Field Quality Control Test for Wetting Brick in Masonry Construction

Obtaining desired water tightness and adequate bond strength of brick masonry may require the prewetting of brick. An inexpensive and convenient field test is suggested for determining the necessity of prewetting. Select a representative sample of five brick specimens; with a wax pencil draw two 1-in. diam. circles on a bed area of each brick—with a medicine dropper place 20 drops of water within each circle in 10 ± 2 sec—do not overflow the circle; average the time from the placement of the last drop for all the water to be absorbed for each of the five bricks; and if the average time is less than 10 min., wet the brick prior to laying. If not, wetting is not required.