Research Title:

Stabilizing Mud Concrete Block with OPC

Background of the Study

In the construction industry, materials are considered as the most imperative

component of a building construction. It is evident that there is an increasing demand for

materials in building structures which led in the significant consumption of natural

resources [1]. A UNEP report on Greening the Building Supply Chain states “ It has

been estimated that in use, emissions account for over 80% of the total life cycle carbon

emissions of buildings, with a further 15% of emissions embodied in materials and

around 1% resulting from the construction process itself”. This problem has created a

need for sustainable materials with low energy consumption and environmental impact

during both the manufacturing processes at the operational level. Therefore, identifying

alternative building materials with simple construction technologies are required to

promote sustainable and affordable construction that satisfies the comfort standards

required today [2].

Soil is considered as one of the most used sustainable raw material in the

construction industry since ancient times [3]. Approximately 30% of the world’s

population still lives in earthen structures and is extensively used for walling [4], [5]. Soil

construction offers a number of environmental benefits, including lower embodied

energy levels, high thermal mass and increased use of locally sourced materials [6].

However, compared to common building materials like steel, concrete, and wood we

cannot readily predict its behavior since soil formations are developed by many and
varied geological processes and are made up of components that have a variety of

characteristics [7]. According to Stephen et al, the term “clay” refers to a naturally

occurring material composed primarily of fine-grained minerals, which is generally

plastic at appropriate water contents and will harden when dried or fired. Moreover,

soil does not respond to the usual stress, strain, and strength relationships of the more

elastic materials which make it challenging and risky to be used as a construction

material. These drawbacks can be reduced or eliminated by stabilizing the soil using

additives to prevent the material from structural failure or post construction problems.

Generally, soil stabilization is a method of improving soil properties by

blending and mixing other materials. Such stabilization processes improve the various

engineering properties of the soil and generate an improved construction material.

One of the most common, effective and economical binding technique to enhance the

strength characteristics of soft soil is by using cement [8]. It is considered as a primary

stabilizing agent or hydraulic binder because it can be used alone to bring about the

stabilizing action required (Sherwood, 1993; EuroSoilStab, 2002). The use of cement

as an additive to the soil sample improves the physical and mechanical properties of

soils such as the soils strength, permeability, volume stability, and durability. Thus,

considerable researches have been undertaken involving the development of

technologies using earth such as the mud concrete blocks.

Mud concrete block is a novel concept which employs a form of ‘concrete’

produced using soil, cement and water. Though mud-based construction was very

popular in ancient times, it was not publicly accepted in the industry at present due to

several reasons. The primary reason stems from concerns relating to strength and
durability. Therefore, the aim of this study is to develop the concept of mud-concrete

technology by stabilizing the soil and to investigate the feasibility of using Portland

cement as an additive so that the final mixture can have acceptable strength, stiffness

and swell potential characteristics, and, at the same time, be developed entirely using

alternative, sustainable material for the future of construction.

Objectives of the Study

The primary objective of this experimental study is to determine the effectiveness

of using OPC as stabilizing agent to improve the properties of soil. Specific objectives

are as follows:

1) To know what is the most efficient amount of OPC to be applied on the

soil sample to make it an effective stabilizer.

2) To identify the improvements of the soil’s properties and characteristics

after being stabilized with OPC.

3) Determine if the clay is dried it adds to the durability of clay mixed

cement.

4) Determine the ideal density of the clay to be acceptable to the

standard durability.

Framework of the Study

THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK. One of the popular theories on the mechanisms

of stabilization is the crystalline theory by Le Chatelier which has been integrated into a

combined gel or crystalline theory that describes the different stages of curing.
 Le Chatelier’s Principle states that “A change in one of the variables that

describe a system at equilibrium produces a shift in the position of the equilibrium that

counteracts the effect of this change”.

The Crystalline Theory explains that: If a proper amount of moisture is available

to ensure complete hydration of the cement, then each particle is covered with water

and thus forms a gel like film. The reaction between the water and the cement forms

small single crystals. With the development of hydration, the single crystals begin to

grow into one another and form a crystalline network.

Conceptual Framework.

