MUD - as Building Material

“The thing that hit me in the eye, right from the beginning, was that an
enormous amount of use was made of mud! The first thing I discovered was
that mud is one thing in one place and a different thing in another. It is used
for different purposes and is used in different ways! There are different
techniques of sticking it together and making it into awall or whatever. This
varied considerably, even sometimes in amatter of afew miles, from one
district to another”
-LaurieBaker
Introduction

• Mud has been the most essential building materials since the dawn of the man.
• Approximately 58%of all buildings in India are of mud brick.
• Mud is a building material which has already being tested and tried for
thousands of years.
• It is used in modern day construction and the method of using it is very different.
• Mud has its own limitations which can be overcome by certain techniques.
• The main advantage of mud is we do not need lot of energy to manufacture it unlike
other materials.
 Mud construction is mainly found in places which are relatively dry and have mud in
abundance.
 The mud – house uses minimal energy, is comfortable year round.
 MUDAS BUILDING MATERIAL
• Mud as a construction material has
been extensively usedsince Neolithic
times.

• Mud construction is mainly found

in places which are
• relatively dryand

• havemud in abundance.
 MUDAS BUILDING MATERIAL
WE PREJUDICED?

Why isn’t mud considered modern?

• Is it true that mud is not as strong as

cement and steel?

•Are concrete and steel perceived to be

better simply because they are seen to be
the resultof modern scientific and
technological processes?

• Is this aproblem of mud itself or is

thismerely aproblem of the modernmind?
IS THIS THE SORT OF PICTURE THAT
COMES TO YOUR MIND
THIS ALSO IS A MUD HOUSE

WHAT DOES A MUD

HOUSE LOOK LIKE?

AND THIS TOO CAN BE A MUD HOUSE (AND YES IT IS

MULTI-STORIED AND HAS A CONCRETE ROOF!)
 MUD SOURCE
• Mud required for building can be taken from
the plot itself.
• The soil is collected after depth of 60cms only.
• Asthe top layer is full of organic matter, it isn’t
used.
• Below it is sand and clay which are dug out in
heaps.
• Do not use hard rock.
• Soil to be used should be devoid of organic
matter.
• Top should be replaced after excavating.

Remove the top soil. Dig a pit and see that there are different layers of soil - on top is organic soil
full of decaying leaves and fiber. Below it is sand and even below it is clay.
You cannot use the top layers of organic soil for wall building - so remove it in heaps. Excavate the
sand and clay for building your walls.
When you have finished the work you can replace the organic soil for growing plants.
 WHERE WILL THE MUD COME FROM?

A 25-m2 house on a 250-m2 plot would require about 60-m3 of mud for its walls.
By digging all over the plot, except the basement area,
to a depth of .266 meters (10.5-inches)
you have the right amount of soil to build the house
 SOILTYPES
• Gravel: Smal pieces of stone varying from the
size of a pea to that of an egg.

Sand: Similar small pieces of stone (usually

quartz), which are small but each grain, is
visible to the eye.

Silt: The same as sand except that it is so fine

that you cannot see individual grains.

• Clay: Soils that stick when wet - but very hard

when completely dry.

•Organic Soil: Soil mainly composed of rotting,

decomposing organic matters such as leaves,
plants and vegetable matter. It is spongy when
wet, usually smells of decaying matter, is dark in
color and usually damp.
 SOIL USABILITY
•Gravel: alone is of no usefor mud wall building

- the tiny lumps of stone have nothing to bind them together.

•Sand: similar to gravel, it is of no use for wall making by itself - but if mixed with clay, it is the

ideal mud wall buildingsoil.

Silt: by itself is also no good for buildingwalls. It will hold together but is not strong.
Furthermore, it will not compact so it is also of no use for pressed blocks or rammed
earthwork.
Clay:canbe rammed or compressed but in drying out they often shrink. During the
monsoon they get damp and expand againand crack form.

OrganicSoils:are mainly uselessfor wall building.

