Characterizing material properties of cement-stabilized rammed earth to construct sustainable insulated walls
Date
2014-04-24
Authors
Gupta, Rishi
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Case Studies in Construction Materials
Abstract
Use of local materials can reduce the hauling of construction materials over long distances,
thus reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with transporting such materials.
Use of locally available soils (earth) for construction of walls has been used in many parts
of the world. Owing to the thermal mass of these walls and the potential to have insulation
embedded in the wall section has brought this construction material/technology at the
forefront in recent years. However, the mechanical properties of the rammed earth and the
parameters required for design of steel reinforced walls are not fully understood. In this
paper, the author presents a case study where full-scale walls were constructed using
rammed earth to understand the effect of two different types of shear detailing on the
structural performance of the walls. The mechanical properties of the material essential
for design such as compressive strength of the material including effect of coring on the
strength, pull out strength of different rebar diameters, flexural performance and out-of-plane bending on walls was studied. These results are presented in this case study.
Description
Keywords
Rammed earth, Insulated concrete walls, Mechanical and structural properties of rammed earth, Sustainable construction
Citation
Gupta, R. 2014, "Characterizing material properties of cement-stabilized rammed earth to construct sustainable insulated walls", Case Studies in Construction Materials, vol. 1, pp. 60-68.