Cement stabilized rammed earth as a sustainable construction material

2016 ◽  
Vol 105 ◽  
pp. 519-527 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.K.G.K.D. Kariyawasam ◽  
C. Jayasinghe
Keyword(s):  
Construction Material ◽  
Sustainable Construction ◽  
Rammed Earth

scholarly journals Feature Importance of Stabilised Rammed Earth Components Affecting the Compressive Strength Calculated with Explainable Artificial Intelligence Tools

Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 2317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hubert Anysz ◽  
Łukasz Brzozowski ◽  
Wojciech Kretowicz ◽  
Piotr Narloch
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Compressive Strength ◽  
Mean Squared Error ◽  
Construction Material ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Sustainable Construction ◽  
Solid Base ◽  
Rammed Earth ◽  
Prediction Errors ◽  
Explainable Artificial Intelligence

Cement-stabilized rammed earth (CSRE) is a sustainable construction material. The use of it allows for economizing on the cost of a structure. These two properties of CSRE are based on the fact that the soil used for the rammed mixture is usually dug close to the construction site, so it has random characteristics. That is the reason for the lack of widely accepted prescriptions for CSRE mixture, which could ascertain high enough compressive strength. Therefore, assessing which components of CSRE have the highest impact on its compressive strength becomes an important issue. There are three machine learning regression tools, i.e., artificial neural networks, decision tree, and random forest, used for predicting the compressive strength based on the relative content of CSRE composites (clay, silt, sand, gravel, cement, and water content). The database consisted of 434 samples of CSRE, which were prepared and crushed for testing purposes. Relatively low prediction errors of aforementioned models allowed for the use of explainable artificial intelligence tools (drop-out loss, mean squared error reduction, accumulated local effect) to rank the influence of the ingredients on the dependent variable—the compressive strength. Consistent results from all above-mentioned methods are discussed and compared to some statistical analysis of selected features. This innovative approach, helpful in designing the construction material is a solid base for reliable conclusions.

scholarly journals Design Optimisation Strategies for Solid Rammed Earth Walls in Mediterranean Climates

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 325
Author(s):  
Giada Giuffrida ◽  
Maurizio Detommaso ◽  
Francesco Nocera ◽  
Rosa Caponetto
Keyword(s):  
Energy Demand ◽  
Construction Material ◽  
Base Material ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Rammed Earth ◽  
Earth Construction ◽  
Material Choice ◽  
Earth Walls ◽  
Raw Earth

The renewed attention paid to raw earth construction in recent decades is linked to its undoubted sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and low embodied energy. In Italy, the use of raw earth as a construction material is limited by the lack of a technical reference standard and is penalised by the current energy legislation for its massive behaviour. Research experiences, especially transoceanic, on highly performative contemporary buildings made with natural materials show that raw earth can be used, together with different types of reinforcements, to create safe, earthquake-resistant, and thermally efficient buildings. On the basis of experimental data of an innovative fibre-reinforced rammed earth material, energy analyses are developed on a rammed earth building designed for a Mediterranean climate. The paper focuses on the influences that different design solutions, inspired by traditional bioclimatic strategies, and various optimised wall constructions have in the improvement of the energy performance of the abovementioned building. These considerations are furthermore compared with different design criteria aiming at minimising embodied carbon in base material choice, costs, and discomfort hours. Results have shown the effectiveness of using the combination of massive rammed earth walls, night cross ventilation, and overhangs for the reduction of energy demand for space cooling and the improvement of wellbeing. Finally, the parametric analysis of thermal insulation has highlighted the economic, environmental, and thermophysical optimal solutions for the rammed earth envelope.

scholarly journals Utilization of Sugarcane Bagasse Ash from Power Co-generation Boilers as a Supplementary Cementitious Material

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Safiki Ainomugisha ◽  
Bisaso Edwin ◽  
Bazairwe Annet
Keyword(s):  
Compressive Strength ◽  
Portland Cement ◽  
Sugarcane Bagasse ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Ordinary Portland Cement ◽  
Construction Material ◽  
Sustainable Construction ◽  
Partial Replacement ◽  
Hardened Concrete ◽  
Sugarcane Bagasse Ash

Concrete has been the world’s most consumed construction material, with over 10 billion tons of concrete annually. This is mainly due to its excellent mechanical and durability properties plus high mouldability. However, one of its major constituents; Ordinary Portland Cement is reported to be expensive and unaffordable by most low-income earners. Its production contributes about 5%–8% of global CO2 greenhouse emissions. This is most likely to increase exponentially with the demand of Ordinary Portland Cement estimated to rise by 200%, reaching 6000 million tons/year by 2050.  Therefore, different countries are aiming at finding alternative sustainable construction materials that are more affordable and offer greener options reducing reliance on non-renewable sources. Therefore, this study aimed at assessing the possibility of utilizing sugarcane bagasse ash from co-generation in sugar factories as supplementary material in concrete. Physical and chemical properties of this sugarcane bagasse ash were obtained plus physical and mechanical properties of fresh and hardened concrete made with partial replacement of Ordinary Portland Cement. Cost-benefit analysis of concrete was also assessed. The study was carried using 63 concrete cubes of size 150cm3 with water absorption studied as per BS 1881-122; slump test to BS 1881-102; and compressive strength and density of concrete according to BS 1881-116. The cement binder was replaced with sugarcane bagasse ash 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 30% by proportion of weight. Results showed the bulk density of sugarcane bagasse ash at 474.33kg/m3, the specific gravity of 1.81, and 65% of bagasse ash has a particle size of less than 0.28mm. Chemically, sugarcane bagasse ash contained SiO2, Fe2O3, and Al2O3 at 63.59%, 3.39%, and 5.66% respectively. A 10% replacement of cement gave optimum compressive strength of 26.17MPa. This 10% replacement demonstrated a cost saving of 5.65% compared with conventional concrete. 