The figure below represents the framework for the stabilization of soil using

Portland cement. The study will go through settlement of the process from the design

mix ratio, mixing of the components through appropriate proportioning, molding, and

curing to gain the adequate strength needed for testing.

DESIGN MIXING MOLDING

CO CO
MIXTURE

CO

TESTING CO CURING
Significance of the Study

The significance of this study is to utilize locally accessible materials and to

improve the soil strength needed for the production of mud-concrete block, increasing

its resistance to softening by water with Portland cement as an admixture. This study

will provide data about the effectiveness of stabilizing the soil to those professionals in

the advancement of research that are interested in discovering new sustainable

materials for construction applications. This will give an idea to the construction industry

of using alternative materials to replace normal concrete.

The researcher will try to determine if the use of Portland cement will be effective

in enhancing the shear strength of the soil. Thus, this will give an idea to future

researchers to have further knowledge about composite concrete that can use

alternative materials that can attain the compressive strength of a normal concrete.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

This study is limited to the investigation of the effectiveness of OPC as a

stabilizer to the soil. It also focuses on determining the shear strength of the material

which is based on the BSI standards to achieve its desired strength by using different

mix proportions to develop an effective mixture for mud-concrete block .The soil sample

to be tested in the experiment will be excavated and collected at Caraycaray. The

different laboratory tests to be conducted to determine the effectiveness of the stabilizer

used are the moisture content, plastic limit test, and the liquid limit test by Casagrande

method only. The tests will be performed in the CE laboratory room of the Biliran

Province State University (BIPSU) using the equipment available at present.

 The study will limit to twenty-one (21) mud-concrete block samples with different

desired levels of stabilizations of 0%, 2%, 4% and 7% of Ordinary Portland Cement

(OPC) at twenty-eight (28) days of curing period.

Review of Related Literature

This review of related literature will discuss the effect of the stabilization

process using OPC to the soil to improve its engineering properties. The variation of this

study from other studies is that only 0%, 2%, 4% and 7% percent of cement by volume

of aggregates will be added directly to the concrete mixture during batching. The curing

time of the concrete mixtures will be set for 28 days.

2.1 Cement Stabilization

According to S. Krishnaiah, and P.S. Reddy soil stabilization is the alteration of

any property of a soil to improve its engineering performance. The several factors

affecting the stabilization process are the following; soil type, cement content,

compaction and method of mixing with soil type being the most important. The

modification of the properties of soil-water-air system makes the soil compatible with

desired applications in construction [9]. One of the main functions of the stabilizing

medium is to reduce the swelling properties of the soil through forming a rigid

framework with the soil mass, enhancing its strength and durability [10]. Portland

cement is the most widely used stabilizer for earth stabilization. Cement has the ability

to reduce liquid limit (LL) and increase plasticity index (PI) and hence increases the
workability of soil. The addition of chemical stabilizers like cement and lime has twofold

effects of acceleration of flocculation and promotion of chemical binding. The chemical

binding depends upon the type of stabilizers employed [11]. The study of [7] revealed

that soils with Plasticity Index (PI) less than 15% are suitable for cement stabilization. In

cement stabilization [12] observed that the content of the cement binder in the mix

ranges between 4% and 10% of the soil dry weight. However, [4] posited that if the

content of the cement binder is greater than 10% it becomes uneconomical for the

production of CSEB.

2.2 Stabilized Pressed Blocks

The materials used for the construction of wall are normally required to possess

adequate compressive strength and erosion resistance. Such properties of the soil can

be improved by stabilizing it with cementious admixtures such as cement and lime [1].

The strength of stabilized soil can further be improved by the process of compaction

which leads to higher densities, thereby higher compressive strength and better

resistance to erosion. Exploring the stabilization and compacting techniques, a cheap

yet strong and durable material for wall construction is the stabilized earth block. The

merit of these blocks is low-cost, use of locally available material; blocks can be made

at site with no transportation cost and simplicity in manufacture [1, 2, 3, 6, 13]. As noted

by [6] the strength of such blocks increases with density. CSEB brick requires

compaction whether it is static, dynamic or vibro-static methods [4]. In preparing the soil

for block production, there is need for careful and correct selection of the soil to get the

best result and after the mix was put in the mould, it should be given proper compaction.

