The Suitability of Misan Soils for Raw and Stabilized Rammed Earth Construction Methods

Abstract

Rammed earth construction methods are known from ancient civilization buildings, and in the last decades introduced as on method to build an Eco-friendly construction method. Three soil types (alluvial, aeolian, and mixed) that represent the main soil cover of Misan province were selected to construct stabilized and non-stabilized laboratory samples. Raw and stabilized (21) samples of 15x15x15 cm were tested with unconfined compressive strength laboratory tests. The results show that the stabilized samples have a higher strength than the non-stabilized samples. Finally, the high-strength mix percentages were used to construct a sample wall to measure the final behavior and stability of this method. The compressive strength of the wall was measured with the Schmidt hammer test. The study shows that the stabilized rammed earth method is suitable for the area, while the non-stabilized rammed earth method can be used to construct low elevation walls.