Earth Bricks with Halloysite Nanoclay: Research and Experimentation for the Sustainability of Materials

2021 ◽  
Vol 324 ◽  
pp. 159-165
Author(s):  
Cesare Sposito ◽  
Francesca Scalisi

This paper illustrates the experimentation activities on rammed earth and nanotechnologies. The experimental research was carried out with the aim of improving the performance of rammed earth bricks with clay nanotubes, creating a ‘new material’ with reduced embodied energy and low CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. Specifically, the analysed performances are related to the compressive strength that expand their area of use as a building material.

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Q.-B. Bui ◽  
T.-T. Bui ◽  
R. El-Nabouch ◽  
D.-K. Thai

Rammed earth (RE) is a construction material which is manufactured by compacting soil by layers within a formwork to build a monolithic wall. RE material is the subject of numerous scientific researches during the last decade because of the significant heritage of RE buildings and the sustainable properties of this material: low embodied energy, substantial thermal inertia, and natural regulator of moisture. The seismic performance of RE buildings is an interesting topic which needs to be thoroughly investigated. This paper presents a numerical study which assesses the relevancy of a seismic reinforcement technique for RE walls by using two vertical steel rods installed at two extremities of the walls. The discrete element method (DEM) was used to model unreinforced and reinforced RE walls. These walls were first loaded with a vertical stress on the top to simulate the vertical loads and then submitted to a horizontal loading on the top to simulate the seismic action. Two current cases of RE buildings were investigated: one-storey and two-storey buildings. The results showed that the reinforcement technique enhanced the maximum horizontal force about 25% and 10%, respectively, for the cases of one- and two-storey buildings. Higher effectiveness of this reinforcement technique is expected for RE materials having higher compressive strength, for example, stabilized RE.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 7927-7931
Author(s):  
S. N. Malkanthi ◽  
A. A. D. A. J. Perera ◽  
G. H. Galabada ◽  
P. D. Dharmaratne

The use of earth as a building material, in different forms, such as unburnt and burnt bricks, rammed earth, mud blocks, and soil blocks, is a common practice globally. This study is focused on soil blocks stabilized with cement which are referred to as Cement Stabilized Earth Blocks (CSEBs). The strength and durability of CSEBs are primarily governed by the amount of silt and clay content (finer) in the soil. Many researchers have shown that low finer content improves the properties of CSEB and they have altered the finer content by adding different additives. The current study used a washing method to reduce the finer content and fly ash was utilized as finer to re-fill the soil to the required finer content amount. Also, soil grading was modified by adding larger particles that were separated from the same soil to fit the soil grading to the optimization curves mentioned in the literature. The finer content was changed to 5%, 7.5%, and 10%. Blocks were made by stabilizing the soil with 6%, 8%, and 10% cement and with the size of 150mm×150mm×150mm. The results revealed that fly ash addition up to 10% improves the properties of CSEBs and compressive strength changes from 4.28N/mm2 to 13.43N/mm2.


2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 372-383
Author(s):  
Tereza Plaček Otcovská ◽  
Barbora Mužíková ◽  
Pavel Padevět

Unfired earth is a traditional building material, but it is less used than other building materials, such as concrete or steel. But the use of unfired earth is experiencing a renaissance. ammed earth is a type of unfired earth and is usually used for load bearing structures. This paper descries an experimental determination of the tensile bending strength and compressive strength of the rammed earth specimens with known compositions. Mechanical properties are dependent on these compositions (kind of clay, amount of clay, amount of mixture water). Laboratory specimens were produced without inorganic binders or fibrous admixtures. We observed higher tensile bending strengths and lower compressive strengths in specimen mixtures containing more clay. The obtained results were evaluated in a context of a previous research. The results were also compared with results published by another author.


Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 367
Author(s):  
Ana Perić ◽  
Ivan Kraus ◽  
Jelena Kaluđer ◽  
Lucija Kraus

Earthen architecture has a significant share in the world’s fund of both residential architecture and cultural heritage. It provides a home to more than half of the world’s population and can be found in seismically active areas. Empirically acquired knowledge on building with rammed earth (RE) has usually been passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth, with no written scientific grant for the load-bearing capacity and resistance of structural elements. Today, many countries still do not have standards for the design of RE structures. In the development of new as well as existing design standards, the results of experimental research play a significant role. The focus of this study was on unstabilized RE, which is locally available material with low embodied energy. This paper elaborates experimental campaigns, within which meticulous techniques were employed to provide new knowledge on RE for use in earthquake-prone areas. Furthermore, this paper includes: (i) ranges of values of mechanical properties determined on RE specimens from all over the world; (ii) a comparative summary of experimental research conducted on walls and buildings to assess their seismic performance; (iii) an overview of standards and testing methods used in experiments; and (iv) recommendations for further research.


