Vocabulary notes

soft-mud мягкий раствор

stiff-clay жесткая глина

pressed brick прессованный кирпич

mold форма

to sprinkle разбрызгивать; посыпать

trough желоб

wire-cut-brick проволочный кирпич

kiln печь

sand-lime brick песчано-известковый кирпич

perforated brick дырчатый кирпич

EXERCISES

I. Read and translate the following text. Annotate it in Russian.

II. Speak on the three-ways of forming bricks.

III. Speak about the materials, used for brick-making; different shapes of bricks; possible colors of bricks.

IV. Make up sentences from the following words:

1. Brick-making – sand – water – are – widely – for – used

2. Heavy machine – is pressed – under – clay – in – pressure – high

3. Before – from the bricks – water – firing – removed – must be

4. Must be – bricks – carefully – in the wall – arranged – to produce – good – strength – appearance – high – and

V. Determine the part of speech and the grammatical form of the following words. Translate them into Russian:

1. Construct; construction; constructional feature; construction site reconstruction; a reconstructed building.

2. Conclude; conclusion; conclusive; inclusively.

3. Require; requirement; required.

4. Undertake; undertaker; undertaking; undertook.

Bricklaying

When a wall is built of bricks, the bricks are set in mortar. Mortar usually consists of a mixture of sand and either lime or Portland cement or, more often, a mixture of the two. Enough water is used in mixing the mortar to produce a paste in which the bricks can be firmly bedded. The bricks must be carefully arranged or “bonded” as it is called, in the wall in order to produce a structure of good strength and appearance, the pattern of the brickwork depending on the bond which is used. The “pointing”, or finishing, of mortar joints is also given careful attention since it affects the appearance and the weather resistance of the wall.

Each layer of bricks is called a “course” and the bricklayer has to be very skillful to keep the courses exactly level and the thickness of mortar between each course of bricks the same throughout the length and depth of the wall. The corners of the walls must be absolutely upright or “plumb”.

Nowadays the outer walls of buildings often consist of an outer and inner wall with a space of about 5 centimeters (2 inches) between them, the two layers being held together at intervals by small metal ties. These cavity walls, as they are called, help moisture evaporate better than solid walls. A layer of insulating material is often put in the space between the walls to prevent heat escaping from the building. This is known as “cavity wall insulation”.

When bricks are built in curves, as in arches or curved walls, the bricklayer has to shape the bricks in order to fit them together. Sometimes quite soft bricks called “rubbers” are used; these can be rubbed on a hard stone in order to shape them so accurately that they can be built with thin mortar joints. Work of this type is known as “gauged brickwork” and demands great skill.