, with a cut straw, chaff, chaff, etc. this should be Done gradually and only in dry condition. The edges of the working platform made of clay rim for containment of water. Then begin to pour the mixture with water. Water is usually about 20-25% of the amount of clay. Prevent the clay until a homogeneous mixture with shovels, feet, cement mixers.

The Manufacture of brick blocks

As a rule, the dimensions of the Adobe blocks are of three types and depends on the climate of the area where the house is built. The more dry and hot climate, the larger are the blocks as they will be able to dry well and to gain the necessary strength. Small blocks have dimensions 30х14х10 see the Average – 30х17х13 see Major – 40х19х13 see we should Not forget that in the process of drying the bricks lose up to 10-15 % of the volume. So the form is 5-6 cm larger than the next brick. Forms can be done on one, two or four bricks. You can do without a bottom, a bottom in the form of boxes with handles. In order to better separate the finished product from the form of its walls from the inside upholster dense polyethylene. Brick blocks are made in the same place where in future we will see them drying. If necessary, a clay mixture are transported on a trolley, is put a shovel in shape with a riding is rammed by a Board, carefully cut off the excess, and the blocks are laid out to dry.

Drying to finished products

Ready Adobe-brick pierced in 2-3 places a thin (1.5-2 mm) wire and three days aged on the molding pad. Turn it over periodically for uniform drying. After this period, the blocks put on the edge and dried for another 3-5 days. And then the bricks are formed into stacks with a small space between them. On top of the blocks covered with mats, boards, tarpaulin, polyethylene, etc. the Main thing is to prevent the ingress of moisture during drying. The drying process proceeds, depending on the weather conditions from 2 weeks to one month. Readiness can be determined by looking at the fracture. The entire fracture surface should be uniform, without spots in the middle. Also thrown from a height of two meters, the brick needs to stay safe and put for 48 hours in water shall not lose its shape.

Building a house of Adobe

As it was already mentioned, the construction is made of Adobe bricks, special attention should be paid to the insulation of walls from moisture.

The Foundation for blocks of Adobe preferably of the belt type, by 20-25 centimeters wider of the masonry. This is done to protect the walls from rain splashes. The height of the Foundation is 50 cm and above. Material-crushed stone or concrete. On top of the basement needed waterproofing.

Walls are usually built: the outer - thickness of 50 cm, internal – 30 to 40 cm Solution made from water, one part clay and one part sand. Also, masonry can be reinforced with reeds, twigs or straw. You can't do the clutch in the rain. It is necessary to immediately cover the walls and wait for dry weather. You cannot build walls in the winter. Immediately after the construction of the walls required plaster finish. Plaster is better to take gypsum as cement is not good enough coupling with the brick.

The Roof is made lightweight to reduce pressure on the walls and a large overhang up to 70-80 cm in order to push the gutter away from the walls. Floors can be insulated with expanded clay, and the top plank make on logs.

Conclusion

That's all the main points that are related to the manufacture of raw brick and you should pay attention to when building a house out of it. Deeply flawed is the view that such a construction is short-lived. The house is of Adobe, built in compliance with all technologies, it will stand for hundreds of years. In such houses warm in winter and cool in summer. No wonder the interest in houses of Adobe brick returns around the world.