Of late construction with concrete blocks is seen increasing and replacing bricks. Let us explore the reasons why this shift is seen. Concrete blocks are generally used for the construction of load-bearing masonry walls, columns, and footings. These load-bearing structures experience mostly compressive loads. Thus, it is important to know the compressive strength of Concrete blocks Vs bricks to check for their suitability for construction. The following indices are used to access the qualities.
Compressive strength
Compressive strength is the property of a material or structure by which it can carry the loads on its surface without any crack or deflection. A material under compression tends to reduce the size, while in tension, the size elongates. This test is known as the cube test which provides an idea about all the characteristics of concrete. Concrete compressive strength for general construction varies from 15 Mega Pascal (2200 pounds per square inch) to 30 Mega Pascal (4400 pounds per square inch) and is higher in commercial and industrial structures. Since this compressive strength cannot be achieved with bricks, they are less preferred for high-raised buildings.
The formula for Compressive Strength Formula
Compressive strength for any material is the load kept at the point of failure divided by the cross-section area of the face on which the load was placed.
i.e.: Compressive Strength = Load / Cross-sectional Area
Water resistance.
The second difference between concrete blocks and bricks is the water resistance capacity. While concrete blocks are comparatively resistant to water, bricks absorb more water. How to test this?
Immerse 3 concrete blocks in clean water at room temperature for 24 hours. The blocks shall then be removed from the water and allowed to drain for one minute by placing them on a coarser wire mesh. Weigh each one, once the excess water is receded. After weighing, the blocks shall be dried in a ventilated oven for not less than 24 hours and until two successive weighings are done at intervals of 2 hours, showing an incremental loss in weight of not greater than 0.2 %. The water absorbed is arrived as below:
Absorption, percent = (A-B)/B * 100
Where,
A = wet mass of concrete blocks in kg.
B = dry mass of concrete blocks in kg.
Similarly, immerse, three bricks for 24 hours in water. Same in the above case, weigh the bricks and the difference between the dry and wet brick should not exceed 25%.
Since concrete surfaces act both to reflect as well as absorb sound waves, it is an operative barrier to noise. Concrete blocks are tough & long-lasting these are used for civil works projects.
When it comes to cost, bricks can be capable of 15% to 20% more expensive as compared to concrete blocks. Moreover, since bricks are painted with natural clays, bricks have additional limited color choices. Since only of a single color such a problem doesn’t arise with concrete blocks.
In conclusion, the above features of concrete blocks and bricks demonstrate that concrete blocks are best suited for construction and are the best choice for high-raised buildings.
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