Professional Documents
Culture Documents
BUILDING CONSTRUCTION
BY
BEING A PROJECT
SUBMITTED TO
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
LADOKE AKINTOLA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY,
OGBOMOSO OYO, STATE.
OCTOBER , 2008.
LAWALE Digitally signed by LAWALE FAWALE
DN: cn=LAWALE FAWALE, o=LAWWY
ASSOCIATES, ou=ENGINEERING,
1
CERTIFICATION
Oyo State.
……………………. …………………….
Supervisor Date
Mr. O. Ajamu
……………………. …………………….
2
DEDICATION
3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We wish to express our sincere gratitude to our parents Chief & Mrs.
Fawale, Chief and Mrs. D. O. Ajayi and Mr. And Mrs. Thomas Oyedemi for
their relentless efforts towards the success of this project and throughout our
undergraduate programme.
Our profound gratitude also goes to our able and dynamic supervisor
Raheem, Engr. Osuolale, Mr. Akinleye and Mr. Abogunde for their support
We are also indebted these people: Mr. Gideon Bamigboye, Mr. Julius
Odetunde, Elder & Mrs. Solademi, Barr. Awe, Engr. Adedeji Sanmiwo,
We cannot but appreciate our siblings, cousins and friends for their
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TABLE OF CONTENT
TITLE
PAGE………………………………………………………………….. i
CERTIFICATION…………………………………………………. ..ii
DEDICATION…………………………………………………………iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT………………………………………….. iv
TABLE OF CONTENT…………………………………………………..v
ABSTRACTS ……………………………………………………………x
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION………………………………………………..1
1.3 SCOPE……………………………………………………………5
1.4 METHODOLOGY……………………………………………….5
CHAPTER TWO
5
2.2.0 MATERIAL PROPERTIES ……………………………………7
CHAPTER THREE
6
3.1 COMPRESSIVE STRENGHT TEST …………………………..21
BALED WALL……………………………………………………….22
CHAPTER FOUR
7
4.1.1 UNIT DENSIY OF PLASTERED STRAWBALE PRISM….. 33
CHAPTER FIVE
REFERENCES 47
8
LIST OF TABLES
Prisms 36
9
LIST OF FIGURES
10
LIST OF PLATES
Machine - 21
Strawbale building - 22
11
Plate 17: Plastered prototype strawbale & Sandcrete building -
30
strawbale prism - 35
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ABSTRACT
building construction.
This study shows the edges that strawbale has over other conventional
strawbale wall that can give the optimum strength was found to be 15mm
tests carried out on the two prototype buildings (strawbale and sandcrete
block), in which strawbale building retained more heat than the sandcrete
block building.
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CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
The need to construct buildings with viable low cost material has
become a necessity in our fast growing society. It goes without saying that
the growing population of the people of Nigeria (most populous black nation
materials is now a problem in the housing sector. With this in mind, there is
need to look for alternative, which have to be cost effective and readily
Straw is the springy tubular stalk of grasses like wheat, rice, sorghum
that are high in tensile strength. It is not hay, which is used for livestock
feeding and includes the grain head. Straw is composed of cellulose, hemi-
cellulose liquid and silica. It is non rigid it is flexible and easy to work with.
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The typical straw bale is bound with two or three strings of
relatively easy for one man or woman to handle. In other words bales as
farmers have always made them are generally just fine for construction. The
biggest concern for bale holders is the type of combine used to harvest the
straw -conventional combines that leaves long straw fibres (which is good
for building), and rotary combines that chop the straw into short fibre (which
typical size like 3ft x 4ft x 8ft (1m x 1.3m x 2.2m), which can only be
2. Circular bales: Disks bound with twine of typical dimension 3ft thick
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In load bearing straw bale construction, bales are stacked and
reinforced to provide structural walls that carry the roof load. While in post
and beam method, a wood, metal or masonry structural frame supports the
roof and bales are stacked to provide non- structural in insulating walls.
