Determination of the optimum composition of adobe brick for a school in Cuba

• Main Authors: M. A. Rodríguez, B. Saroza
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas 2006-06-01
• Series: Materiales de Construccion
• Subjects: adobe; characterization; mixture proportion; mechanical properties; compressive strenght
• Online Access: http://materconstrucc.revistas.csic.es/index.php/materconstrucc/article/view/27

The present article describes a study conducted to determinethe ideal composition of both traditional and stabilizedadobe as a construction material. The clay soil of avillage in Villa Clara, Cuba, was characterized for its suitabilityto build several adobe structures for a facility forpre-schoolers. Consolidation, simple compressive strength and capillaryabsorption tests were run on both traditional adobe andmaterial stabilized with different doses of hydrated lime,molasses and asphalt. The results, compared hereunder, led to the conclusionthat the highest strength and moisture resistance isachieved by stabilizing traditional adobe with 2% asphalt.