Abstract
Compressed stabilized earth blocks are the innovation of building materials replacing the earth blocks commonly called adobe. Common stabilizers (cement and lime) have been found to be expensive and harmful to the environment. Finding a natural, available, environmentally friendly stabilizer is vital. The objective of this study was therefore to assess the effects of gum Arabic (GA) as binder on the durability properties of laterite blocks. Compressed laterite blocks were stabilized with 2% and 6% respectively as total percentage of binders in the blocks (cement and/or GA). The results showed that GA improved the abrasion and drop resistances of compressed blocks. It has been found that the abrasion resistance of compressed blocks increased with the increase of GA content and the decrease of cement content. For instance, the mass abraded away of blocks stabilized with cement only was reduced up to 95.18% when GA was used to partially replace cement. As for drop test, the higher the content of GA the higher the resistance of blocks to drop.
Highlights
The mass abraded away of blocks stabilized with cement only was reduced up to 95.18% when gum Arabic (GA) was used to partially replace cement
This paper presented the experimental work on the abrasion and drop of compressed laterite blocks stabilized with gum Arabic as partial replacement of cement
It has been found that the abrasion resistance of compressed blocks stabilized with GA increased with the increase in GA content and with the decrease in cement content
Summary
Earthen structures are better adapted to the climate, more environmentally friendly, more accessible and affordable for all, and offer a very primitive cultural link to nature [1]. These earthen structures made of earth blocks have a number of issues (durability problems), including rain erosion, spalling, cross-section reduction, cracking at low compressive and tensile strengths, shrinkage, low strength, and dimensional stability [2] [3] [4] [5]. In order to reduce the negative environmental impacts of cement and use environmentally friendly materials, the use of natural biopolymers has been proposed as an alternative in soil stabilization [11] [12] [13]. Some research has been carried out on certain gums for soil stabilisation, mainly xanthan gum, gellan gum, agar gum, polyacrylamide and guar gum [6]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