SOIL USABILITY
 TESTS
 Field tests
• Colour tests
• Touch and smell test
• Biscuit test
• Hand wash test
• Cigar test
• Adhesion test
 Lab tests
• Sieve test
• Sedimentation test
 COLOUR TEST
• Procedure -Observe the colour of soil.
• Interpretation
•Deep yellow, orange and red,
ranging to deep browns
indicate iron content which is
good as building mud.

•Greyish or dull brown, ranging to

dirty white indicates more clay.

•Dull brown with slightly greenish

colour indicates organic soil.
 TOUCH & SMELL
Procedure
 Rub small quantity of dry soilon
palm to feel its texture.
 Moisten the soil and rub again.
Interpretation
Soil that feels coarse when dry but
sticky when wet contains lumps of
clay.
Soil that feels coarse when dry but
gritty when wet contains sand.
Soil that feels coarse when dry but
little gritty when wet contains silt.
If the wet soil gives off musty smell then
it contains organic matter
 BISCUIT TEST
 Procedure
Make a smooth paste from the soil
removing all gravels.
Mould it into a biscuit of 3cm diameter and
1cm height.
Leave it to dry and observe for shrinkages or
cracks.
 Break the biscuit to noting how hard it is.
 Interpretation
If biscuit cracks or leaves gap from the
mould then it contains more clay.
If its very hard to break then soil contains
more clay.
If it breaks easily and can be crumpled
between finger then it has good sand-clay
proportion.
If breaks and reduce to powder then the soil
has more sand or silt.
 HAND WASH TEST
• Procedure
•Play with wet soil till your hands get
thoroughly dirty.
• Wash your hands to see how difficult it
is to clean.

• Interpretation
•If hands get cleaned quickly, then soil
contains more sand.
•If it takes little time to clean and feels
like flour then soil contains more silt.
•If it feels soapy or slippery and takes
time to clean then soil contains more
clay.
 CIGAR TEST
Procedure
• Make a smooth paste from the soil
removing all gravels.

• Roll it on palm to make a cigar.

Slowly push it outside your palm.

• Measure the length at which it breaks.

Interpretation
• Length below 5cm - too muchsand.
• Length above 15cm - too much clay.
• Length between 5cm to 15cm - good
mixture of sand and clay.
 ADHESION TEST
• Procedure
• Make ball out of wet soil.
• Pierce a knife into it and remove.
• Observe the knife after removing.
• Interpretation
•If little soil sticks on the knife then it has
more silt.
• If lot of soil sticks on the knife then it
has more clay.
•If the knife is clean after removal than
the soil has more sand.
 SIEVE TEST
• Procedure
•Pass soil from series of standard
sieves set on top of on another
with finest sieve at bottom.
• Observer the soil collected in
each sieve.
• Interpretation
•Silt will be collected in
lower most sieve.
• Gravels will be collected on top.
•Sand and lumps of clay will be
collected in intermediate sieves
 SEDIMENTATION TEST
• Procedure
•Take a transparent cylindrical
bottle or jar of 1Lt. Capacity.
• Fill it with ¼soil and ¾water.
•Shake well and allow it to settle for
30 min.
• Interpretation
•Coarse gravels will be settled at
bottom, followed by sand, silt and clay
on top.
•Measuring the layers will give us the
approximate proportions of each
content.
 STABILISERS
•When the available soil is not suitable enough for
construction then the soil can be used by manipulating
its composition by adding suitable stabilizers.

•Stabilizing enhances the given property of

the soil type.
•Increase Tensile and Shear strength.
•Reduce shrinkage.
 STABILISERS
•Most common and effective stabiliser is Soil itself.
• Cement, is the best example of a modern
contemporary stabiliser.
•Various other indigenous stabilizer's include

• Straw
• Plant Juices
• GumArabic
• Sugar Or Molasses
• Cow Dung
• Animal Urine
• TannicAcid
• Oil
• Lime
 STABILISERS
LIME
Lime probably is the most used stabilizer.
It is made by burning shells and
limestones in a mud kiln.

