Effect of the change of firing temperature on microstructure and physical properties of clay bricks from Beruas (Malaysia)

This study is focused on the behaviour of fired-clay brick from the area around Beruas (Malaysia) that is known for it brick industries. The firing temperatures were set from 800°C to 1250°C and soaking time was fixed for an hour. The effects of firing temperature on the phase changes, microstructure, compressive strength, water absorption and porosity of the bricks were investigated. Test results indicate that the optimum firing temperature was found to be 1200°C. The percentage of porosity significantly reduces from 39.33% to 5.87% when sintered from 1000°C to 1250°C. Bricks sintered at 1200°C exhibited the highest strength of 89.5 N/mm2. The effect of firing temperature significantly improved the microstructure in terms of porosity and the quality of physical properties of fired-clay bricks.