AMN Bricks

Kulithalai, karur, Tamil Nadu

It is argued that these small compartments were built above the ceiling of the burial chamber to relieve the stress of weight that could crack the chamber's ceiling. Some 38 blocks or more, each weighing about 50 to 80 tonnes were placed on top of the ceiling. Above these four granite chambers is a limestone gable, which it is said, was designed to distribute the weight to the north and south walls of the burial chamber. Modern architects and engineers disagree that these chambers function to relieve or distribute the weight of the pyramid pushing down on the chamber below. Why have so many chambers when a single gable could be built above the flat ceiling of the King's chamber to distribute the weight from above to the walls? One might even ask why the Queen's chamber, being situated lower in the pyramid's structure and made of a softer and therefore less structurally sound stone, would not need similar protection.

Fly ash brick (FAB) is a building material, specifically masonry units, containing class C fly ash and water. Compressed at 28 MPa (272 atm) and cured for 24 hours in a 66 C steam bath, then toughened with an air entrainment agent, the bricks last for more than 100 freeze-thaw cycles. Owing to the high concentration of calcium oxide in class C fly ash, the brick is described as "self-cementing". The manufacturing method saves energy, reduces mercury pollution, and costs 20% less than traditional clay brick manufacturing.