Author(s):  
A. Z. Mohd Ali ◽  
◽  
N. A. Jalaluddin ◽  
N. Zulkiflee ◽  
◽  
...  

The production of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) consumes considerable amount of natural resources, energy and at the same time contribute in high emission of CO2 to the atmosphere. A new material replacing cement as binder called geopolymer is alkali-activated concrete which are made from fly ash, sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The alkaline solution mixed with fly ash producing alternative binder to OPC binder in concrete named geopolymer paste. In the process, NaOH was fully dissolved in water and cooled to room temperature. This study aims to eliminate this process by using NaOH in solid form together with fly ash before sodium silicate liquid and water poured into the mixture. The amount of NaOH solids were based on 10M concentration. The workability test is in accordance to ASTM C230. Fifty cubic mm of the geopolymer paste were prepared which consists of fly ash to alkaline solution ratio of 1: 0.5 and the curing regime of 80℃ for 24 hours with 100% humidity were implemented. From laboratory test, the workability of dry method geopolymer paste were decreased. The compressive strength of the dry mix of NaOH showed 55% and the workability has dropped to 58.4%, it showed strength reduction compared to the wet mix method.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 4043
Author(s):  
Aleksandar Landović ◽  
Miroslav Bešević

Experimental research on axially compressed columns made from reinforced concrete (RC) and RC columns strengthened with a steel jacket and additional fill concrete is presented in this paper. A premade squared cross-section RC column was placed inside a steel tube, and then the space between the column and the tube was filled with additional concrete. A total of fourteen stub axially compressed columns, including nine strengthened specimens and five plain reinforced concrete specimens, were experimentally tested. The main parameter that was varied in the experiment was the compressive strength of the filler concrete. Three different concrete compression strength classes were used. Test results showed that all three cross-section parts (the core column, the fill, and the steel jacket) worked together in the force-carrying process through all load levels, even if only the basic RC column was loaded. The strengthened columns exhibited pronounced ductile behavior compared to the plain RC columns. The influence of the test parameters on the axial compressive strength was investigated. In addition, the specimen failure modes, strain development, and load vs. deformation relations were registered. The applicability of three different design codes to predict the axial bearing capacity of the strengthened columns was also investigated.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 325
Author(s):  
Giada Giuffrida ◽  
Maurizio Detommaso ◽  
Francesco Nocera ◽  
Rosa Caponetto

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.


Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
Jinsung Kim ◽  
Hyeonggil Choi ◽  
Hyeun-Min Rye ◽  
Keun-Byoung Yoon ◽  
Dong-Eun Lee

In this study, the performance evaluation was performed by adding a polymer aqueous (PA) solution as a new additive of the red clay binder for use in the rammed-earth construction method. The evaluation items were compressive strength, water erosion, shrinkage, crystal structure, and microstructure. As a result of the experiment, the binder was improved by efficiently bonding the silica particles by the polymerized polymer. It was confirmed that adding a PA solution to red clay enhances the compressive strength, which is further improved when 5 wt% poly(Acrylic acid(AA)-co-Acrylamide(AM)) is added to the PA solution. Microstructural analysis indicated that the addition of a PA solution facilitates effective bonding of the silica particles of red clay to form hydrogen bonding with poly(AA-co-AM) and encourages aggregate formation. Therefore, the study confirmed that PA solution can be applied to satisfy the performance requirements of the rammed-earth construction by improving the durability and strength of the binder.


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rofikatul Karimah

Block made of mud is a building material used in making wall for building that is made fromsand, cement, and fly ash using certain percentage mud in sand. This research aimed to know theeffect of the use of lapindo mud towards the compressive strength, the absorption of block waterwith the mud dosage in sand are: 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%. This research was an experimentalresearch; each design was made in size 10x20x40 cm using 5% of fly ash and without fly ash.The result of this research showed that the highest compressive strength was raised in 10%mud in sand with 5% fly ash that was 195 kg/cm2 or increased about 3.44 kg/cm2 within increasingpercentage about 10.651% towards the compressive of block without lapindo mud with 5% of flyash, and was included in class I quality of block. While for the 30% and 40% mud percentage islower compared with normal compressive strength of block. The test result of water absorption oflapindo mud block showed the higher value than 20% for lapindo mud block with 5% fly ash, inframing the mud blocks as the wall, those blocks need to be soaked first because the absorptionvalue of block is higher than 20%. Lapindo mud block without 5% fly ash has bricks water absorptionless than 20%, while in framing those bricks, they don’t need to be soaked because the absorptionof brick if lower than 20%. By using fly ash in mud block, we can get the higher compressivestrength and the lower water absorption.Keyword: Porong Mud, Block, Fly Ash, Compressive Strength, Absorption


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document