Characteristic Compressive Strength of Cement-Stabilized Rammed Earth
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 29, Issue 2
Abstract
The standard codes of practice on the rammed-earth construction are limited. It is essential to ascertain the characteristic compressive strength of the cement-stabilized rammed earth (CSRE) for the structural design of CSRE walls. The test procedures for determining the characteristic compressive strength of CSRE are not available in the standard codes of practices. The specimen size and its slenderness can affect the compressive strength of CSRE elements. This paper deals with the relationships between the specimen’s aspect ratio and compressive strength for CSRE using two cement contents (7 and 10%) and two densities. Both cylindrical and wallette specimens having an aspect ratio varying between 2 and 5.81 were tested for compressive strength. The results show that there is hardly any reduction in compressive strength as the aspect ratio was increased from 2 to 5.81 (a reduction in compressive strength of 1 and 3–5% for specimens with density of and , respectively). The study clearly demonstrates that the characteristic compressive strength of CSRE can be obtained by testing cylindrical (150 mm diameter and 300 mm height) or prism specimens (150 mm square cross section and 300 mm height) without applying any correction factor. Furthermore, since the moisture content in the specimen has a significant influence on the compressive strength of CSRE, it is recommended to adopt the wet compressive strength for structural design.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the IFCPAR/CEFIPRA for providing funds under the Indo-French collaborative project on “Developing design guidance for rammed earth construction.” Some of the experimental facilities were created under a project sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. The authors thank DST for this support.
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 29 • Issue 2 • February 2017
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 24, 2016
Accepted: May 20, 2016
Published online: Aug 26, 2016
Discussion open until: Jan 26, 2017
Published in print: Feb 1, 2017
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