Assessment of Dibdibba Sand (Southern Iraq) for the Manufacturing of Semi Silica Bricks

Three different mixtures (sand:clay), (80:20), (70:30) and (60:40), were formed in a cylindrical shape of 5050 mm, using a semidry pressing with 300 kg/cm2 as forming pressure and then fired at 1430C.
The results showed that the produced semi silica bricks have apparent porosity ranging from 21.3-25% with specific gravity between 2.42-2.93 N/mm2 and having spelling resistance between 15 to 25 cycle.
The results show that it is possible to use a mixture of 60:40 sand:clay for the manufacture of semi silica bricks.