Comparison of costs, mechanical strength, and quality between traditional and reinforced adobe

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In Peru, traditional constructions with adobe blocks have shown structural vulnerabilities during seismic events. This study comparatively analyzed the costs, mechanical strength, and quality of traditional versus reinforced adobe using a quantitative approach and a non-experimental design. The results indicate that reinforced adobe increases costs by 4.7% to 11.3% compared to traditional adobe. Adobe with 200 g of quicklime achieved the highest mechanical strength: 20.44 kg/cm² in compression, 2.56 kg/cm² in flexion, and 0.32 kg/cm² in mortar tensile strength. Additionally, adobe with 10% by weight of eucalyptus bark fiber obtained an excellent quality index (90%). It is concluded that, although traditional adobe is more economical, its low mechanical strength and insufficient quality index make it unsuitable for construction according to NTE.080. Therefore, reinforced adobe is positioned as a move viable alternative.