The raw material soil of Al-Sowera factory
quarry (quarry soil and mixture) used for building brick
industry was tested mineralogically, geochemically and
geotechnically. Mineral components of soil are characterized
by Clay minerals (Palygoriskite and chlorite) and nonclay
minerals like calcite, quratz, feldspar, gypsum and
halite. The raw material is deficient in SiO2, Al2O3, K2O,
Fe2O3 and MgO, while enriched in CaO. Loss on ignition
and Na2O are in suitable level and appear to be concordant
with the standard. Grain size analyses show that the
decreasing sand and clay, and increasing silt ratio in both
quarry soil and mixture caused decreasing in strength of
brick during molding and after firing. The quarry soil is
characterized by high plasticity clayey soil of 30.49 plastic
index (P.I), whereas the mixture considered a clayey soil
has a low plasticity of 7.7 plastic index (P.I). To improve
the chemical and physical properties of the raw material,
alumina-silicate minerals rich in K2O, Fe2O3 and MgO are
recommended as additive materials to the main mixture.
صالح محمد عوض | Salih Muhammad Awadh | 11178