STABILIZED EARTH BLOCK - ALTERNATIVE TO CONCRETE

BLOCK USING M15 MIX DESIGN

Submitted By
Hrithik K Hariharan

Guide
ER. Dinu Krishnan RS

B. ARCH DISSERTATION
November 2022

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COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE TRIVANDRUM
Mulayara P.O, Thiruvananthapuram
This report is the property of the institution and the author. It should not be reproduced without prior permission
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1 INTRODUCTION
The most crucial element in the construction of a building is thought to be the
materials. Currently, there is a large use of natural resources due to the building
industry's rising material need. This gradually increased the cost of construction
materials and contributed to a shortage of resources. Additionally, the building and
construction sector uses 40% of all the energy produced globally today and is
responsible for 1/3 of all greenhouse gas emissions in both developed and developing
nations. Because of this, there is now a demand for environmentally friendly materials
that can be produced with little waste and minimal influence on the environment.
To encourage sustainable & economical construction that meets the comfort
requirements needed today, alternative building materials with simpler construction
techniques must be identified. One such sustainable raw element that has been used
frequently for building construction since the beginning of time is "soil." Since ancient
times, earth has been used to build homes, and today, almost 30% of the world's
population still resides in earthen constructions.
The use of more locally sourced materials and lower embodied energy levels are
just a few of the environmental advantages of soil construction. However, in regions of
the world where they were previously widely utilized earthen building methods have
mostly been abandoned as a result of newer building materials. The low energy usage
of compressed earth bricks is one of their main benefits. The energy needed to produce
typical cement stabilised earth blocks is less than 10% of that needed to produce
comparable fired clay bricks and concrete masonry units. By using mixtures of cement
and other materials, which has been the thrust area in compressed stabilised earth
blocks, it is possible to offset the use of cement.

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1.1 Aim
To study how effectively cement stabilized earth block can be used as an alternative to
the conventional method of construction that uses concrete blocks.

1.2 Objectives
 Investigate whether the cement stabilized soil block made with construction and
demolition aggregates and compare them quantitatively with concrete block for
compressive strength
 Investigate the feasibility in using construction demolition waste (80%landfilled) in
the developing work.
 Summarize whether the aggregates used are effective in increasing the strength
and durability of the block

1.3 Methodology
Initially an overview of cement stabilized soil block is discussed. The next part
discusses the project on which the construction typology has been experimented. A
thorough study of the materials used and its composition is also studied. This is
followed by the test procedure and observations made during the experimental phase of
this work, and descriptions of the test procedure and equipment used.. Variable like the
compressive property will be tested. A comparative analysis between the soil block and
the concrete block construction is also performed. The results of the experiment will be
presented and discussed later. With reference to these results, the conclusions of this
study and some recommendations for future work. The research deals mostly with
quantitative approach towards data

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Study of soil and

composition of block

Analysis of soil Processing of

demolition waste

Preparation of mix

Curing of blocks Casting of blocks

Testing of blocks Result and conclusion

of hypothesis

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1.4 Scope
The study focuses on the properties of cement stabilized soil block and how it can act
as an alternative to the concrete block. The samples are prepared in the college
premises and have a curing period of 28 days before testing the compressive strength.

1.5 Limitation
Only one property of the earth block, the compressive strength is tested due to the
time constraints. Also limited number of samples could be tested for compression.

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2 LITERATURE REVIEWS
2.1 Soil-cement bricks produced from local clay brick waste and soft sludge from
fiber cement production
Soil-cement bricks were produced using local clay brick waste (CBW) and soft sludge
(SS) from fiber-cement industries, preserving raw resources by substituting with industrial
wastes. The control formula to produce soil-cement bricks, is 15 wt% Portland cement, 15 wt
% sand, and 70 wt% laterite. Clay brick waste was added with values from 10 to 50 % of
laterite weightin the control formula. For SS, 5 and 10 % was used to replace the total weight
of the dry mixture in the control formula. The samples were shaped by using a manual brick
making machine. The results showed that the compressive strength of all by-product bricks
exceeded industry standards. The maximum compressive strength was attained for 10 %
replacement of laterite by CBW. When using both SS and CBW, thermal conductivity and
weight of the bricks were further reduced. However, the percentage of water absorption
incorporated into the by-product bricks was higher than that of the control formula but still
within permissible limit of the industrial standard for load-bearing applications. All by
product bricks showed lower thermal conductivity compared with the control formula. Soil-
cement bricks produced with industry by-products have improved or provided similar
properties to control formula soil-cement bricks. The utilization of CBW and SS content in
the brick samples can save natural resources, decreasing fuel consumption, and reduce CO2
emissions during delivery.

