FABRICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION BRICKS LIGHTWEIGHT FROM CLAY, BENTONITE, SAND, AND PUMICE AS RAW MATERIALS

• Main Author: ILMIATI (NIM :10509063) ; Pembimbing Prof. Dr. Buchari, SALMA
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/19413
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Bricks that are used to build houses should be lightweight and have good compressive strength.. In this research, bricks were made using conventional method with several modifications on temperature and composition (clay, pumice, bentonite, and sand). Physical, chemical, and mechanic properties of the resulting bricks were put under test through density measurement, resistance towards acid and base, and compressive strength test using Ibertest. The bricks were then characterized using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA). XRD diffractogram results convey high crystalinity and mineral conversion in bricks before and after heating. Meanwhile, TGA analysis indicates mass decomposition: water evaporation at over 100 oC temperature; organic compound decomposition at 300 – 850 oC; and mullite mineral transformation at 1000 oC. From this research, optimum brick whose characteristic meet the standards is the one which is composed by bentonite:clay:sand ratio 10:60:30 and heating temperature 850 oC (with pressing strength 18,5 MPa and density 1,7 g/cm3)