scholarly journals Experimental and FEM Investigation of Cob Walls under Compression

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrico Quagliarini ◽  
Gianluca Maracchini
Keyword(s):  
Compressive Strength ◽  
Mechanical Behaviour ◽  
Poisson’S Ratio ◽  
Construction Material ◽  
Strong Dependence ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Poisson's Ratio ◽  
Experimental Program ◽  
Rammed Earth ◽  
Crack Model

Earth has been used as construction material since prehistoric times, and it is still utilized nowadays in both developed and developing countries. Heritage conservation purposes and its intrinsic environmental benefits have led researchers to investigate the mechanical behaviour of this material. However, while a lot of works concern with rammed earth, CEB, and adobe techniques, very few studies are directed towards cob, which is an alternative to the more diffused rammed earth and adobe in specific geographic conditions. Due to this lack, this paper presents an experimental program aimed at assessing the failure mode and the main mechanical properties of cob earth walls (compressive strength, Young’s modulus, and Poisson’s ratio) through monotonic axial compression tests. Results show that, if compared with CEB, adobe, and rammed earth, cob has the lowest compressive strength, the lowest modulus of elasticity, and Poisson’s ratio. Differences are also found by comparing results with those obtained for other cob techniques, underlining both the high regional variability of cob and the need of performing more research on this topic. A strong dependence of material properties on loading rate and water content seems to exist too. Finally, the ability of a common analytical method used for masonry structures (an FEM macromodelling with a total strain rotating crack model) to represent the mechanical behaviour of cob walls is showed.

Oil Palm Kernel Shell – A Potential Sustainable Construction Material

2020 ◽  
pp. 137-143
Author(s):  
Timothy Z.H. Ting ◽  
Muhammad E. Rahman ◽  
Hieng H. Lau ◽  
Matthew Z.Y. Ting ◽  
Vikram Pakrashi
Keyword(s):  
Oil Palm ◽  
Construction Material ◽  
Palm Kernel ◽  
Sustainable Construction ◽  
Palm Kernel Shell

scholarly journals Effect of adding insulation on the energy performances of rammed earth buildings in hot and arid climates

2020 ◽  
Vol 150 ◽  
pp. 01011
Author(s):  
Wical Cheikhi ◽  
Khadija Baba ◽  
Abderrahman Nounah ◽  
Choukri Cherradi
Keyword(s):  
Good Alternative ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Sustainable Construction ◽  
Rammed Earth ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Energy Consuming ◽  
High Level ◽  
Earth Walls ◽  
Raw Earth

In a world context focused on energy efficiency and sustainable construction, returning to the use of raw earth in construction constitutes a good alternative to concrete construction, a system more energy consuming and yet more used nowadays. This return is justified by the excellent energy performance and the high level of thermal comfort provided by earth constructions in different climates. In cold climates, adding an insulation on earth walls has proven to be effective in improving their thermal performances. However, the influence of adding an insulation on the energy performance of rammed earth buildings in hot and arid climates remains to this day little explored. The present work comes in this order of ideas; it is based on a comparative study of the energetic performances of a mud building before and after the addition of the insulation. In order to compare between their performances, we have performed a simulation of the thermal behaviour of each by the dynamic thermal simulation software Design Builder.

scholarly journals The transport of liquids in softwood: timber as a model porous medium

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
H. C. Burridge ◽  
G. Wu ◽  
T. Reynolds ◽  
D. U. Shah ◽  
R. Johnston ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Porous Medium ◽  
Fluid Flow ◽  
Transport Properties ◽  
Pore Space ◽  
Construction Material ◽  
Sustainable Construction ◽  
Natural Material ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Treatment Processes

AbstractTimber is the only widely used construction material we can grow. The wood from which it comes has evolved to provide structural support for the tree and to act as a conduit for fluid flow. These flow paths are crucial for engineers to exploit the full potential of timber, by allowing impregnation with liquids that modify the properties or resilience of this natural material. Accurately predicting the transport of these liquids enables more efficient industrial timber treatment processes to be developed, thereby extending the scope to use this sustainable construction material; moreover, it is of fundamental scientific value — as a fluid flow within a natural porous medium. Both structural and transport properties of wood depend on its micro-structure but, while a substantial body of research relates the structural performance of wood to its detailed architecture, no such knowledge exists for the transport properties. We present a model, based on increasingly refined geometric parameters, that accurately predicts the time-dependent ingress of liquids within softwood timber, thereby addressing this long-standing scientific challenge. Moreover, we show that for the minimalistic parameterisation the model predicts ingress with a square-root-of-time behaviour. However, experimental data show a potentially significant departure from this $$\sqrt{{\boldsymbol{t}}}$$t behaviour — a departure which is successfully predicted by our more advanced parametrisation. Our parameterisation of the timber microstructure was informed by computed tomographic measurements; model predictions were validated by comparison with experimental data. We show that accurate predictions require statistical representation of the variability in the timber pore space. The collapse of our dimensionless experimental data demonstrates clear potential for our results to be up-scaled to industrial treatment processes.

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