2.2 Mud-concrete block (MCB): mix design & durability characteristics

Mud-Concrete is a novel concept which employs a form of ‘Concrete’ produced using
soil, cement and water. The initial concept of developing Mud-Concrete was to incorporate
both the strength and durability of concrete into mud-based constructions to introduce a low-
cost, load-bearing wall system with easy construction techniques which ensured indoor
comfort while minimizing the impact on the environment. Here the fraction of soil is
fulfilling the role of aggregate in the material and low quantities of cement will act as a
stabilizer. Precisely the usable gravel range and the gravel percentage governs the
compressive strength of the material. The considerable high-water amount is used for the
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hydration of cement and keep the flow of this material. This excessive water amount is
enhancing its self-compacting quality, which is capable of self-consolidation, having the
ability of passing, filling and being stable without the need of any external forces.
Experimental test findings determined the mix proportions of Mud-Concrete block as 4%
cement (minimum), fine ≤ 10% (≤ sieve size 0.425 mm), sand 55–60% (sieve size 0.425 mm
≤ sand ≤4.75 mm), gravel 30–35% (sieve size 4.75 mm ≤ gravel≤ 20 mm) and water 18% to
20% from the dry mix. Findings further confirmed that the durability of the Mud Concrete
block satisfied the required durability standards recorded in SLS 1382

2.3 Cement Stabilized Soil Blocks Admixed with Sugarcane Bagasse Ash
The study involved investigating the performance of ordinary Portland cement (OPC)
stabilized soil blocks amended with sugarcane bagasse ash (SBA). Locally available soil was
tested for its properties and characterized as clay of medium plasticity. This soil was
stabilized using 4% and 10% OPC for manufacture of blocks of size 19 cm × 9 cm × 9 cm.
The blocks were admixed with 4%, 6%, and 8% SBA by weight of dry soil during casting,
with plain OPC stabilized blocks acting as control. All blocks were cast to one target density
and water content followed by moist curing for a period of 28 days. They were then subjected
to compressive strength, water absorption, and efflorescence tests in accordance with Bureau
of Indian standards (BIS) specifications. The results of the tests indicated that OPC
stabilization resulted in blocks that met the specifications of BIS. Addition of SBA increased
the compressive strength of the blocks and slightly increased the water absorption but still
met the standard requirement of BIS code. It is concluded that addition of SBA to OPC in
stabilized block manufacture was capable of producing stabilized blocks at reduced OPC
content that met the minimum required standards

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3 MATERIAL STUDY
3.1 Cement
Portland cement of Grade 53 is used for the experiment process. When tested for
compressive strength according to Indian standard norms, Portland cement 53 yields a
compressive strength of 53 N/mm. In comparison to 33 and 43 grade cement, the 53 grade
cement offers greater quality, strength, and setting time. It is used to make higher-grade
concrete because to its strong strength (Above M20). It is the most suitable material for the
construction of all houses, buildings, flats, and high-rise buildings. It's also used to push
concrete into bridges and other precast concrete structures.

3.2 M-sand
Zone II (IS 383) category of Msand is used for the experiment purpose. Manufactured
sand is an alternative for river sand. Due to fast growing construction industry, the demand
for sand has increased tremendously, causing deficiency of suitable river sand. Since
manufactured sand can be crushed from hard granite rocks, it can be readily available at the
nearby place, reducing the cost of transportation from far-off river sand bed

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3.3 Red-soil (unsieved)

Red soil is the type of soil that develops in a warm temperature, moist climate under
deciduous or mixed forest, having thin organic and organic- mineral layer overlying a
yellowish-brown leached layer resting on a lilluvium-red layer.
Red soils major advantage is its availability and highly effective for usage in concrete
as a partial replacement and cement consumption is less when red soil is mixed, consumption
of cement is less depending upon the variety of mix proportions.
Red soil has better drainage capacity compared to other soils and the soil is porous,
fine grained and fertile in nature.

