UTILIZATION OF LIMESTONE TO EFFECT ON PHYSICAL - MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF FIRED CLAY BRICK

Abstract

Limestone wastes have accumulated in large quantities in countries all over the world. To reduce this materials this work is presented. The goal of this paper is to study the influence of limestone powder on the physical and mechanical of fired clay bricks. It is as replacement of clay, varying the limestone content 5, 10, 15 and 20 wt %. The water / soil ratio is constant 0.3. Three stages of firing are presented to achieve the maximum temperature. The first one is 300 °C and the second one is 600 °C and the last one is 900 °C. Results for the physical properties are showed an increasing of water absorption of clay brick specimens with the limestone content increased, in addition the efflorescence is increased. However, the density and firing shrinkage are decreased with limestone quantity. For the mechanical properties, the results indicate that the clay brick specimens with higher limestone 20 %, showed a decrease in compressive strength and flexural bending strength.