Brick materiality
Introduction
A brick is a construction material, normally ceramic and with an orthohedral shape, whose most normal dimensions allow an operator to place it with just one hand. Bricks are used in general construction. They can be positioned in different patterns, known collectively as "Rig (construction)" rigs. Various types of mortars "Mortar (construction)") are used to hold bricks together and form a durable structure.
In addition to their general use in construction, bricks have a variety of technical characteristics and applications that are essential to optimize their performance in different construction contexts. There are technical guides and manuals, such as the Master Builder's Manual on Bricks, that offer detailed information on the correct selection, handling and placement of bricks, as well as on the most appropriate types of mortar to guarantee the durability of the structures. These resources are valuable to architects, engineers, and builders as they facilitate understanding of the technical and aesthetic aspects that influence the choice of brick for a specific project.
History
Bricks have been used as a construction element for about 11,000 years. They are already documented in the activity of farmers from the pre-ceramic Neolithic of the Mediterranean Levant around 9500 BC. C. in the form of adobe, since in the areas where they built their cities there was hardly any wood and stone. The Sumerians and Babylonians dried their adobe bricks in the sun; However, to reinforce their walls and ramparts, in the external parts, they covered them with baked clay bricks, which are more resistant to the elements. Sometimes they were also covered with enamels to achieve decorative effects. Its diffusion in the Mediterranean area occurred with the expansion of the Roman Empire. The dimensions changed over time.
The brick work had dimensions determined by the size of the pieces. The longest length (the rope) of the brick was generally one foot "Foot (unit)"), which obviously depended on the dimension of that measurement in the area where it was manufactured, and that is why the factories built with them were called, such as one foot, half a foot, etc., according to their width; When later the relationship with the traditional measurement of the foot was lost, they wanted to call the half-foot brick wall, like zither as well as asta, asta and a half or the old foot, foot and a half, two feet, but these names are not used too much.