Reinforced brick work is a typical type of construction in which the compressive strength of bricks is utilized to bear the compressive stress and steel bars are used to bear the tensile stresses in a slab. In other words, the usual cement concrete is replaced by the bricks. However, since the size of a brick is limited, continuity in the slab is obtained by filling the joints between the bricks by cementmortar. The reinforcing bars are embedded in the gap between the bricks, which is filled with cementmortar. Such type of construction is quite suitable and cheap – for small span floor slabs carrying comparatively lighter loads. Figure 2. shows typical sections of reinforced brick slab.
The depth of reinforced brick slab is governed by the thickness of the bricks available. Modular bricks are 10 cm thick (nominal). Hence thickness of slab may be kept as 10 cm or 20 cm. if 15 cm thickness is required from design point of view; 5 cm thick tiles are used on the 10 cm thick bricks to make a total thickness of 15 cm figure 3b.
The joint between the two layers of tile and brick is filled with cementmortar. Before use, the bricks should be thoroughly soaked in water. The reinforcing bars put in the joints should not come in contact with bricks.
When two layers of bricks are used, vertical joints in the bricks should be broken (staggered) so that slab does not shear along the joint. The bricks near the edge should rest half on the bearing wall so that vertical joint above the edge of the wall is avoided. First class bricks should be used for such a work. Cementmortar used to fill the joints etc. should be of 1:3 ratio, with proper water – cement ratio to make the mortar workable. The width of the joint between adjacent bricks is generally kept equal to 2 cm. The compressive strength of reinforced brick work is sometimes increased by providing wider gap (say about 4 cm) between the bricks, and providing 2.5 to 5 cm thick layer of cement on the top of the bricks, as shown in Figure 3c.
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