USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Adobe bricks (mud bricks ) are made of earth with a fairly high clay content and straw. If produced manually the earth mix is cast in open moulds onto the ground and then left to dry out. Adobe bricks are only sun-dried, not kiln-fired. When used for construction they are laid up into a wall using an earth mortar.

Detailed explanation-2: -Sun dried bricks are formed by packing mud into a form. They are then laid out and left to dry in the sun. The sun is the heat source which dries the bricks. The bricks would harden more in a kiln and thus sun dried bricks are not as durable or as desireable.

Detailed explanation-3: -Adobe bricks are made of native soil, sometimes with the addition of an organic additive. To make durable bricks, you must know which soil types to use. In New Mexico, soils commonly called adobe soils are not well suited to brickmaking. The proportions of sand, clay, and silt in these soils may vary widely.

Detailed explanation-4: -Adobe bricks must be dried completely before they are used. This is necessary so that the walls of a building will not shrink or break. Too much water can make adobe weak. Sometimes other materials are added to the adobe mixture to strengthen it.

Detailed explanation-5: -There’s a reason for this: The mud for the bricks might include sand, small gravel or clay–whatever makes up the soil in an area. Water, and often straw or grass, are mixed with the dirt. The resulting mud dries naturally in the sun and air. Because fire isn’t used to cure them, adobe bricks aren’t hard.