FLY ASH BRICK PROJECT: FEASIBILITY STUDY USING CVP ANALYSIS S. K. Mitra and Shubhra Hajela wrote this case solely to provide material for class discussion. The authors do not intend to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a managerial situation. The authors may have disguised certain names and other identifying information to protect confidentiality. This publication may not be transmitted, photocopied, digitized or otherwise reproduced in any form or by any means without the permission of the copyright holder. Reproduction of this material is not covered under authorization by any reproduction rights organization. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, contact Ivey Publishing, Ivey Business…show more content… Removing this top layer makes the land infertile for a long period. Using fly ash for making bricks instead of clay would thus help preserve the fertility of the soil. Second, it was estimated that there would be a substantial shortfall in the availability of different types of building materials, including bricks. 3 With the country growing at such a rapid pace, the government was keen on promoting fly ash bricks in the construction sector. This would enable a waste product to be used as a construction material and also conserve the environment and resources. MANUFACTURING PROCESS
The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) of India had developed technology to replace burnt clay bricks with fly ash as a construction material for building walls. The manufacturing process for these bricks, known as fly ash-lime-gypsum bricks, required intimate mixing of fly ash, sand, lime and gypsum. Gypsum and lime were first ground to fine particles and then fly ash and sand added to make a fine blend. The ratio of the input material was as follows:
Fly ash: 60 to 80 per cent Sand: 10 per cent Gypsum: 10 per cent Lime: 10 to 20 per cent Water was added to the mix to form a paste after which the mixture was transferred to moulds fitted in a hydraulic/mechanical press. The bricks were later dried in the open for one or two days and then cured using water. A process outline for manufacturing fly ash bricks is given in Exhibit 1.
