Brick Types, Manufacturing, and Mortar Guide
Brick Types, Manufacturing, and Mortar
Brick Classification by Texture
- Rough or Coarse Bricks: These bricks are made from unrefined earth, molded by hand, and fired in simple outdoor furnaces called anthills (piles of bricks covered with burning firewood).
Firing Degrees and Brick Quality
The firing degree determines the brick’s quality:
- Escafilado: Holy brick
- Recocho: Over-fired brick (best quality, deep red color, most used in construction)
- Good Looking: Well-fired brick
- Brown Porter: Under-fired brick
- Fine
Electrical Transformation Centers: Components and Functionality
Electrical Transformation Centers (CT) provide the installation of transformers, reducing high to low tension, complemented by switchgear for precise work. Their function is to distribute electrical energy at different voltages while allowing connection to the line at any point.
CT Classification:
- Feeding: (in a point and in step)
- Property: (company-owned, subscriber/customer-owned)
- Location: (outdoor or indoor)
- Construction: (aerial, underground, conventional, prefabricated compact)
CT Feeding Types:
Read MoreAlhambra: History, Location, and Architectural Marvels
The Alhambra: A Historical Overview
The Alhambra
Chronology
The most important buildings of the Alhambra date from the late thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.
Location
Granada, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.
Description
The Alhambra is a cluster of buildings forming a citadel, fortress, and palace. The materials used in its construction are simple, but embellished with polychrome plaster.
Inside, there is a succession of courtyards with pools, fountains, or wells. Some rooms have patios, for both
Read MoreScience, Technology, and the Universe: Key Concepts
Science and Technology
Science: Body of knowledge obtained through observation and reasoning from which general principles and laws are deduced.
Technology: A set of skills used to build objects and machines to adapt to the environment and meet our needs.
Applications of Science
The history of science presents examples of applications of science that are tragically harmful to humans. The technology of warfare, biological warfare, nuclear power, pesticides, drugs, human cloning, etc., have been harmful
Read MoreConcrete: Types, Properties, and Applications
What is ACI?
ACI stands for the American Concrete Institute. It is an organization that develops and publishes standards and regulations for concrete construction.
Compressive vs. Tensile Strength of Concrete
Concrete is very strong in compression but relatively weak in tension.
What is the PCA?
PCA stands for the Portland Cement Association.
What is Portland Cement?
Portland cement is a hydraulic cement. Hydraulic cement sets and hardens by reacting chemically with water. It is produced by pulverizing
Read MoreEarth’s Moon, Rotation, Translation, and Layers Explained
Our Satellite: The Moon
The Moon lights the Earth’s night sky and is the brightest celestial object after the Sun, as observed from Earth. Its radius is approximately 1238 km, about 0.27 times the Earth’s radius. Its mass is nearly eighty times lower than that of the Earth. Its rotation period is 27.3 days, and its orbital period is also 27.3 days.
Due to the relative positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun, we observe the Moon in various phases: crescent, waning moon, full moon, and new moon.