Light Weight Laterite Bricks Stabilised With Cement And Sawdust For Multi-Storey Construction

Abstract

Stabilised brick has been identified for use in various areas of building construction as an environmentally sustainable, friendly and durable building material with excellent thermal properties that makes it suitable for construction in most regions with extreme climatic conditions. However, the use of stabilised bricks has not been fully incorporated into high rise building construction due to its overall weight which is one of the major considerations for multi-story buildings. This research on light weight bricks was carried out to ascertain its suitability for various applications in high rise building and engineering constructions. The production was done using different percentages of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and Saw Dust (SD) to establish the percentage required for light weight construction while maintaining the optimum compressive strength required for performance in building construction comparable with that of a sandcrete block to confirm its suitability for use in multi- story construction projects. The experimental procedures used involved the use of Saw Dust obtained from the sawing process of wood at a saw mill, lateritic soil was collected from a borrow pit and ordinary Portland cement was obtained from an open market for producing the bricks. Various chemical and physical analyses were carried out on four samples of laterite soils and sawdust respectively. Liquid limits, plastic limits and water absorption of the soil samples were measured. The soils were then stabilized with cement and sawdust at 5, 10 and 15 % replacements. Bricks with size (300 x 150 x 150mm) were produced from the various mixes. After curing for 28 days, the brick samples were weighed to observe the varying degree of weight reduction with respect to the quantity of saw dust replacement. Compressive strength of the bricks was also examined to ensure that the strength of the bricks is within allowable limits for construction purposes. The reduction in weight and the corresponding compressive strength of the bricks were measured for conformity with ASTMS building codes and standards and were compared with that of a sandcrete block to establish its suitability for use in multi-story construction projects.] Keywords: Stabilization, Lightweight, Multi-storey construction, Bricks.