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Nomenclature I. Introduction
A Gross area of the element of analysis Adobe bricks have been used for millenniums. Dating
CIV Centro de Investigación de la Vivienda of as far as the 9th century B.C. [1], earth has been one of
Escuela Politécnica Nacional-Quito-Ecuador the first construction materials employed by humankind
E Young’s or elasticity modulus of the [2]. The first earth bricks used were probably coarse,
material mashed clay, air- dried, and hardened by the sun heat.
EPN Escuela Politécnica Nacional Earth has a fragile behavior, therefore the main focus
f Shear factor that depends on the shape of the has always been to reinforce it [3]. The Babylonians were
section being analysed the first civilization to use reed reinforcement in their
FEM Finite Element Method used for structural adobe constructions. It is known that the Babylonians
and other types of analyses moistened earth, added chopped straw, and mashed the
Fo Earth’s compressive stress earth in-situ with their feet. In order to obtain a better
Ft Earth’s tensile stress solidity and wall cohesion, the Babylonians used bitumen
G Shear modulus of the material or hot asphalt as mortar and reed reinforcement between
I Inertia bending moment rows [4].
Ks Secant stiffness It could be said that this was the first time that bamboo
L Length of the element of analysis was used as reinforcement in earth constructions.
M Function of the bending moment throughout Adobe was used in many cultures. It was used in
the element’s length Spain and in other Mediterranean areas. Also, in the 15th
m Function of the unitary bending moment Century, Spaniards found Native Americans already
throughout element’s length using it [5].
P Lateral load or lateral force New Mexico is another place where adobe
PUCP Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú constructions from the 18th century were found. [6]
RC Reinforced Concrete In the seventies, the professors of The Engineering
V Function of the shear force throughout the Department of PUCP (Pontificia Universidad Católica
element’s length del Perú) began their research about stability of earth
v Function of the unitary shear force constructions in seismic areas. The first investigations
throughout the element’s length were oriented to determine the mechanical characteristics
∆ Displacement ductility of adobe walls through static essays. Between 1973 and
∆μ Displacement at rupture point 1978, several housing modules were statically essayed.
∆y Displacement at yielding point These housing modules were of real size and with
μ Poisson’s ratio of the material different reinforcement materials such as reed, wood and
wire [7].
The most efficient reinforcement was achieved
Copyright © 2017 Praise Worthy Prize S.r.l. - All rights reserved https://doi.org/10.15866/irece.v8i4.12380
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David Bonilla, Gabriel Merino, Diego Sosa
through the collocation of complete vertical reeds inside Second, enough dry resistance, which should be
the walls and tying up horizontal crushed reeds every verified with the “Resistencia Seca” test [13].
four rows of mortar [7]. In the event of not knowing the material mechanical
Another study on improved construction technologies properties, some values of the Peruvian code [13] can be
talks about the use of vertical and horizontal considered. The ultimate stresses are shown in Table I.
reinforcements. This can be done with any ductile
material including reed, bamboo, rope, wood, chicken TABLE I
EARTH ULTIMATE STRESSES
coop, barbed wire, and steel bars. The vertical
Parameter Value Units
reinforcement helps to maintain the walls integrity due to Earth compressive stress , fo 1000,28 kPa
its connection from the foundations to the sill. The Earth tensile stress , ft 79,43 kPa
horizontal reinforcement helps to transmit inertial and Earth shear stress 24,52 kPa
bending forces. Both reinforcements must be connected Mortar tensile stress 11,77 kPa
among them and to other structural elements [8].
The main focus of this research is to look for The admissible stresses are calculated dividing the
sustainable construction materials like bamboo and adobe ultimate stresses by 2,5. This is done because of the
[9]. variation in material quality, execution quality and loads
The main characteristic of this type of construction is evaluation [13].
the lack of research due to culture. It is not considered The Young Modulus of adobe bricks is lower than
important to innovate but rather to base on foreign traditional masonry. The latter has an equivalent Young
researches and models. Modulus of its admissible compression stress multiplied
In order to analyze this problem, it is necessary to by 400. For adobe, the multiplying value is 300 [14].
mention its causes. First, the unknowledge and A lower Poisson’s Ratio value than concrete was
underestimation of alternative materials such as bamboo taken. This is justified by the fact that earth is more
and adobe [10]. Second, the increasing population and anisotropic and heterogeneous than other materials. Earth
the consequent demand of housing in which the doesn’t have a ductile behavior. When earth suffers
economic aspect is very important. However, safety, longitudinal tension, there is little cross deformation
comfort, and peace, which characterize an adequate before a fragile failure occurs. Because of this, a value of
household, are not left aside. 0,15 was assumed [14]. However, it will be subjected to
This research was done because of the interest to further investigation.
know and provide new alternative construction Based on the researches done by [7], [8], [12] and [13]
technologies that fulfill the required earthquake it was determined that the best reinforcement alternative
resistance criteria [11]; currently there is not enough was bamboo. The vertical reinforcement was separated
development in seismic design in Ecuador. In addition, 1,5 times the width of the wall.
