First, let's discuss crushed brick. Brick dust is simply crushed brick. So, the lack of sand/silt/clay make the material very mobile and dusty in dry weather. Where did this material come from? My guess is a number of things:
- The cost - in the housing boom crushed brick was easy to find at a low price point - that is not the case today
- The color - the bright red color was visually appealing
- Ease of installation - just throw if down on top of the existing material
So, what is the issue? Simply, the material was initially used as a topdressing, but as load after load was installed through the years more than 2 inches of this material was installed. This would not be unlike attempting to play on 2 inches of calcined or vitrified clay. After a rain event, it is not uncommon to see a brick dust infield look like the one below:
As you can see from the photos, the high traffic areas (around the bases) are extremely low. Material has been pushed to the edges from dragging and the ensure smooth edges. So, what is the solution? FieldSaver50. Click HERE to see the blog link on renovating a brick dust infield.
In the future, brick dust has a use on warning tracks where more vertical drainage and a softer surface is desired. The other question I get is, "Can I use it as a topdressing?" My answer, no, there are other conditioners that will provide the red color without breaking down, turing into a powder, and staining unifroms. The best product to achieve the look of brick dust, without breaking down is expanded shale/vitrified clay. Diamond Pro is a great source for this material.
Let's turn the page, and stop using brick dust as an infield mix.
Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.
--Jamie
@JamieMehringer
Your description of the use of brick dust and its drawbacks is very interesting. Your photos are illustrations of poor drainage rather than drawbacks of brick dust. Our 15 year experience with using brick dust on our high school softball infield is quite different from what you describe. Brick dust when tilled in, blended properly with clay, and graded correctly, produces an excellent playing surface that has excellent water absorption characteristics. With that said, blending with clay is critical. Too much clay will produce a surface that is soft (and muddy) when wet. Too little clay will produce a surface that is soft when dry. Using brick dust only as a top dressing will, if allowed to become too deep, create the latter situation. But this is not a result of using brick dust, but rather is the result of using it improperly.
ReplyDeleteKeep in mind that brick IS “vitrified” clay. It is important to note that in the world of ceramics there are various forms of verification that will result in fired materials with all sorts of water absorption and durability characteristics. The brick that our material was made from is very absorbent, does not readily break down, and has served us very well over the years.