Preliminary study on the use of corn cob as pore forming agent in lightweight clay bricks: Physical and mechanical features

• Corn cobs are grounded and mixed to clay slurry.
• The bricks are prepared and fired at various temperatures.
• The clays bricks porosity is increased with corn cob content.
• Corn cob can be used as a pore forming agent.

This study reports the effect of the incorporation of corn cob from Baleng (Cameroon) as pore forming agent in the production of porous ceramic brick. The bricks were prepared with addition of increasing amount of corn cob (0, 2, 5, 10, and 15 wt%) in the clay slurry. The samples were fired at different temperatures (900, 950, 1000, 1050, 1100 °C). Linear shrinkage, water absorption, porosity, apparent density and flexural strength of samples were measured and analyzed. It is observed that apparent density, flexural strength and linear shrinkage increase with temperature and decrease with increasing corn cob while the water absorption and the porosity decrease with higher temperature and increase with the amount of added corn cob. The obtained porous bricks could found uses as construction bricks or thermal/sound insulator parts.

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