Research to improve and convert the production of Tuynel bricks to the production of unburnt pressed Block bricks.
Investment unit: Bao Loc Investment Joint Stock Company
Project participants: Board of Directors; Technical Department; KCS Department - Bao Loc Investment Joint Stock Company.
Role: Director - research to come up with improved solutions and implement the project.
Purpose of request:
Binh Duong is a locality with a tradition of ceramics. Therefore, it is easy to understand that in Binh Duong, there are many establishments specializing in the production of bricks, tiles, and bricks. Previously, these establishments mainly produced handicrafts concentrated in many districts such as Di An, Thuan An, and Tan Uyen. However, due to the rapid development of industrialization and the urbanization process that also occurred in parallel in Tan Uyen area, the existing Tuynel brick kilns were interspersed with densely populated areas. Besides, in the development trend of modern industry, it is time to change technology to limit environmental pollution. Based on Decision No. 1469/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister dated August 22, 2014 approving the comprehensive plan on development of building materials in Vietnam to 2020 and orientation to 2030. In which, with The Government does not allow investment in manual kilns, continuous vertical kilns, ring kilns (Hoffman kilns), but encourages investment in technology to produce bricks of large size and high porosity to save resources. resources, reducing environmental pollution. The Government requires the provinces and centrally-run cities to develop and issue a roadmap to terminate the operation of furnaces using outdated technology. Binh Duong Provincial People's Committee issued Directive No. 08 on March 20, 2018 and Plan No. 1961 on May 11, 2018 on the implementation of a roadmap to gradually reduce the production and use of baked clay bricks.
Determining the direction of using new construction materials and technologies in association with sustainable development on the basis of application of clean and green technologies that can replace local materials will be a good direction for the present time. With that in mind, I have researched and improved the conversion of the Tuynel brick production line to the production of unburnt pressed Block bricks.
The goal is that I have to take advantage of the existing machines, equipment and people of Bao Loc Company to save costs and use trained and experienced workers.
Brick manufacturing process
Block bricks (ie bricks without cement aggregate) are made up of cement, stone chips and other additives. This is the type of brick that is most recommended to use and is prioritized to thrive. It meets very well the criteria of engineering, structure, environment, construction ... in addition, it can use ordinary masonry mortar that can replace traditional Tuynel bricks.
1. Prepare materials:
Different from the traditional clay brick production process, for unburnt bricks at the factory, I have given the composition from raw materials such as:
- Sand: can use sand such as artificial sand, natural sand, industrial waste sand from stone crushing. But must meet the following requirements: coarse sand with uniform particle size, less than 0.75 cm, moisture content from 3 to 5%.
- Water: an indispensable ingredient to form moisture for sand.
- Cement: combined with cement can help make the durability of bricks better, increase the water resistance of bricks, not affected by the effects of weather. Otherwise, the brick will crack, cracking will occur.
- Sandstone: the main raw material for the production of unburnt bricks.
2. Production Process
(1) Material supply: I have made the most of the factory's existing machinery and equipment such as: material hoppers, material conveyors, weighing scales, mixing settings. After the raw materials for brick production are filled into the hoppers (thanks to the excavator), the materials, yellow sand, cement, crushed stone and water are measured by an electric balance according to each type of brick. Put the above ingredients into the mixer and mix well.
(2) Material mixer: Together with the aggregates (stone chips), water and cement are put into the mixer in a fully automatic manner according to the mixing regulations. Then the ingredients are mixed evenly according to the set time. The mixture after mixing is put into the material division compartment in the forming machine area by the conveyor system. The material mixer and conveyor are reused from the existing brick production line of the Factory.
(3) Forming machine: Thanks to the hydraulic system, the machine works according to the pressing mechanism combined with the vibration to create a huge vibration force to form the blocks evenly, achieving high quality and stability. . Along with the mixing of materials, this vibrating forming unit are two extremely important factors to create the desired product.
I worked with the Engineering department, the KCS department of the factory to study and form the structure of the block press machine as follows:
The working part of the machine consists of 2 vibrating compactors installed on both sides of the mold, 1 moto placed on the counter and the gearbox is firmly installed on the top of the machine to avoid contact with the machine user, creating high safety.
- The machine is used imported steel materials, so it has high durability.
- The machine is neatly designed, takes up little space (about 6 square meters), the frame is sturdy.
The press has a capacity of 20,000 - 25,000 tablets/day.
(4) Switching tiles :
The pallet storage area in the production of Tuynel bricks is used by me as an area for pressing and transferring finished bricks from the line. The bricks are machine-shaped on plastic pallets, then transferred to the brick stacker via a chain conveyor. This synthetic plastic pallet has been reused by me from the factory because it is very durable, resistant to compression and great vibrations.
(5) Machine care :
The racks containing bricks are moved into the curing house which are designed to be airtight and have a misting system to ensure moisture retention for the bricks. The process of curing bricks at the curing house will be done within 24 hours.
(6) Transfer the goods to the warehouse waiting for delivery:
After the bricks are cured, they will be lifted and transferred to the chain conveyor. The pallets will be removed by a motor operating automatically.
Finished bricks are stacked on wooden shelves and transported to the warehouse.
Finished bricks are stacked on wooden shelves and brought to the finished product warehouse for delivery.

Results and Achievements:
As the designer of the unburnt brick press, I have developed a compact factory design that is easy to install  and operate, resulting in cost savings for electricity and labor. With only 4-5 workers required per production line, the labor costs are significantly reduced. Furthermore, the manufacturing and installation costs of the brick press are minimized by utilizing materials from the existing mechanical workshop and labor force. The total cost of manufacturing and installing the brick press is approximately 16 million VND, compared to buying from external sources which costs around 49 million VND.
Savings for the Company:
•    Press costs: By using my design, the company can save 66 million VND in press costs for 2 production lines, equivalent to 33 million VND per press.
•    Labor costs: With the unburnt brick production lines, only 16 workers are needed to achieve a capacity of about 44,000 bricks per day. In contrast, traditional baked clay brick production lines require at least 28 workers to produce the same amount. This results in cost savings of 12 workers, totaling 1,008,000,000 VND per year in salary costs.
Product Diversification:
The company's unburnt brick production is versatile, as it can produce different types of bricks using various molds to cater to the market demand:
•    8-piece mold: Produces large-sized bricks with 2 round holes in the middle, suitable for building walls and livestock farms.
•    10-piece mold: Produces medium-sized bricks, ideal for frame buildings.
•    18-piece mold: Produces compact-sized bricks with both hollow and solid options, suitable for building houses and restaurants.
Reduced Space Requirement:
With a design capacity of 12 million bricks per year, the traditional tunnel brick drying system would require an area of 2,500 - 3,500 m2 for the stretcher yard. However, by switching to unburnt brick production, the required production area is reduced to only about 1,500 - 2,000 m2, resulting in significant cost savings for the company in terms of factory construction fees and land rent, estimated at 18 billion VND.
About the environment and resources:
Technology for production of unburnt building materials, saving resources, minimizing environmental pollution during mining and production (artificial crushed sand can be used instead of natural sand, no land is used. calcination ... limiting exploitation in the wild), bringing many positive results such as: Taking advantage of many cheap raw materials available in the regions, low cost, ...
Unburnt bricks have many outstanding advantages: sound insulation, heat insulation, fast construction, fire resistance, water resistance, moisture drainage... the production and use of unburnt materials to replace traditional baked clay bricks is a trend. necessary.

NGO THANH TUNG