Abstract
Background: The negative impacts of the construction industry are compelling arguments for embracing technology that contributes to carbon footprint reduction and resources conservation. Toward the achievement of objective 9 of the Sustainable Development Goals, the development of new building’s materials like straw bale has advanced in the construction industry. As demonstrated in the literature, straw bale is an eco-friendly material that presents many advantages, like its contribution towards a circular economy. However, it has low compressive strength and displays high displacement under compression load. So far, no attempt has been made in order to enhance the strength of straw bales. Objective: This study aimed to develop alternative material to straw bale using chopped straw stems mixed with a binder (gum Arabic) and determine its stress-strain characteristic. Methods: The manufacturing process of the new material involved the use of chopped straw and gum Arabic to form straw blocks. Results: Results obtained show that the compressive strength of straw block (1.25MPa) is greater than the strength of straw bale (0.02MPa). Also, the average displacement recorded during compression load on straw blocks (29mm) was 2.8 times smaller than the displacement in straw bale (80mm). In terms of shape and size, straw blocks match with conventional materials like cement or compressed block. This will facilitate their use in construction compared to straw bales that require skilled laborers for pre-compression and plastering. Conclusion: The use of gum arabic helps in holding straw stems together and forms a compact material with improved strength compared to straw bale. Performance improvement of the characteristics of load-bearing straw bale walls can be addressed by using straw blocks.
Highlights
The rate at which the population is growing is an indicator that more houses are to be built
The average displacement recorded during compression load on straw blocks (29mm) was 2.8 times smaller than the displacement in straw bale (80mm)
The use of gum arabic helps in holding straw stems together and forms a compact material with improved strength compared to straw bale
Summary
The rate at which the population is growing is an indicator that more houses are to be built. Handbooks on straw bale construction are published by Corum, Hodge, Nails and Walker et al [3 - 6] These books served as a guide to those who are interested in building straw bale houses. The enduring interest and continued development of straw bale houses result from the fact that straw bale is a bio material that contributes greatly to carbon footprint reduction and to resources conservation [14, 17]. As demonstrated in the literature, straw bale is an eco-friendly material that presents many advantages, like its contribution towards a circular economy. It has low compressive strength and displays high displacement under compression load. No attempt has been made in order to enhance the strength of straw bales
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