Mechanical behaviour of hypercompacted earth for building construction

Bruno, Agostino Walter, Gallipoli, Domenico, Perlot, Céline and Mendes, Joao (2017) Mechanical behaviour of hypercompacted earth for building construction. Materials and Structures, 50 (2). p. 160. ISSN 1359-5997

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Abstract

This paper investigates the mechanical behaviour of a hypercompacted unstabilized earth material manufactured by compressing a moist soil to very high pressures up to 100 MPa. The hypercompaction procedure increases material density, which in turn improves mechanical characteristics. Samples were manufactured at the scale of both small cylinders and masonry bricks. The effect of ambient humidity on the mechanical characteristics of the material was investigated at the scale of cylindrical samples, showing that both strength and stiffness are sensitive to environmental conditions and tend to increase as ambient humidity reduces. The strength of the bricks was instead investigated under laboratory ambient conditions by using different experimental configurations to assess the influence of sample slenderness and friction confinement. Additional tests were also performed to evaluate the influence of mortar joints and compaction-induced anisotropy. Overall, the hypercompacted earth material exhibits mechanical characteristics that are comparable with those of traditional building materials, such as fired bricks, concrete blocks or stabilized compressed earth.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Raw earth, Hypercompaction, Compacted earth bricks, Young modulus, Compressive strength, Rammed earth, Earth construction, Bio-sourced construction materials
Subjects:	H200 Civil Engineering K200 Building
Department:	Faculties > Engineering and Environment > Mechanical and Construction Engineering
Depositing User:	Becky Skoyles
Date Deposited:	03 Jul 2018 10:10
Last Modified:	11 Oct 2019 20:00
URI:	http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/34789

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