With either alternative, the bale walls are plastered or stuccoed on both the
interior and exterior of the wall. The study will be based on the former.
techniques that are forgiving to novice builder and yet have sufficient
such as thermal, sound and fire resistance. Also the structural capacity of the
still rapidly evolving .It is highly rated for ‘buildability’ because it can be
walls. Although it may not be dried if bales do get wet slightly, they can
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Lastly, it has been found that straw bale walls are very resilient and in
the event of damage they can be repaired. Wet bales can be taken out and
material. (Plastered straw bale wall and unplastered straw bale wall).
construction.
building construction.
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1.3 SCOPE
building construction.
bale wall.
construction.
sandcrete block.
1.4 METHODOLOGY
from local source and compressing it to form bale. Comparative test will be
carried out by constructing a prototype enclosed wall using straw bale and
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CHAPTER TWO
is found around the world in abundance. It is the strong stalk of tall grain
plants such as guinea corn, maize, wheat, hemp, rye or rice that remain in
bundled together into a bale it becomes. Solid block that is highly resistant
sound house.
discovered the beauty of building with straw bale over 100 years ago.
lacks of trees and a need for a quickly built out – building, the settler turned
to the abundant straw to house their animals. They piled the bales, put on a
roof and added earthen plaster. The result was superb. The insulation against
the cold was found and exceeded any wood building. They then proceeded
to build their homes with straw bales too. In fact, many of the original
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settlers’ farm buildings and homes are still intact standing as a testament to
Contemporary builders are waking up to its virtues too. With every year,
people around the world are discovering the benefit of buildings with the
the properties of the materials that are pertinent to what the builder has in
the most cost effective thermal insulation available. Straw has a similar
insulation value to fiberglass batts. Straw bales wall has insulation value that
Likewise, Adedeji (2007) said ‘all new building must be energy efficient
with straw walls; the insulation (straw) is also the building block.’
Also, Lee (2001), said “Straw compacted into bales offers much better
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2.2.2 SOUND INSULATION
marked. Even walking into the space created by an unfinished straw bale
structures, one can appreciate the quietness and hear the difference
experimental evidence that straw walls offer far more sound insulation than
lateral and lift force such as tornadoes or earthquakes. Straw bale building’s
in the face of such force. They can actually flex and bend, but resist collapse
making straw bale building ideal for quake, hurricane or tornado prone
Straw bale are lightly packed and covered with a skin of cement
render. Fire cannot burn without oxygen and the dense wall provides a
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good. Conclusive evidence of its good fire resisting performance can be
hours. Straw bale home survived Californian burn fire that destroyed
buildings are a fire risk. In a fire, its chars on the outside and then the
charring itself protect the straw from further having. When the wall is
construction materials and method, straw bale walls came out with 2 hours
well protected and is not allowed to become water logged, it can last many
moisture content not exceeding 15% and not below 10%. Straw bales should
not get wet inside, should it be wet it will not be a problem since straw does
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not wick water like concrete. If rain is driven into the sides of bales the
natural air movement around the bales is able to dry them out and this cycle
The California straw bale code (2001) asserted that the moisture content of
the bales at the time of installation should not exceed 20% of the total
Straw is ideal for areas at high risk of termites since it does not suit
affordable cost. It is can be obtained from both near and far sources.
nonetheless, a distinct trend has become apparent: There are two basic styles
of construction, the load bearing in which the weight of roots and entirely by
bales; and the post and beam straw bales is that in which bales are used as
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Emphasis will be laid on the former in this study. A little will be discussed
2.3.1 FOOTINGS
capacity to that required for a masonry wall, although a straw wall is lighter
(one mud brick weights about the same as a straw bale.). The footings
usually used are concrete strips or slabs. There have been successful
experiments with rubble trench and rubber tyre footings and there are several
straw bale buildings built on piers, beam and joist. (Paul Downton, 2003).