this investigation wanted to prove that it is possible to get Three complete bamboo stems, with an exterior
safe, economic and esthetic structures using bamboo and diameter of approximately 10 centimeters and a thickness
adobe. These are great options to have in mind when of 8 millimeters, were used as vertical reinforcement. For
building [12]. horizontal reinforcement, crushed specimens of the same
The study was based on a bibliographic compilation characteristics were collocated every three rows of adobe
by taking in account those foreign countries where this bricks.
technology is more advanced. The information was The vertical reinforcement was placed inside the
adapted to local conditions for testing and application. foundations at a depth of 25 centimeters and cast-in-place
This was done through a cyclic lateral load essay of together with the load transmission beam at the top of the
two adobe walls one with bamboo reinforcement and the wall. All this was done to ensure a monolithic behavior
other without any reinforcement. of the structure.
The cyclopean concrete foundations were anchored to
the reaction slab of the CIV-EPN. Moreover, two blocks
II. Material Properties and of reinforced concrete were left at the sides of the wall in
Adobe Walls Design order to prevent bottom lateral displacement.
The adobe bricks used were 40 centimeters long, 20
The walls were designed according to the centimeters wide, and 10 centimeters high. They were
specifications listed in the Peruvian code E080 placed using the English interlocking and stuck with a
“Construcción con Tierra” [6], common dimensions of mixture of earth mortar and straw.
construction in Ecuador, and the conditions of the essay The load transmission RC beams had 4 steel bars of 2
area at CIV- EPN (Centro de Investigación de la centimeters diameter for the anchoring of a hydraulic
Vivienda - EscuelaPolitécnica Nacional) located in jack, which was needed for the application of the lateral
Quito, Ecuador. load. The beams were connected to the walls with
The earth used for construction had to fulfill certain concrete in the last two rows of the adobe walls.
requirements specified in the Peruvian code. First, The walls’ schemes are shown in Figures 1 and 2.
enough clay content, which should be verified using the
“Cinta de Barro” test.
Copyright © 2017 Praise Worthy Prize S.r.l. - All rights reserved International Review of Civil Engineering, Vol. 8, N. 4
161
David Bonilla,
Bonilla, Gabriel Merino
Merino,, Diego Sosa
Fig. 1.
1 Unreinforced wall scheme
Copyright © 2017
2017 Praise Worthy Pri
Prize
ze S.r.l. - All rights reserved International Review of Civil E
Engineering
ngineering,
ngineering, Vol. 88,, N. 4
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David Bonilla, Gabriel Merino, Diego Sosa
of the hydraulic jack phase) and 3,58 (for the pulling of The maximum shear stress for the failure load of
the hydraulic jack phase). 7,305 kN was 10,639kPa, which is approximately 1 kPa
higher compared to the value admitted by the code (9.807
kPa). This shows that the used material properties in the
V. Young Modulus Determination mathematical model and the design for the unreinforced
The Young Modulus was obtained using the mechanic wall were correct.
of materials theory. The lateral displacement considering
shear and bending effects is calculated as follows:
VII. Hysteretic Capacity Curves
∙ ∙ A hysteretic capacity curve indicates the lateral load
∆= + (2) force against the structure’s displacement. The bounded
∙ ∙
area represents the dissipated energy of the system. Both
The parameters of the equation were calculated. Then, walls hysteretic curves are shown in Figures 6 and 7.
the equation was simplified and the variable E was
isolated. The following expression was obtained: 8
10
0
-70 -55 -40 -25 -10
-5 5 20 35 50 65 80 95
-10
-15
-20
-25
Displacement (mm)
Fig. 5. Experimental Shear Stresses in the unreinforced adobe wall Fig. 7. Hysteretic Curve for Reinforced Wall
Copyright © 2017 Praise Worthy Prize S.r.l. - All rights reserved International Review of Civil Engineering, Vol. 8, N. 4
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David Bonilla, Gabriel Merino, Diego Sosa
An overlapping graphic was done in order to visually The dissipated energy of the reinforced wall was
compare both walls’ hysteretic curves. The result is approximately 308 times greater than in the unreinforced
shown in Figure 8. wall.
Copyright © 2017 Praise Worthy Prize S.r.l. - All rights reserved International Review of Civil Engineering, Vol. 8, N. 4
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David Bonilla, Gabriel Merino, Diego Sosa
The variation percentage in secant stiffness between The elastic ratio is slightly higher than 1, however, the
the first load cycle and the failure load cycle was 61,35% ultimate ratio is greater than 50. This shows that bamboo
for the unreinforced wall, and 98,29% for the reinforced provides adobe walls with a plastic behavior.
wall. The difference between both walls was 36,94%,
which indicates that the bamboo reinforcement
considerably increases stiffness degradation. IX. Conclusion
Geographic location, dry time, straw content, organic
content, construction technique, protection against
VIII. Bamboo Reinforced Adobe Walls
weather, and insects are multiple factors than can affect
Design Criteria an earth structure behavior. That is why the Peruvian
Three parameters were considered important for code recommends a safety factor of 2,5.
construction with bamboo reinforced adobe. The orientation of the cracks was different in each
adobe wall. Diagonal for the unreinforced wall, and
mostly horizontal and vertical for the reinforced wall.
