Throughout the history of its development, the brick has undergone many changes. But so far this piece of artificial material remains the most used stone for low-rise construction.
Brick age requirement, or Is it time for him to rest?
Of the many building materials, only wood or stone can compete with bricks in the history of use. The first mention of its use is found in many written testimonies of Asia. A brick was also found during excavations in the territory of ancient Mesopotamia and China. The civilizations of Egypt, Greece, Rome, and later Byzantium, widely used this material in construction. So according to the most conservative estimates, the age of clay bricks is at least 5-10 thousand years.
History of sizes of ceramic stones, plinths and bricks
Of course, products of that time were a little like modern ones. Clay firing technology was far from being invented, and the linear dimensions of ceramic bricks were very different from the current ones. But the ancient Greek clay stones that were used for construction were dried in the fire. The kilns, which were built next to the object, were temporary and after preparation of the products were dismantled. Together with marble, brick, the sizes of which ranged from 600 × 300 × 30 to 600 × 300 × 90 mm at that time, was one of the main building materials in Greece. In Byzantium, the art of masonry received a new impetus in development. Masters of that time used combination methods with other building materials and tiles, which made it possible to erect magnificent ceramic structures.
The Age of Oblivion and Resurrection
During the Middle Ages, many technologies of antiquity sunk into the summer, as the most affordable raw materials were used for the construction of buildings in Europe - natural stone, wood and sometimes adobe. But in the Eastern Roman Empire, which for a long time remained the most influential state in the region, the art of masonry from ceramic blocks was preserved and developed. Byzantine burnt bricks, the sizes of which varied (from 290 x 115 x 31 mm to 350 x 350 x 51 mm), for a long time remained the most popular building material of the early Middle Ages. In the XV century, Constantinople fell, but the skill of its craftsmen was not lost. The runaway inhabitants of the empire, who rushed to Europe, largely contributed to the development of the city-republics of Italy and the most powerful states on the territory of modern France, Germany, etc.
The evolution of the qualities of bricks: weight, dimensions, raw materials
In the future, brick technology has been continuously developed. To identify the characteristics of the material and maintain strict criteria for its production, the material was branded. His subspecies, clinker, invented in the Netherlands, was also widely used. Distinctive features of its production was a constant firing temperature, which increased to 1100-1500 , and the use of finely ground fusible clays as raw materials. The generally accepted Dutch ceramic brick sizes ranged from 150 x 70 x 35 mm (the so-called midget) and up to 280 x 130 x 80 mm (monastery size). There was also a large-format view of it - 280 x 130 x 70 mm, named after St. Martin. It was used for the construction of religious buildings and towers. The name of the clinker brick arose thanks to the characteristic sound of klink. It arose when tapping on a well-made product. Experienced craftsmen determined the purpose of the material by the tonality and distinctness of the "ringing" of the brick. Stones with impeccable sound and appearance were used to erect load-bearing structures or cladding. The rest of the material that fell under culling was used in the construction of hedges, paving streets and in other, less critical areas. As a result, the clinker, which was resistant to mechanical stress and withstood more than 300 cycles of "freezing-thawing," became the pinnacle of the development of solid ceramic products. On its basis, a school for the erection of buildings in Western Europe was formed, which still does not give up its positions.
Dimensional optimization of ceramic wall materials in Russia and Europe
The first attempts to standardize brick sizes are rooted in hoary antiquity. In Russia, Peter I took these steps. With him, a brick, the dimensions of which were 280 × 140 × 70 mm, became most preferred. Control was then carried out using special measures that each master had. This achieved some unification. When tied to the brand of the manufacturer, she brought scammers to clean water. After all, all attempts to standardize at that time came up against opposition from breeders that sold products individually and sought to reduce their size to save materials. Trends in optimizing the size of ceramic stone were traced throughout the XVII-XX centuries, not only in Russia, but also in European countries. This was due to the convenience of working with standard products that did not complicate the styling with their miniature or overweight. At the same time, the use of multi-sized ceramic stone gained popularity in Europe, which gave the building a charm and originality. This is due to a wide range of materials, which is presented below.
Types and sizes of ceramic products in various states
The most popular brick in the past and now, the dimensions of which are displayed in millimeters according to the international system of measures.
Dutch :
- midget (150 x 70 x 35);
- monastic (280 x 130 x 80);
- St. Martina (280 x 130 x 70 mm);
- small monastery (285 x 135 x 85);
- large monastic (285 x 135 x 85).
Belgian :
- Arrows (180 x 85 x 50);
- Brussels (200 x 95 x 60);
- Virginia (210 x 100 x 70);
- "Roman" (220 x 105 x 40);
- "Module 50" (190 x 90 x 50);
- Roman enlarged (240 x 105 x 40).
German :
- 8-inch Goldstein (190 x 90 x 40);
- 8-inch (195 x 92 x 50);
- OF (220 x 105 x 52);
- WF (210 x 100 x 50);
- WF thickened (210 x 100 x 65);
- Roman (240 x 115 x 40);
- monastery (330 x 250 x 69).
Danish :
- standard format (DNF) (228 x 108 x 55);
- monastery (290 x 140 x 90).
European :
- EF (240 x 100 x 71);
- thin brick (DF) (240 x 115 x 52);
- 2 DF (240 x 115 x 113);
- 3 DF (240 x 175 x 113);
- 4 DF (240 x 115 x 238);
- 8 DF (240 x 240 x 238);
- 10 DF (240 x 300 x 238).
Swedish :
- standard (250 x 120 x 62).
Russian :
- one and a half (250 x 120 x 88);
- single brick - sizes 250x120x65 mm;
- double (250 x 120 x 138).
Norwegian :
- standard (230 x 110 x 65).
Austrian :
- standard (250 x 120 x 62).
Prussian
- monastery "Marienburg" (320 x 150 x 90).
Babylonian (310 x 180 x 70).
Stone of Byzantium (290 x 115 x 31).
Russian brick and its dimensions today
Russian piece clay materials acquire their modern outlines only in 1927. Somewhat later, in the regulatory documentation, the sizes of a single ceramic brick and their values in one and a half and double forms appear. Finally, these data are approved with the introduction of the conventional unit of measurement of structural elements of buildings and materials, which, according to the latest version of GOST 28984-91, received the name "module". Interestingly, the term one and a half brick is not mathematically confirmed, since its height in comparison with a single brick is 88: 65 ≈ 1.35. This definition came into professional jargon from building codes. Most often, this term refers to the size of a silicate white brick, which is 250 × 120 × 88 mm. The production of this product from sand and lime became available only in the XX century after a qualitative leap in the industrial production of chemistry of building materials. Using methods of semi-dry pressing and autoclave synthesis, silicate brick, the dimensions, price and strength characteristics of which are not satisfactory, has occupied a niche of structural materials that work without exposure to moisture and high temperatures. After all, the cost of 1 m 3 of such products starts at $ 180, so they are in demand.
Conclusion, or In the brick business, everything is just beginning ...
The history of the development of ceramic blocks and their sizes once again confirms that further changes in the use of these piece materials are not far off. After all, the evolution of construction production does not stand still.