Study of compressive strength test methods for earth block masonry—Capping method and loading mode

Abstract

Earth blocks are different from sintered bricks and concrete blocks, and earth block masonry (EBM) is built chiefly with slurry, which shows evident plasticity and water absorption softening characteristics. The compressive strength test method for conventional masonry cannot be applied to EBM. Therefore, establishing a compressive strength test method for EBM is essential in researching and applying this green building material. The capping method and loading mode are two key factors affecting masonry compressive strength testing. This study involved a series of uniaxial compression tests of masonry to analyze the influence of the capping method and loading mode on EBM compression performance. The optimal capping method and loading mode were determined based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process. Fast-hardening self-leveling plaster combined with plastic film isolation simultaneously eliminated moisture erosion in the slurry in an earth block and ensured close contact between the masonry top surface and loading plate. This combination capping effectively improved the stability of the test data, such that it should be used as the standard leveling method for compressive strength testing of EBM. The proposed loading mode can improve the operability and effectively avoid impact load in the loading process. The stress state of a specimen under this loading mode was close to the actual working state, specimen deformation fully developed, and, thus, it should be used as the standard loading mode for compressive strength testing of EBM. • A series of uniaxial compression tests of earth block masonry were conducted. • The influence of the capping method and loading mode on the compression performance of earth block masonry was studied. • The optimum capping method of earth block masonry for compressive strength test is fast hardening plaster self-leveling. • The optimum loading mode of earth block masonry for compressive strength test is improved Chinese loading method.