59. The matters requiring most attention in the construction of brick pavement (assuming that the foundation is in place) are the character and quality of the brick, the sand cushion, the setting of the brick, and the filling of the joints between the brick.
60. Inspecting the Brick.—The examination, testing and acceptance, in a general way, of the brick to be used for the work will be made in the engineer’s office, and your duty will be confined in this matter to seeing that the brick delivered and used are in accordance with the standard established and the general requirements of the specifications. You can best inspect the brick as they are being laid or after they have been laid, and before the surface has been rammed or rolled. Presumably the brick-setters will discard most of the unsuitable brick during the progress of their work, particularly if they are given to understand distinctly the defects that will cause rejection.
As the setting is completed, go carefully over the surface of the pavement and mark plainly all the bricks that are to be removed for defects and see that all such are taken out and replaced with good brick. The principal defects that should be observed are: soft or underburned bricks; those that are warped or deformed so that they will not fit closely to their neighbors, or have warped or ill-shaped tops; those that are broken or chipped or show injurious cracks, and those that are perceptibly wider or narrower than their neighbors in the same course.
Soft or underburned brick may be detected with most certainty by having the contractor wet the surface of the pavement by sprinkling. The soft brick will absorb more water and remain damp longer than the hard brick and can thus be readily detected. This test can be applied, however, only to pavements the joints of which are to be filled with grout, as bituminous filling should not be applied to brick with wet surfaces, and to wait until they become dry after the wetting would delay the work unwarrantably.
61. Sand Cushion.—See that the sand used is free from foreign matter and pebbles, as required by the specifications, and that the sand bed is of uniform thickness, correctly gaged, and rolled to the true plane of the pavement, additional sand being added or surplus removed where necessary to secure this result. See that the cushion is not thereafter disturbed or, if disturbed, that it be restored to its original condition.
62. Setting the Brick.—The bricks are to be set as closely together as possible both at sides and ends, so that the joints will not be wider than permitted by the specifications. Where the bricks have lugs or letters on one side, the lug-sides shall in no case be laid together. The courses must be reasonably straight entirely across the street. See that the bricks in adjoining courses break joint not less than three inches. Brick-setters are likely to be careless about this. Do not permit bats to be used except where necessary at the ends of courses or to fit the pavement against street railroad rails or around manholes or other structures in the street, and insist that this filling in shall follow immediately after the brick-setting, and that close fits shall be made.
63. Rolling the Pavement Surface.—This should be carefully and uniformly done so as to insure the even surface and contour of the pavement. Do not allow the roller to make sharp turns on the freshly laid brick surface as it will disturb and cant the loose brick. The roller should run back onto the fully completed pavement to make any necessary turns or considerable changes of direction. Quick starts or stops of the roller on the fresh-laid brick should be avoided for the same reason.
64. Filling the Joints.—Whether grout or bituminous filling be used the important thing is to get all the joints completely filled. Where bituminous cement is used, if the work is done in very cool weather the brick is likely to chill the cement before it reaches the bottom of the joints unless the cement be applied as hot as possible without injuring it, and the pouring be rapidly and carefully done.
If grout filling be used, see that the mortar is made of the proper ratio of sand and cement and that it is of the proper consistency to just flow into the joints, and that after mixing it is kept stirred until used. Repour all joints where necessary to completely fill them.
65. Gutters and Expansion Joints.—See that the gutters are laid with longitudinal courses of brick and their joints filled with bituminous cement as provided in the specifications.