Studies on stabilised compressed earth blocks

The development of many alternative building materials as possible will be of immense benefit to minimize the impact on the environment. Earth can be used for construction of walls in many ways. However, there are few undesirable properties such as loss of strength when saturated with water, erosion due to wind or driving rain and poor dimensional stability. Hence a study was conducted to determine the characteristics of stabilized compressed earth blocks (CEB). The new technology focuses on stabilized earth masonry brick development incorporating an industrial by-product material, which is vital for the future of construction. The stabilized earth masonry brick technology relies on the use of an activated industrial by-product (like fly ash) and natural earth. Due to the use of a by-product material in the formulation, it is anticipated that the final pricing of the stabilized earth masonry building brick will be reduced. The added environmental advantage of utilizing industrial by-products available in the country will further improve the sustainability profile of masonry brick production. Properties of compressed stabilized earth blocks like Clay brick water absorption and durability, Clay brick density; Compressive strength and thermal properties versus other walling materials were measured. Based on the results it was found the performance of the stabilized compressed earth blocks was comparable with others in terms of their strength characteristics. Meanwhile the reduction of transportation time, cost and attendant pollution can also make CEB more environmentally friendly than other materials.