Combined multianalytical approach for the characterization of commercial bricks with a view to their technical use.

Brick is a construction material used in buildings since Roman times and still used in modern constructions for its own technical features and aesthetic qualities. The raw materials and the firing temperatures are closely related with the characteristics of fired products (Riccardi et al., 2009). During the firing process mineralogical and textural transformations occur (and resembles the high-temperature metamorphism) which produces anartificial material characterized by asignificant porosity. Porosity is an important parameter to evaluate the durability of bricks, especially in aggressive environments, e.g. those in which salts and frost are present (Cultrone et al., 2004). This work aims to develop a combined multianalytical approach for studying the relationships between mineralogical-textural and physical-mechanical properties and decay behavior of five types of industrial bricks. They have been chosen in order to define the influence of different compositions and firing temperatures on the development of different mineralogy, micro-texture and porosity.