We are trying to get the best compression and consolidation in making Compressed Earth Blocks. Any suggestions on how to optimise the soil composition to get best packing density will be most appreciated.
Hello Mr. Mishra,
The recommended soil composition for Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks as per literature is Sand about 65-75%, Fines (Silt + Clay) - 25 %. Recommended Clay not more than 10-15%. This recommendations are based on taking Cement as stabilizer and its content to be around 8 -10%. Significant research has been undertaken by researchers on this topic. You can refer to works of Dr. Venkatrama Reddy from IISc, Pete Walker from UK.
Venkatarama reddy paper: http://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/(ASCE)0899-1561(2007)19%3A2(139)
However, if your stabilizers are different, other than cement, these soil compositions may vary.
Regards
Sravan MV
Soil having 33% sand, 30% silt and 33% clay on weight basis can be compacted to a maximum level than soil having large fraction of sand or clay sized particles
Some general rules you might be aware of:
- moisture content is also an important factor to get optimum compression;
- as soil is a natural, rather than a engineered material, tests are an essential step in the formulation of the mix; an example of such test programme is illustrated at this site (this deals rather with rammed earth, but the principle is similar; there are many similar tests documented I guess):
http://studies.bc-as.org/THE-FIRST-DISTURBANCE-A-RAMMED-EARTH-TOWER
good luck, Jan.
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