Assessment of the quality of burnt bricks produce in Ghana: The case of Ashanti region

The use of burnt bricks is gradually becoming popular in the Ashanti region in Ghana. This is evident with the increased number of burnt brick manufacturing sites in the region. However, the quality of the manufactured burnt bricks is not known. The study aims at assessing the quality of burnt bricks produced in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. 200 bricks samples were randomly selected from five brick production sites for their properties to be determined and compared with standards and previous studies’ requirements. The bricks were physically examined for regular shape, size variation, and surface crack; and tested for dry density, compressive strength, split tensile strength, water absorption, and abrasion coefficient. The bricks were observed to have regular surfaces with some visible cracks and reduced size variations beyond the tolerance level. The densities of the burnt bricks (1548.84–1988.61 kg/m3) were found to be satisfactory. The compressive strength of 10.27–19.71 MPa, and split tensile strengths of 1.50–2.88 MPa were within the class designation for burnt bricks. The water absorption of 3.30–8.25%, and abrasion resistance of 1.48–2.04 cm2/g met the requirement of burnt bricks. The study concludes that the physical and mechanical properties of the brunt bricks produced in the Ashanti Region of Ghana are of acceptable quality. A recommendation is made to the manufactures to put in place proper quality control measures to improve some of the physical properties such as size variation and cracking defects of the burnt bricks.