The California straw bale code (2001), has it that support for bale
ground at all points, and at least one – inch above floor surfaces.
King (2001) opines that the bottom of the bale wall must be well separated
from the foundation and at the very moisture water- proof barrier should be
laid over moisture below. Additionally, many builders are placing a layer of
pea gravel between wood sill plates along the inside and the outside faces so
moisture barrier shall be used between foundation top and the bottom of bale
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walls to prevent moisture from migrating through the foundation so as to
Typically, the bales are stacked in running or stack bond on top one
building, the bales are laid flat, that is with the longest dimension parallel to
the wall and the shortest vertical. In other application, the bales can be
stacked on edge that is with the shortest dimension horizontal. This saves
interior space with slimmer wall, and, interestingly appears to offer the same
net insulation value due to the slightly different orientation of the fibers.
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In the same vein, the California straw code holds the view that in load
bearing walls of bale, bale should be laid flat and be stacked in a running
bond, where possible with each bale overlapping the two bales beneath it.
2.5 meters when using standard sized bales in load bearing construction.
The California straw bale code (2001) has it that building with load
bearing bale walls shall not exceed one story height without substantiating
calculations and design by a California civil engineer, and the bale portion of
the load bearing walls shall not exceeds a height to width ratio of 5.6:1 (for
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example the maximum height for a wall that is 23 inches thick would be 10
Whereas, the harvest homes (2003) holds the view that “ given that
straw bale walls have been shown to be at least 4 times stronger than a
conventional 2x6 frame wall there are no special limitation to the heights of
a building.
2.3.4 PLASTER
The California straw code (2001) has it that minimum bale thickness
Bruce king (2001) held the view that it is essential that, once plaster is
applied directly to either or both of the straw bale surfaces, the completed
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wall assembly is now a hybrid of straw and plaster, in other words a
plasters, lime and gypsum plasters shot Crete or gucite, cement stucco.
Also, Paul Downton (2003) said “ that three layers of render should be
2.3.5 PINNING
Straw bales are comparatively soft and do not behave like bricks.
Except when surrounded by a sturdy frame of post and beam the bales must
pinned of the walls (with bamboo or dowels) has been prescribed in early
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straw bale codes, but it as falling out of favour, for it is under whether
growing consensus that the extensive use of reinforce steel bars and
necessary.
material the amount of heat transmitted per unit area of the between inside
and outside environment. It is measured in watt per square meter per degree
how much heat materials allows to pass through it. The lower the u – value,
other materials and the result of analysis for different types of straw.
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Table 2.1: COMPARISON OF U VALUE OF STRAW WITH OTHER
MATERIALS U-VAL
Table 2.2
Result of analysis for maize and sorghum
Thermal
Mean values Thermal
conductivity
Example
Thickness (1, 2) C
0
receptivity
d(m) (Nmk-1)
Maize Sorghum Maize Sorghum Maize Sorghum
1. 0.016 51.00 50.65 0.090 0.1439 11.00 6.95
2. 0.034 50.85 54.73 0.085 0.0820 12.10 12.19
3. 0.038 51.30 52.58 0.082 0.0769 13.00 13.00
4 0.042 53.00 61.60 0.0083 0.0758 12.92 13.21
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2.4.2 Test On Plastered Bale
single straw bale under compression. Two–string wheat bales were tested
flat and on edge, plastered and unplastered, in some cases under low
Both cement and earthen plasters were tested, there were two weeks
between cement coats with average thickness of 1.6”. From the test, the
i. There is an initial set phase of the test in which the ‘fluff’ between
before plastering.
Rice straw half- bales were fabricated and stacked flat giving a cross –
section of 23” x 23” plus 1.5” plaster skin each side. Plasters were cured at
least one month and load was applied via a stiffened plywood plate covering
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Lime – cement stucco w/2” x2”x14 gauge mesh/avg of 3:2810lbs12.5ka)
avg of 2 1575lbs(7kw).