3.4 Demolition waste

Burnt bricks from demolition site has been taken and used as coarse aggregate The
obtained aggregate is broken down manually into further smaller pieces of size 5-8 cm. This
is done so as to reduce the overall embodied energy. The aggregate size is fixed in this range
due to the following reasons:
 If the particles are smaller than the specified size, voids develop, forcing the
addition of extra cement to the mix.

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 Honeycombing of the built structure can occur if the particle size is large, which can
lead to the formation of cracks in the future.

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4 EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS
4.1 Testing procedure
4.1.1 Aim
To prepare four test samples by varying mix proportions for checking the compressive
strength.

4.1.2 Materials required

Cement, soil, M-sand, demolition waste, cube moulds of size 15cm x 15cm x 15cm

4.1.3 Procedure
 The appropriate weighed samples are taken and put for mixing.
 The composition is dry mixed first.
 After obtaining a uniform mixture, water is added accordingly until paste like
consistency is obtained.
 Next cube casting is done using the prepared mix.
 Three more samples are prepared and cube casted
.  The samples are left to be cured for 28 days.

4.1.4 Calculations
Concrete Grade = M15
Mix Proportion = 1:2:4 (Cement: fine aggregate: coarse aggregate)
Volume = 1.2 x 15 x 15 x 15 = 4050 m3
Specific Gravity of cement µ c = 3.15
Specific Gravity of Fine Aggregate (soil) µfa = 2.75

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Specific Gravity of Coarse Aggregate µca = 1.80

Water Cement Ratio (k) = 0.5
Yield of 1g cement Yc = 1/ µc + x/ µfa + y/ µca + k
= 1/3.15 + 2/2.75 + 4/2.1.80 +0.5 = 3.76

Weight of cement required Wc = 4050/3.76 = 1077.12 g

Weight of Fine Aggregate Wf = 2 x 1077.12 = 2154.24 g
Weight of Coarse Aggregate Wc = 4 x 1077.12 = 4308.48 g

Specimen A
Volume = 4050 m3
Cement = 1077.12g
Fine aggregate (100% replacement of m-sand) = 2154.24g
Coarse aggregate (demolition waste) = 4308.48g

Specimen B
Volume = 4050 m3
Cement = 1077.12g
Fine aggregate (90% replacement of m-sand and 10% m-sand)
= 1938.82g (soil) & 215.42g (m-sand)
Coarse aggregate (demolition waste) = 4308.48g

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Specimen C
Volume = 4050 m3
Cement = 1077.12g
Fine aggregate (80% replacement of msand and 20% msand)
= 1723.58g (soil) & 430.84g (msand)
Coarse aggregate (demolition waste) = 4308.48g

Specimen D
Volume = 4050 m3
Cement = 1077.12g
Fine aggregate (70% replacement of msand and 30% msand)
= 1508.15g (soil) & 646.27g (msand)
Coarse aggregate (demolition waste) = 4308.48g

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5 REFERENCES

i. F.R. Arooz , R.U. Halwatura (2018) ,Mud-concrete block (MCB): mix design & durability
characteristics
ii. Jijo James, P. Kasinatha Pandian, K. Deepika, J. Manikanda Venkatesh, V. Manikandan, and P.
Manikumaran (2016), Cement Stabilized Soil Blocks Admixed with Sugarcane Bagasse Ash -
iii. Nuntaporn Kongkajuna , Edward A. Laitilab , Pitcharat Ineurec , Wichit Prakaypand , Benya
Cherdhirunkorna , Parinya Chakartnarodom (2016) , Soil-cement bricks produced from local clay brick
waste and soft sludge from fiber cement production

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