An Investigation of Damage Factors in Industrial Scale of Light-Weight Bricks Production

A damage case of light weight brick's production approximately at 6-7% of total production was found daily in one industry in East Jawa, Indonesia. The physical damage of product always occured. This paper investigates some factors that affect the lost in laboratory analysis. The analysis includes the chemical analysis of raw materials, reactivity of pozzolanic materials, and observation of strength based upon the position of light-weight bricks during autoclaving process. In addition, fly ash is introduced as mineral additive as one of the alternatives to improve the product's quality. It is also concluded that grinding the silica sands particles is the optimum way to improve the quality, but the adding class F of fly ash to five percent in mixture is the most effective solution. Furthermore, maintaining quality of raw materials, curing process, and maintaining the machine will either reduce the product damage that occurred during the fabrication process in industry.