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Influence of soil grading on the hygro-mechancal properties of hyper-compacted earth for masonry construction

Cuccurullo, A.; Gallipoli, D.; Bruno, A. W.; Augarde, C. E.; Hughes, P.; La Borderie, C.

Authors

A. Cuccurullo

D. Gallipoli

A. W. Bruno

P. Hughes

C. La Borderie



Contributors

G. Milani
Editor

A. Taliercio
Editor

S. Garrity
Editor

Abstract

This paper presents a study, at material scale, of the dependency between particle size distribution and the mechanical, hygroscopic and durability properties of compacted raw (unfired) earth for manufacturing bricks. Stiffness and strength are measured by unconfined compression tests while vapour adsorption/desorption is investigated by moisture buffering tests. In addition, the durability to water erosion is evaluated by immersion tests. All experiments were performed on cylindrical earth samples compacted at a very high pressure (100 MPa) and optimum water content. Results show that the particle size distribution strongly affects the hygro-mechanical behaviour of the material, which suggests that careful selection of the soil mix is necessary to optimize the manufacture of raw earth bricks. The high hygroscopicity of the material also indicates that raw earth bricks can regulate ambient conditions inside dwellings and therefore reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption due to airconditioning installations.

Citation

Cuccurullo, A., Gallipoli, D., Bruno, A. W., Augarde, C. E., Hughes, P., & La Borderie, C. (2018). Influence of soil grading on the hygro-mechancal properties of hyper-compacted earth for masonry construction. In G. Milani, A. Taliercio, & S. Garrity (Eds.),

Conference Name 10th International Masonry Conference
Conference Location Milan, Italy
Start Date Jul 9, 2019
End Date Jul 11, 2019
Publication Date Jan 1, 2018
Deposit Date Jun 11, 2019
Series Title Proceedings of the 10th International Masonry Conference
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1144074
Publisher URL http://www.10imc.com/


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