Compressive Strength of Rammed Earth

Abstract

The designDesgn ofCompressivestrength a structural element using a material such as rammed earthRammed earth needs the information on strength under different types of loading conditions. Primarily, understanding the behaviour of rammed earth under compression, shearShear and tensionTension is essential for the structural designStructural design of rammed earthRammed earth structuresStructure. This chapter provides discussions on various aspects of compressive strength of stabilised rammed earth (RE). The discussions and the results pertain to (1) optimum soil grading for RE to achieve maximum strength, (2) influence of soil grading and cement content on strength and compaction characteristics, (3) density, strength and moisture content relationships, (4) optimum layer thickness for RE, (5) effect of time lag on strength of RE, and (6) moisture content and strength relationships. The major conclusions are (a) optimum clay content yielding maximum strength for RE is 10–15%, (b) considerable difference in wet and dry strengths of cement stabilised RE, (c) the compressive strength of RE is sensitive to the density and (d) compacting RE at higher than Proctor OMC yields better strength.