Erosion Behaviour of Bio-Stabilised Earthen Materials

Author(s):  
Mathieu Audren ◽  
Simon Guihéneuf ◽  
Damien Rangeard ◽  
Arnaud Perrot

Development of earthen building materials is one of the answers that the construction sector can provide to tackle the accelerated climate change issue. However, these materials present a wide variability, even at the local scale, and their water durability can be difficult to ensure. In order to improve their durability regarding water and avoid its prejudicial effect on earthen material’s properties, the stabilisation with bio-polymers is an increasingly studied solution. In this paper a ten-minute erosion drip test is developed and performed for various combinations of Breton earths and bio-based additions or surface treatments (linseed oil, xanthan gum, casein, alginate, vegetal varnish and tannins). The final pitting depths and eroded volumes are compared and the evolution of erosion during the test is monitored. These results are also linked to previously obtained water capillary absorption coefficients. The obtained results enable to highlight the impact of bio-based additions on erodibility of earthen materials: linseed oil and xanthan gum help to protect the earth-based samples from erosion. Other original parameters characterizing the erosion of the samples during the drip test are suggested. Limitations of this type of erosion tests are also brought out.

Author(s):  
Simon Guihéneuf ◽  
Arnaud Perrot ◽  
Damien Rangeard ◽  
Mathilde Cocheteux

Currently, much consideration is given to earthen building materials regarding their highly sustainable properties. Numerous studies have highlighted their structural ability but their water sensitivity is still limiting a potentially more spread use. To limit this sensitivity several studies have recently brought out the positive effects of bio-stabilisers such as linseed oil or xanthan gum. These recent developments allow bio-stabilized earthen materials to be resistant to immersion in water. Also, a French experimental standard (XP P 13-901) for compressed earth blocks already asks for a minimal compressive strength after a two-hour immersion that is overly severe and is difficult to satisfy without the addition of high contents of hydraulic binders. In this paper, a critical study of this compressive test after immersion is conducted on bio-stabilized (linseed oil and xanthan gum) samples of different Breton earths. Some testing adjustments are suggested and the water-diffusion in the samples is followed and linked to previously obtained capillary absorption coefficients. It is shown that the effect of immersion on the mechanical strength depends on the sample size and that an equivalence between size and immersion time can be made based on an equivalent penetration depth. Linseed oil and xanthan gum help to significantly increase the compressive strength of the earthen materials after immersion and allow to avoid the addition of hydraulic binders in earthen blocks to obtained a strong water resistance. The water diffusion in the sample during the immersion can be linked to capillary absorption behaviour, thus a water content and a compressive strength after a given time of immersion could be easily predicted.


Author(s):  
Simon Guihéneuf ◽  
Arnaud Perrot ◽  
Damien Rangeard

In the current context, the development of new bio-based and local building materials is becoming mandatory. Among them, earthen materials have a strong potential to be used as sustainable structural materials but their variability and their water sensitivity impact their mechanical properties that are difficult to guaranty. Recent developments have emphasised the ability of some bio-based additions to help to ensure these properties: linseed oil and xanthan gum are part of them. In this paper three different Breton earths, representative of a certain local variability, are studied. The impact of the selected bio-based additions on earths’ rheological behaviour is followed in order to adapt it to different forming processes. Then, the mechanical properties of different earth-addition combinations at the dry state, exposed to hygric variations and immersion are investigated for different forming processes. The findings highlight the fact that xanthan gum and linseed oil have a relevant ability to stabilise earthen blocks, that can be processed using different promising forming methods.


2015 ◽  
Vol 754-755 ◽  
pp. 369-372
Author(s):  
Muhamad Azani Yahya ◽  
Mohammed Alias Yusof ◽  
Norita Ridzuan ◽  
Mohamad Yusrin Yahya ◽  
Ahmad Azizi Ab Aziz

Discovering about sustainability, construction sector should be a part of participant in utilizing waste materials for the benefits of the industry. The idea of converting waste materials into some application can contribute to sustainability and greening the earth. Apart from that, research must be done to promote the waste material into economic and useful construction material. A concept of going green must be adopted rather than just thinking of the rapid construction as the whole project aim. This paper promotes sugarcane bagasse as an additive for construction material in 3 ways which are on concrete strength improver, a concrete retarder and composite brick. The sugarcane bagasse were blended and mixed with 30MPa concrete with certain ratio and tested for compressive, flexural, water absorption and penetration. From the tests, it shows that the sugarcane bagasse gives a positive impact to concrete. Therefore, the usage of sugarcane bagasse can be considered as a concept of utilizing waste material for sustainable approach.


2021 ◽  
Vol 03 (02) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
Herinjaka Haga Ratsimbazafy ◽  
◽  
Aurélie Laborel-Préneron ◽  
Camille Magniont ◽  
Philippe Evon ◽  
...  

The use of plant aggregates obtained from agricultural co-products mixed with mineral binders to form eco-friendly insulating building materials has been initiated for a few years to bring environmentally friendly solutions to the construction sector. Several studies on different agro-resources have already been carried out, providing various information about the properties of plant aggregates and plant-based concrete. However, the characteristics of the agricultural co-product, which allow it to qualify as a plant aggregate for plant-based concrete, are not yet very clear despite the multitude of data, especially on hemp concrete. Therefore, it is important to gather numerous but very disparate pieces of information available in the literature concerning the properties of plant aggregates and their correlations with composites. This review is based on the results of 120 articles and aims to identify the characterization methods and the multi-physical properties of plant aggregates affecting those of plant-based concrete and to propose additional factors that could influence the properties of the composites. A total of 18 plant aggregates of different origins used for plant-based concrete have been listed in the literature. In France, hemp shiv is the most studied one, but its quantity is quite low unlike cereal or oilseed straws and wood transformation residues. With the existence of several characterization methods, properties like microstructure, particle size distribution, bulk density, water absorption capacity, and chemical composition of aggregates are easily and frequently determined. In contrast, data on the apparent density of particles, the skeleton density, and the hygro-thermal properties of aggregates are rare. The particle size, density, and porosity have been identified as important parameters influencing the properties of the composites. Other parameters related to the behavior of the aggregates under wet compaction and compression of their stacking can also predict the physical and mechanical properties of the obtained plant-based concrete. Dosages of the constituents should be preferred as formulation parameters for future studies assessing the impact of the aggregate properties on the composites.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yulia Orlovska ◽  
◽  
Daria Havrylenko ◽  