Proper curing should also be made which prevents rapid drying. A striking contrast
between CSEB and conventional bricks is the energy consumed during the production

process and carbon emission. CSEB creates 22 kg CO2/tonne compare to that of

concrete blocks (143 kg CO2/tonne), common fired clay bricks (200 kg CO2/tonne) and

aerated concrete blocks (280-375 kg CO2/tonne) during production [15]. In average,

cement stabilized earth bricks consumed less than 10% of the input energy as used to

manufacture similar fired clay and concrete masonry unit [8]. Production of CSEB

requires moderate to low skilled worker since the CSEB manufacture is very simple. It

only takes 3 stages process which are: soil preparation, mix compression and the curing

[2, 4, 6, and 13].

Methodology

In this chapter, a detailed procedure of the experiment will be presented.

Materials to be used and various tests to be conducted will also be stated. The study

will be an experimental type of research method where the researcher will perform

material testing. The research design will be evaluated according to required standard

criteria which will be discussed below.

Research Method

This study will work on an organized experimental method of research

wherein the researcher will control only one variable which is the percentage of cement

content to be added in the mix proportions. The experimental method is quite tolerable

in the study since the aim of this research is to determine the effectiveness of cement

as a stabilizing agent on the strength improvement of the mud-concrete block samples

containing 2%, 4% and 7% of total weight of cement. The procedures and computations
for this study will be based from various research studies and journals gathered from

the internet, books such as ASTM Code Book, NSCP 2010, Testing of Materials, and

other sources.

Materials

The materials that will be used in conducting this experimental study are;

soil, Portland cement, sand, and clean tap water.

i. Soil Sample

Locally available excavated soil can be used. IS 1725 -1982, standard

covers the requirements and test for soil based blocks for use in general

building construction. Tests conducted as per IS 2720 – 1985, includes Grain

Size Analysis, Specific Gravity, Plastic limit and Liquid limit.

ii. Cement

The experiment will be using Type I Portland Cement based on the ASTM

C150 specifications.

iii. Fine Aggregate

The fine aggregates that will be utilized on this study will pass through

Sieve No. 4 in accordance with ASTM C136 specifications.

iv. Water
 The water that will be used on the experiment will be an ordinary clean tap

water in accordance with ASTM 1602 specifications.

Tests Conducted

To achieve the research’s objectives the following tests were carried out

according to the required standards:

A. Particle Size Analysis

B. Atterberg’s Limits

a) Liquid Limit Test

b) Plastic Limit Test

c) Shrinkage Limit Test

C. Moisture Content

Mix Proportion

The materials used for manufacturing the mud-concrete block consists of

cement, soil and sand with ratio of 1:1:6 (cement: sand: soil) by volume. The use of

volume rather than weight is due to simplicity of the manufacturing. Soil, sand and

cement were mixed together. Water was gradually added.

Preparation of Mud-Concrete Blocks using different Mix Ratio

Providing detailed technical and economic information on the production of mud-

concrete blocks by assessing the potential of local materials i.e. types of cement and

soil is the purpose of this investigation. The type of Portland cement and a soil sample

are selected and prepared. To this effect the following test programs, are followed. The
mix proportions are made based on literature recommendations. The mix proportions of

bricks are prepared to compare the difference of strength development of the block

produced using different mix ratio which are designated by the Roman Numerals: I, II,

III. The Mix proportion given varies only in the percentage of cement added by means

of;

I. Two percent (2%) of cement

II. Four percent (4%) of cement

III. Seven percent (7%) of cement

Production of Mud-Concrete Block

The process of manufacturing stabilized mud-concrete blocks involves the

following steps:

a) Sieving the soil through 5mm sieve

b) Mixing of soil and sand in the requisite proportion

c) Adding cement to soil-sand mixture and mixing with optimum quantity of water.

The proportion of soil and stabilizer depends on the strength and performance

requirements and the type and amount of clay in the soil

d) Pressing the block in a machine to the required density and size

e) Ejecting the block, stacking and curing