Abstract:
This research aims to minimize the adverse environmental impact of the fired brick
industry, and thus compressed interlocking bricks were investigated for various factors like
compressive strength, thermal conductivity, and overall cost of construction. Compressed
bricks are a well-rounded substitute for fire bricks, as no brining process is required in their
making, the construction process is easier and saves on cost in many ways. The Malaysian
compressed interlocking brick shape was investigated. With the industry standard
compressed brick using 15.3 % cement by weight in each brick this was reduced by the
addition of lime in conjecture with varying percentages of cement. A new mix design was
proposed that yielded positive results, with 7% cement, 3% lime, 50% soil, and 40% sand
brick being the best overall contender. Compressed bricks also showed positive results in
terms of thermal conductivity when compared with fired bricks, conducting substantially
less heat. The overall cost of constriction was reduced by 34% when compared with fired
bricks.
