Mechanical and thermal characterization of stabilized earth bricks

Abstract

In Senegal, soil is used in construction with a misunderstanding of the thermal and mechanical properties. The lifespan of building considerably depends of the mechanical properties of construction materials used. The thermal properties of construction materials have considerable influence on the energy performance of the building. This work deals with the determination of thermal and mechanical properties of soil bricks stabilized with cement produced by five handicraft manufacturers. For the mechanical characterization, we determine the compressive strength of bricks using a mechanical press. The thermal characterization is to determine thermal capacity and thermal conductivity of bricks by asymmetrical transient Hot Plate method. The results show that vibrated bricks have a compressive strength of about 1.6 MPa and a thermal conductivity of about 0.8 W.m-1.K-1. The compressed bricks have better compression strength of about 2 MPa and a thermal conductivity of about 0.7 W.m-1.K-1.