2.5.0 APPLICATION
Today, straw bale building has become very popular. Everything from
They are also ideal for retrofit applications. It has been used as wrap
efficiently.
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Plate 5 : A retrofit building (Porta Cabin/Office)
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CHAPTER THREE
3.0 METHODOLOGY
with weighing balance and the dry unit weight were determined.
Plastered straw bale unit density is the gross density of the complete
dry plastered straw bale mass divided by its gross volume. This is done with
a view to knowing the load the sample can carry and handling requirements.
with varying plaster thickness. The modes of failure of the six prisms were
noted.
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3.1.2 THERMAL INSULATION TEST
The thermal insulation test was carried out on a prototype straw bale
building and sandcrete block. Built in the open with and the same floor area
centigrade was put into each of the prototype buildings. The roots of the
models were then wrapped with thick polythene to prevent the loss of heat
through the roof opening. The temperatures of the each of the models were
each model.
Plate 7.Hot bucket of water with thermo Plate 8.Hot bucket of water with
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3.2.0 CONSTRUCTION OF PROTOTYPE PLASTERED STRAW
BALED WALL
with the following materials. Mature straw of guinea corn stalks (cut to size
and baled) ordinary Portland cement, fine aggregates, steel wire/ twine, wire
Guinea corn is the straw type used in this project. It was left in the
open space to dry for several weeks after acquisition from a local farm. The
straw is clean, free from debris and other leaves. This is usually obtained
between December and February when farmers are preparing to clear their
Ordinary Portland cement was used and mixed with water fit for
drinking, clean, contaminant free, and free from organic material, coupled
with dissolved or suspended solid which could affect the mortar strength
adversely.
The fine aggregate used was clean, soft, well -graded natural sand free
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Plate 9. Stalks of Guinea Corn (Straw)
The straws were cut to size 120mm using cutlass and were held
baled straws were compressed and tightly bound with twine. This was done
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3.4.0 BATCHING
volume or weight.
mix ratio adopted is 1:8, that is one part of cement to eight parts of fine
aggregate.
mixing is done manually using shovel, the mixture of cement and sand was
plastered straw bale prisms and different mould were constructed according
For easy removal of the specimen, lubrication oil and polythene were used
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Plate 11. Moulds for straw bale Prisms.
Then wooden joist (150 x 150mm) were laid on the concrete footing and
floorboards were laid across. Thereafter, a stud is driven into the joist
directly a top one another that is, the longest dimension parallel to the wall
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Plate 12. Laying of foundation footing
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3.5.2.0 CONSTRUCTION OF PROTOTYPE SAND CRETE BLOCK
WALL
The cement and sharp sand used was batched by volume 1:8 mixed to
a dry and twice wet it was then placed into steel moulds (100 x 100 x
The fine sand was sieved and batching was carried out by volume
(1:8). Both cement and sand) were mixed well with water and the water is
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Plate 15. Sandcrete Blocks
The straw bale wall was plastered with the aid of hand trowel. It was
worked in to the bale surface, inside and outside layers and it was given a
smooth finish.
Also, for the compression tests, the bales are encased in mixed mortar
mesh cut to size, placed as the stretcher side of the bale to reinforce the
plaster skin.
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Plate 16. Plastered Prototype Straw bale and sandcrete buildings
The materials used for the rooting are: plank {2” x2”, 2 x4” and 2”
x4”), corrugate iron sheet and nails. The some materials were used for both
buildings. Roof structure was constructed with a gentle slope to give room
PRISMS
Fine aggregate and cement were batched by volume in the ratio 1:8,
Thereafter, the hated straws (80 x 120 x 200mm) were placed inside
the mould(s) and wire mesh was provided at the stretcher faces. The mould
was then filled up with the mixed mortar with thickness varying according to
The prisms were demoulded the following day and they were cured.
The curing method adopted is the blanket type, in which dry straw
was spread over the plastered straw bale surface. This is to provide
insulation and act as moisture holding medium, the specimens was wetted
for 7 days and were left for 28 days, ready for testing.
