Characterization of Marble-Clay Composite as Alternative To Conventional Bricks in Building

The usability of marble as an additive material with clay in industrial brick has been investigated. Marble was collected from the marble deposit located at Igbeti (latitude 8⁰ 45^l longitude 4⁰ 8^l E.), and the red clay was collected at University of Ilorin, Ilorin (latitude 8⁰ 32^l N and longitude 4⁰ 34^l E), both in Nigeria. Marble and Clay were processed for the preparation of the composite. The two materials were mixed in varying proportion of marble, ranging from 0 wt. % to 45 %. The mixture was made into bricks with size 6.0 x 7.0 x 2.0 cm. Ten sample bricks of different marble composition were prepared. These bricks were compressed and heated at a temperature of 950 ⁰C for 2 hours. Water absorption and thermal conductivity tests were carried out on the samples. It was observed that the amount of marble added had positive effect on the physical and mechanical strength of the produced brick. The results also show that increase in percentage of marble will be of good advantage in keeping the house warm during raining season as observed from the thermal conductivity test.

Keywords
Marble; Clay; Physico-mechanical; Thermal conductivity; Water Absorption