Mechanical and durability properties of adobe blocks filled with date palm wastes

Abstract

Purpose Earthen construction does not meet today’s requirements due to certain limitations such as low water resistance and its high vulnerability to cracking damage. The purpose of this study is to improve the mechanical properties and low durability of adobe blocks by incorporating date palm wastes as a natural reinforcement and lime as a stabilizer. Design/methodology/approach Soil from the region of Biskra in Algeria was mixed with sand and lime in suitable ratios. Then, date palm wastes were added to the previous mixture at different ratios (0.3%, 0.6% and 0.9%) by dry mix weight to manufacture adobes. Cubical and cylindrical specimens were prepared and tested in a laboratory to investigate the curing time, mechanical and durability characteristics of the formulated blocks. In addition, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) tests were used to identify the materials. Findings It has been observed that the addition of lime to the soil is very beneficial for its stabilization, in particular for an optimum of 12%. The presence of date palm waste in the mixture (soil + lime) generated a significant improvement in tensile strength reaching a rate of about 67%. The same observation was made for the tests of resistance to dry abrasion, resistance to erosion, attack by external sulphate and wetting/drying. However, for cases of compressive strength, water absorption and swelling an unfavorable effect was recorded. Originality/value Based on the above-mentioned findings, this paper presents a novel solution to increase the durability of adobe materials using date palm wastes with oven curing at 65°C for about nine days. Adopting such an approach would certainly encourage building durable mud housing on a large scale. This can contribute to solving the acute housing shortage, particularly in poor countries.

Influence of Date Palm Waste Aggregates on the Mechanical Strengths and Hygroscopicity Behavior of Earth-Based Composites

“…However, it was noticed that the weight loss decreases as the date palm waste is added during each wetting/drying cycle. These findings are similar to those found in the study conducted by Zaidi et al [31]. It was indeed revealed that, after twelve wetting/drying cycles, the weight losses for bricks cured with the MS curing mode decreased from 5.8% to 4.3%, while for those cured with the AF curing mode, these weight losses dropped from 9.1% to 7.2%.…”

“…These researchers have in fact demonstrated that DPWs have a strong hydrophilicity; they also showed that these fibers can absorb water up to four times their dry weight. Comparable findings have been reported in investigation curried out by other studies [29,31]. It should be noted that the standard established by Walker [46] recommends that the total absorption capacity should not exceed 20%.…”

“…The findings of this study are consistent with those previously reported by several authors. Several researchers successfully enhanced the FS of earthen bricks by introducing natural and synthetic fibers [31,44]. These findings suggest that increasing the FS up to a certain value is certainly due to the incorporation of reinforcing fibers which absorb tensile forces, thus preventing the formation of cracks and sudden failures.…”

“…Despite these advances, research on DPW's impact on adobe sustainability is scarce. Zaidi et al [31] observed that DPW integration bolstered tensile strength by 67% while also improving resistance to erosion, abrasion, and sulfate attack during durability tests, although some drawbacks in compressive strength and water absorption were noted.…”

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