Masonry Magazine April 1993 Page. 27
BIA Technical Notes on Brick Construction
Brick Institute of America 11490 Commerce Park Drive, Reston, Virginia 22091
14A
REVISED
January
1993
BRICK FLOORS AND PAVEMENTS
MATERIALS AND INSTALLATION
PART II OF III
**Abstract:** This *Technical Notes* describes the materials and installation methods used to construct brick paving assemblies. Materials covered include brick, setting bed materials, base materials and membranes. Installation procedures for flexible, semi-rigid and rigid base paving assemblies are described. Maintenance issues are also discussed.
**Key Words:** brick, flexible pavements, installation, maintenance, mortared paving, mortarless paving, paving, rigid pavements.
January 1993
20 PAVING AND SURFACING 40 MORTAR
INTRODUCTION
The longevity of brick paving applications has been proven through many years of successful in-service performance. This performance is the result of proper design, proper selection of materials and good workmanship. Even though brick is the uppermost surface, it is the base which requires the closest scrutiny and adequate preparation for proper performance of the entire system. However, all paving materials and layers should be analyzed and constructed properly.
This *Technical Notes* deals with the proper selection of materials and their installation. Guidance is also provided for the maintenance of brick paving assemblies. Other *Technical Notes* in this series address design, detailing and special brick paving assemblies including floors.
SELECTION OF MATERIALS
# Brick
Paving brick selection is usually based on its weather resistance, abrasion resistance, and appearance relating to bond patterns, size and tolerances. Brick used in paving applications should conform to ASTM C 902 Specification for Pedestrian and Light Traffic Paving Brick or the proposed ASTM Specification for Heavy Vehicular Paving Brick¹
*Durability.* For exterior pavements, resistance to deterioration due to freezing in the presence of moisture is of the utmost importance. Repeated freezing and thawing of moisture within a paving assembly can increase the rate of deterioration and may result in cracking or spalling of the units. The overall durability of the pavement under these conditions is dependent upon the quality of materials and the drainage efficiency of the pavement. See *Technical Notes* 14 Revised for information on drainage.
Three weathering classes found in ASTM C 902 are SX, MX and NX. Class SX pavers are intended for use where the brick may be frozen while saturated with water. Class MX pavers are intended for exterior use where freezing conditions are not present. Finally, Class NX pavers are acceptable for interior use where protected from freezing when wet. The durability of a paving brick is measured using combinations of its compressive strength, 24 hr cold water absorption and saturation coefficient. Table 1 shows the physical property requirements found in ASTM C 902 for durability in each class.
Alternates to these requirements are also found in ASTM C 902. The alternates include a maximum water absorption, a 50 cycle freezing and thawing test, a sulfate soundness test, and a performance alternate. The maximum saturation coefficient in Table 1 is not required when the average 24 hr cold water absorption is less than 6 percent. The maximum saturation coefficient and maximum cold water absorption in Table 1 are not required when the brick passes the 50 cycle freezing and thawing test. The sulfate soundness test is used as an alternate test in place of the requirements of Table 1. The performance alternate allows the manufacturer to furnish data showing that the units perform well in a similar application of similar exposure and traffic. The performance alternate must be found acceptable by the specifier. Alternates are provided in ASTM C 902 because the performance of units is not easily determined by limiting physical properties alone.
The use of alternates does not signify that the brick are of a lower quality, but allows the use of units which are known to have good performance.
As of the date of this publication, this standard had not completed the ASTM consensus process.