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3.6.1 SCALE FACTOR FOR PLASTERED STRAW BALE
size.
In actual term, cost of bales varies from one place to another. The
cheapest way to buy bales may be from the field after they have been made
very easy, while some will be willing to give it away without any attached
cost. Since it will save them the stress of clearing the stalks after harvesting.
incurred will to an extent depend on the nearness to the source, the cost may
material like local bricks. Builder, who employ bale in his construction will
safe a huge sum of money than if he had made use of bricks and other
materials.
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CHAPTER FOUR
Sequel to the test carried out on the 28- day plastered straw bale
S/N Length Breadth Height Mass Load bearing Gross Volume Gross Average
(kg) surface area 10 4 x 103 mm3 density x density
x mm2 103 kg/mm3
kg/mm3
1 220 140 100 4.09 3.08 3.08 1.33 1.32
4.03 1.31
5.65 1.49
6.54 1.42
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1.6
1.4
Average density (kg/mm3)
1.2
0.8
0.6 Series1
0.4
0.2
0
0 5 10 15 20 25
Plaster thickness (mm)
FIG 4.1: AVERAGE DENSITY AGAINST PLASTER
THICKNESS
From Table 4.1. above it can be observed that the mass of the
plastered straw bale prism increases with increase in plastered thickness (10-
20mm). While the density increases first, from (10-15mm) then falls at
This test was carried out on the six plastered straw bale prism at 28-
day. Each of the prisms with varrying plaster thickness was loaded to failure.
47
Likewise, the mode of failure for each of the six prisms was found to be
This is the behavior of a typical wall that is well built, but with eccentrically
48
Table 4.2 COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH TESTS RESULTS ON
PLASTERED STRAW BALE PRISMS
Sample property 1 2 3 4 5 6
Volume of sample (mm3 x105) 30.8 30.8 30.8 30.8 46.1 46.1
Bearing area of sample (mm2 x104) 30.8 30.8 3.45 3.45 3.84 3.84
Dry weight of sample (kg) 4.09 4.03 5.57 5.65 6.49 6.54
Dry density of sample {/gmm3) 1330 1310 1470 1490 1410 1420
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Average Compressive
Strenght (N/mm2)
1.5
1
Series1
0.5
0
0 10 20 30
Plaster thickness (mm)
figure 4.2 above it was found out that the more the average thickness
of the plaster, the more the average compressive strength, with 20mm
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4.2.0 THERMAL INSULATION TEST ON PROTOTYPE
intervals for 48 hours with both a thermometer for each subjected to same
condition.
SIMILAR CONDITION
Time 11.05 12.05 1.05 2.05 3.05 4.05 5.05 9.05 7.05 11.05 5.05 8.05 11.05
am pm pm pm pm pm am am pm am pm pm am
(Hours)
Straw bale 65 53 46 40 36 32 29 26 24 23 22 21 20
building
model
Sandcrete 65 55 46 38 32 28 24 21 19 17 15 13 13
building
model
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FIG 4.3: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INSIDE TEMPERATURE OF STRAWBALE
AND SANDCRETE BLOCK BUILDINGS
70
60
40
30
20
10
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
TIME (HRS)
From table 4.3, the temperature of the water dropped about 10 degrees
in the first hour. The temperature in the straw bale model fell slightly faster
because the render inside it was absorbing heat. However during the second
hour there was more heat loss from the sandcrete model.
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CHAPTER FIVE
5.1 CONCLUSION
The following conclusions can be reached from the basic test carried
out.
Below are the conclusion reached on unit density test from table 4.1.
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In which the prism bent approvable broke. This shows that if the straw bale
were well arranged stalled, it will only bend due to eccentrically applied
load.
5.2.0 RECOMMENDATIONS
material.
recommended.
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REFERENCES
www.ausbale.org.
www.ecobuildnetwork.org/strawbale
U.S.A
links. Html
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