﻿16 BULLETIN 23, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUBE. 



during cold weather. This tendency can, of course, be partially 

 overcome by exercising proper care in selecting the materials. It 

 should also be noted in their favor that brick pavements, the joints 

 of which have been filled with bituminous preparations, are ordinarily 

 less noisy at first than those in which a Portland cement grout filler 

 has been used. The grout filler is unquestionably very much supe- 

 rior from a standpoint of durability, however, and the excessive noise 

 under traffic which has been frequently observed in connection with 

 its use can be largely eliminated by the use of proper bituminous 

 expansion cushions along the curbs. It is, therefore, recommended 

 as better adapted for filling the joints in brick pavements than any 

 other material which has been commonly used for that purpose. 



When the joints of a brick pavement are properly filled with 

 Portland cement grout the individual brick are firmly bonded together 

 and the pavement is thereby practically converted into a monolith. 

 Moreover, since the material composing the joints scarcely wears 

 more rapidly than the brick, the edges of the brick are well protected, 

 and the importance of this feature has already been pointed out.. 



The most satisfactory method yet devised for mixing and applying 

 the grout filler may be described as follows : Grout boxes constructed 

 in such manner that, when resting on a level platform, one corner 

 will be lower than the others should first be provided. A suitable 

 design for such boxes is shown in Plate II. The number of boxes 

 required depends on the width of the pavement; ordinarily one box 

 to each 10 feet of width will be found sufficient. The grout, which 

 should be put on in two applications, is prepared in batches each of 

 which consists of a quantity of cement not exceeding one sack, a like 

 amount of fine, clean sand, and water. The sand and cement should 

 first be thoroughly mixed dry and sufficient water then admixed 

 to produce a liquid mixture. The consistency of the mixture for 

 the first application should be approximately the same as that of thin 

 cream, and for the second application it should be somewhat thicker. 



The pavement should be cleaned and thoroughly sprinkled as a 

 preliminary to making the first application of grout, and it should 

 be kept moist by gentle sprinkling while this application is being 

 made. The grout should be removed from the boxes and spread 

 upon the pavement by means of scoop shovels, and it should be 

 immediately swept into the joints. For this purpose a coarse rattan 

 or fiber push broom should be used in the first application, and a 

 squeegee in the second application. The squeegee is made by clamp- 

 ing a piece of four-ply rubber belting or some other similar material, 

 about 6 by 20 inches in size, between two pieces of board and attaching 

 a suitable handle. The grout in the boxes should be continually 

 stirred until the last shovelful is removed, otherwise a separation of 

 the sand and cement will almost certainly occur. 