VIII.1. Lateral Load Capacity The lateral load capacity of the reinforced adobe wall
It is proposed to increase the lateral load capacity of a was approximately four times the unreinforced.
bamboo reinforced adobe wall. Based on the results of The ductility displacement was in a range of 3,18 to
the wall’s lateral load capacity, a range of magnification 3,58 for the reinforced wall.
values from 3 to 4 was determined. Even though the Young Modulus of both walls was
For example, if an unreinforced adobe wall of defined very similar, the reinforced wall had approximately 300
geometry bears a lateral load of 10 kN, then a bamboo times more energy dissipation capacity than the
reinforced adobe wall with the same geometry could bear unreinforced wall.
a lateral load of approximately 30 to 40 kN. With the obtained results, it can be assured that the use
of alternative materials is able to create earthquake
resistant, cheap, and esthetic conditions for households.
VIII.2. Weight Percentage It is suggested to increase the lateral load capacity by
This parameter was calculated with the walls’ weight 3 to 4 times when using bamboo as reinforcement.
and the maximum lateral load each wall bears. The In order to predict the maximum lateral load in an
results are shown in Table IV. unreinforced adobe wall, it is advisable to use the one
that makes 50% of the wall surpass its admissible shear
TABLE IV stress.
BASE SHEAR WEIGHT PERCENTAGE
Failure Lateral Load / Weight
Wall Weight (kN)
Load (kN) Percentage (%) References
Unreinforced 7,31 43,48 16,80
Reinforced 28,44 43,31 65,66 [1] Taos Inn (April 5, 2012). “Step into History”. From
http://www.taosinn.com/history.html
[2] Adobe in Action (March 29, 2012). “Adobe in Action”. From
It is proposed to design bamboo reinforced adobe
http://www.adobeinaction.org.
walls with a base shear of approximately 50% of the [3] Sharma, M. V. (2016). Enhancing durability of adobe by natural
structure weight. reinforcement for propagating sustainable mud housing.
International Journal of Sustainable Built Environment, 141-155.
From
VIII.3. Drifts http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221260901530
0480
For this parameter, drift ratios were calculated. [4] Doat, H. H. (1990). Construir con tierra (Vol. 1). Bogotá,
The elastic limit was considered: Colombia: Fondo Rotatorio Nacional. 2016.
[5] Adobe Is Not Software (March 29, 2012), “Why Adobe”. From
- For the unreinforced wall, as the load point where it http://adobeisnotsoftware.com/
failed (7,35 kN). [6] Santa Fe Unlimited (April 4, 2012), “The Historic Adobe
- For the reinforced wall, as the load point where it did Architecture of Santa Fe, New Mexico”. From http://architecture-
not suffer substantial damage (6,86 kN). sf2.nm-unlimited.net/
[7] M. Blondet, J. V. (2011). Construcción sismoresistente en tierra:
The ultimate limit was considered as the load that La gran experiencia contemporánea de la Pontificia Universidad
made the walls fail. The results obtained are shown in Católica del Perú. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima.
Table V. 2017.
TABLE V [8] Blondet M., V. G. (2003). Construcciones de Adobe Resistentes a
DRIFTS RATIOS los Terremotos: Tutor. Lima, Perú: Marjorie Greene, EERI. 2017.
Drift Value [9] Janssen, J. J. (2000). Designing and Building with Bamboo. (A.
Unreinforced Wall in elastic range 0,00071 Kumar, Ed.) Eind Hovn Netherlands. 2017.
Reinforced wall in elastic range 0,00083 [10] Nolivos, Yacelga (2010). Estudio De Conexiones Entre Elementos
Unreinforced Wall ultimate drift 0,00071 De Caña Guadua Sometidos A Carga Axial (Bachelor Thesis).
Reinforced wall ultimate drift 0,0377 Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito.
Elastic Ratio: 1,17 [11] Chang, F.S. (October 25, 2012). “Rammed Earth: Construction
Ultimate Ratio: 53,03 Lessons from Experience”. ASCE, 1-6. Recovered April, 2017,
from http://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/%28ASCE%29SC.1943-
Copyright © 2017 Praise Worthy Prize S.r.l. - All rights reserved International Review of Civil Engineering, Vol. 8, N. 4
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David Bonilla, Gabriel Merino, Diego Sosa
Author’s information
Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Facultad de Ingeniería Civil y Ambiental,
Centro de Investigación de la Vivienda (CIV-EPN) Quito, Ecuador.
Copyright © 2017 Praise Worthy Prize S.r.l. - All rights reserved International Review of Civil Engineering, Vol. 8, N. 4
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