The main international trends in the world market of construction materials and services have been analyzed. The dynamics of world GDP and exports of construction services for the period 2000-2019 has been studied and a conclusion is made on the impact of economic crises on their growth rates. It has been determined that the dynamics of world exports of construction services is characterized by high instability with peaks of growth and decline, and is more sensitive than GDP growth. It has been noted that overcoming the crisis in the export sector of construction services takes more time and occurs with an approximate two-year time lag compared to GDP dynamics. The share of the construction industry in the world GDP by the degree of development has been analyzed. The reasons for the decline in the share of the construction industry in countries with economies in transition have been substantiated. It has been noted that in the developed countries the share of the construction sector is accounted for by real estate management activities related to maintenance, rent, purchase and sale and other transactions with land and real estate. The forecast values of growth of the market of building materials and services till 2030 have been given. The essence of the term «wide construction» has been revealed and the structure of this sector in different countries of the world is shown. The main exporters in the world construction market have been given and the structural distribution of the largest construction companies in the world ranking by country of origin has been analyzed. The dynamics of income level in the construction industry market for the period 2011-2018 has been studied. It has been noted that an important area of the construction sector is the market of roofing and facade materials and the world's largest companies for the production of this type of construction materials have been revealed. Conclusions on the essence of global transformations of the market of building materials and services have been made, and also it has been defined that they are caused by transnationalization of corporate structure of the market, influence of scientific and technical progress and information and communication technologies on world centers as well as the emergence of the concept of «sustainable construction» in the course of humanity for sustainable development.


2021 ◽  
Vol 352 ◽  
pp. 00001
Author(s):  
Stanislava Gašpercová ◽  
Linda Makovická Osvaldová ◽  
Erik Richnavský

The future of the whole world focuses on reducing waste produced by people. As the construction sector is one of the biggest producers of waste, a great deal of effort has been made to introduce this trend in modern construction. The “green” building sector, therefore, draws attention to natural and recyclable building materials. These include natural thermal insulation such as cork, fiberboard, hemp insulation, and even sheep wool insulation. Almost all types of such insulation are made from waste materials which, were they not reused in the form of thermal insulation, would end up as municipal or biodegradable waste. At the same time, we should point out that almost all “green” construction materials are flammable. This feature is not very advantageous from the point of view of fire protection and it can significantly affect the fire safety of a construction. It is for this reason that the main objective of this research was to determine the impact of a radiant heat source on various types of thermal insulation used as plasterboard filling and to evaluate the possibilities of their use in sandwich constructions for fire protection purposes.


1962 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 415-418
Author(s):  
K. P. Stanyukovich ◽  
V. A. Bronshten

The phenomena accompanying the impact of large meteorites on the surface of the Moon or of the Earth can be examined on the basis of the theory of explosive phenomena if we assume that, instead of an exploding meteorite moving inside the rock, we have an explosive charge (equivalent in energy), situated at a certain distance under the surface.


2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-84
Author(s):  
Wadhah Amer Hatem ◽  
Samiaah M. Hassen Al-Tmeemy

     Suicide attacks, bombings, explosions became the part of daily life in Iraq. Consequently, the threat of terrorism put the Iraqi construction sector in the face of unique and unusual challenges that not seen on other countries. These challenges can have extensive impact on construction projects. This paper seeks to examine the impact of the terrorist attacks on construction industry and determine the extent to which the impact of terrorism on construction projects in terms of cost, schedule, and quality. This study adapted quantitative and qualitative approaches to collect data using questionnaire survey and interviews, as well as historical data. The study focused on projects that have been the target of terrorist strikes in Diyala governorate. A variety of statistical procedures were employed in data analysis. The results revealed the extent to which terrorist attacks impact construction projects in terms of cost, time, and quality. The results of this study will enhance the awareness of all construction parties to the impact of the terrorist attacks against construction projects. Eventually, this can develop a risk management assessment and assist contractors to properly protect projects and buildings to minimize injuries and fatalities in the event of terrorism.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 926 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gui Ye ◽  
Yuhe Wang ◽  
Yuxin Zhang ◽  
Liming Wang ◽  
Houli Xie ◽  
...  

Total factor productivity (TFP) is of critical importance to the sustainable development of construction industry. This paper presents an analysis on the impact of migrant workers on TFP in Chinese construction sector. Interestingly, Solow Residual Approach is applied to conduct the analysis through comparing two scenarios, namely the scenario without considering migrant workers (Scenario A) and the scenario with including migrant workers (Scenario B). The data are collected from the China Statistical Yearbook on Construction and Chinese Annual Report on Migrant Workers for the period of 2008–2015. The results indicate that migrant workers have a significant impact on TFP, during the surveyed period they improved TFP by 10.42% in total and promoted the annual average TFP growth by 0.96%. Hence, it can be seen that the impact of migrant workers on TFP is very significant, whilst the main reason for such impact is believed to be the improvement of migrant workers’ quality obtained mainly throughout learning by doing.


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