Physical properties, microstructure and mineralogy of termite mound material considered as construction materials

Millogo, Younoussa; Hajjaji, M.; Morel, Jean‐Claude

doi:10.1016/j.clay.2011.02.016

Cited by 46 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…The influence of termites on these soil properties has been shown in a large number of situations and this study confirmed the general assumption that termite mound walls have higher clay content and lower C and N contents than the surrounding surface soils (Abe and Wakatsuki, 2010;Abe et al, 2012;Millogo et al, 2011;Jouquet et al, 2015b). This study also showed that the physical and chemical properties of termite mound walls are variable and influenced by the soil type.…”

Section: Influence Of the Soil Pedological Propertiessupporting

confidence: 87%

Influence of soil type on the properties of termite mound nests in Southern India

Jouquet

Guilleux

Shanbhag

et al. 2015

Applied Soil Ecology

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Section: Influence Of the Soil Pedological Propertiessupporting

confidence: 87%

Influence of soil type on the properties of termite mound nests in Southern India

Jouquet

Guilleux

Shanbhag

et al. 2015

Applied Soil Ecology

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“…The similarity of the results is linked to the length of fibres (fibres contained in cowdung are short) because the two soils used for these adobes had the same overall grain size distribution and the same mineralogical composition. From another point of view, the flexural and compressive strengths of adobes studied in this paper were lower than those obtained with adobes manufactured with termite mound material, which has slight similarities with the mixtures stabilized with cow-dung (Millogo et al 2011). In fact, termite mound material is composed of clay minerals and sand mixed with short fibres and the cohesion of isolated particles is ensured by organic polymers secreted by the termites during construction of the termite mound.…”

Section: Physical and Mechanical Properties Of Adobesmentioning

confidence: 52%

Earth blocks stabilized by cow-dung

et al. 2016

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In developing countries, most of the population cannot afford conventional building blocks made with the sand-cement mixture. In addition, these blocks do not provide thermal comfort and have a high embodied energy compared to vernacular materials. The main objective of this work was to produce low cost, resistant and durable (good resistance to water) blocks with a thermal behaviour enabling quality comfort indoor. For that purpose, the effects of cow-dung on microstructural changes in earth blocks (adobes) are investigated by means of X-ray diffraction, thermal gravimetric analyses, scanning electronic microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectrometry, and video microscopy. The effects of these changes on the physical properties (water absorption and linear shrinkage) and mechanical properties (flexural and compressive strengths) of adobe blocks are evaluated. It is shown that cow-dung reacts with kaolinite and fine quartz to produce insoluble silicate amine, which glues the isolated soil particles together. Moreover, the significant presence of fibres in cow-dung prevents the propagation of cracks in the adobes and thus reinforces the material. The above phenomena make the adobe microstructure homogeneous with an apparent reduction of the porosity. The major effect of cow-dung additions is a significant improvement in the water resistance of adobe, which leads to the conclusion that adobes stabilized by cow-dung are suitable as building materials in wet climates.

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“…To reinforce these characteristics, the stabilization of the soil by adjuvants is applied in a systematic manner. To master this practice, we propose a mineralogical and chemical characterization of the earth used based on analysis and mechanical tests [1,2,3] and an evaluation of the mechanical characteristics of the earth mortar in two dry and wet cases [4,5,6,15]. We worked with the cement-stabilized earth mortar to determine its mechanical characteristics by simple compression tests on cylindrical specimens in both cases and by the capillary absorption ties to determine the water absorption coefficient [6,19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Durability of the earth mortar: Physico-chemical and mineralogical characterization for the reduction of the capillary rise

et al. 2018

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Abstract. The stabilization of the earth material in the fields related to the earthen construction, in compliance with the standards in force, allows strong results of strength and durability. The chemical and mineralogical elements play an important role, in the presence of an 'optimum' cement dosage, to strengthen the ties between the clays and the grains of the earth.. This approach targets the search for better performances in the use of natural materials resource in an ecoresponsible habitat. This study presents the experimental results of the four techniques of mineralogical and chemical analysis on mortar specimens obtained from earth of the city of Fez. The results of the uni-axial compressive tests of the cylindrical specimens for this earth, associated by various percentages 0%, 4%, 7% and 10% by weight of cement, make it possible to analyze the effect of the mineralogical and chemical elements on the mechanical properties, namely Young's modulus, compressive strength and limiting deformation. However, we determine the water absorption coefficient of the mortar for different cement dosages in order to optimize the durability of the mortar against bad weather, rain and / or very wet climates. In the earth mortar of Fez, the strong presence of calcite (CaCO3), quartz SiO2 and dolomite CaMg (CO3)2 amplifies the improvement of the behavior of the material by the addition of cement. In fact, this strong presence of calcite stabilized the clay by cementing quartz and the cement matrix to strengthen the ties between the grains of the earth. In addition, with respect to the capillary rise, the water absorption decreases with the addition of cement. We also note that the evolution of the mechanical properties is of no importance except in the interval [4 to 7%] which represents the zone of effect for cement stabilization and which houses the optimum technicoeconomic cement dosing.Résumé. La stabilisation du matériau terre crue dans les domaines liés à la construction en terre, dans le respect des normes en vigueur, permet des résultats de résistance mécanique et de durabilité forts probants. Les éléments chimiques et minéralogiques y jouent un rôle déterminant et permettent, en présence d'un dosage 'optimal' du ciment, de renforcer les liens entre les argiles et les grains de la terre. Ainsi, la connaissance de la nature de la terre crue à utiliser dans la construction, par l'identification scientifique de ses composantes, est incontournable à cet effet. Cette démarche cible la recherche de performances meilleures dans l'utilisation des matériaux naturels et bio ressourcés au niveau d'un habitat éco responsable. Notre recherche présente les résultats expérimentaux des quatre techniques des analyses minéralogiques et chimiques sur des éprouvettes de mortier obtenues à partir d'une terre de la ville de Fès par la diffraction des rayons X, l'Infrarouge, le Microscope électronique à balayage et la fluorescence X. Les résultats des essais de compression uni-axiale des éprouvettes cylindriques de cette terre associé...

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Physical properties, microstructure and mineralogy of termite mound material considered as construction materials

Cited by 46 publications

References 16 publications

Influence of soil type on the properties of termite mound nests in Southern India

Influence of soil type on the properties of termite mound nests in Southern India

Earth blocks stabilized by cow-dung

Durability of the earth mortar: Physico-chemical and mineralogical characterization for the reduction of the capillary rise

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