Often a mixture of Lime and Cement is good

especially where you want to build quickly.
Lime sets slowly but the addition of a little
cement speeds up the settling time. For such
mixtures, 2% of lime and 1% of cement is often
adequate.
 STABILISERS

Many plants have sticky white sap, as from

poinsettias, various cactus plants, sisal, and so
on. These seem to act as both binders and water
proofers
Straw: There is no chemical quality about
this stabiliser. In clay soils the straw
seems to minimize cracking, and in
blocks the presence of straw tends to
make the damp blocks more handlable.
Similar to straw, people in different areas
use chaff (bhusa) and various fibers. Cow Dung often contains a lot of
fibrous material and traditionally is
often used in all sorts of mud work.

Urine is also used. Probably this is

because of the urea content and the
urea acts as a ‘binder’ - a sort of glue.
 Gum Arabic and other gums and
resins are used, also as binders
and water proofing agents.

Sugar and molasses is used. The crude

waste jaggery is a binder and it often
contains fibrous materials, which is
also useful.

Tannic Acid and its wastes,

used in other rural industries
has proved often to be a good
stabiliser.
Oil is used. In such places as Kerala -
coconut oil was used, mainly with the
intention of water proofing the surface of
mud walls. Almost any oil is useful in this
way and the modern counterpart is waste
engine oil or sump oil. This works well as
a waterproofing in cement concrete as
well as in mud walling.

Egg white and egg

shell powder has an
excellent stabilising
properties and its used
since olden days.
EARTHTECHNIQUES
Wattle and daub is
suitable for single storey
and seismic zones
 COB

• Cob is abuilding material consisting of clay, sand,

straw, water, and earth, similar to adobe. Cob is
fireproof, resistant to seismic activity, and
inexpensive. It can be used to create artistic,
sculptural forms and has been revived in recent
years by the natural building and
sustainabilitymovements.
• The walls of a cob house were generally about 24
inches thick, and windows were correspondingly
deep-set, giving the homes a characteristic internal
appearance. The thick walls provided excellent
thermal mass which was easy to keep warm in
winter and cool in summer.
• Walls with a high thermal mass value act as a
thermal buffer inside the home.The material has a
long life span even in rainy climates, provided a
tall foundation and large roof overhang are
present.
 COB

• With only a little water to form a very stiff

mud, a large lump is roughly moulded into
the shapeof a huge elongated egg.
• The usual size is anything between 12 to 18-
inches, (30 to 40-cm) long and about 6-
inches (15-cm) in diameter.
• A row of these cobs of mud are laid neatly
side-by-side - preferably somewhat pressed
together.
• Thenanother row of cobis laid ontop.
• When three or four courses have been laid,
one above the other, the sides are
smoothed over so that the holes and cracks
disappear.
• Openings for doors, and windows are a
problem, which can be solved by using
temporary vertical planks orshuttering.
sarthakaura.wix.com/arsa
rthakkaura
Typical cob wall
section detail
CUT EARTH:
•In areas where the soils was cohesive and
contained concretions of carbonates the soil
was cut in the shape of blocks and used like
bricks or stones.

•Such examples are found typically in

tropical areas where lateritic soils give a Burkina Faso, Quarry of Kari
wonderful building material.

•Lateritic soils can be found in two

natural states:

India, Orissa India, Orissa

•Soft soils- which will harden when exposed to air
due to chemical reaction of the soil constituent
with the air (carbonation reaction). This natural
reaction is called induration
•Such soils can be found on the west coast of
India, from Kerala to Goa.

•Hard crust- which was long ago a soil and has

already hardened (indured) through the ages. India, Orissa
•Orissa in India show wonderful examples of
such soils and blocks.
•In areas where the soil is not cohesive enough,
people have used topsoil and grass to create
blocks.

Burkina Faso, Quarry of Kari

Kerala, India India, Goa

India, Old Goa India, Orissa

 RAMMED EARTH
• Rammed earth, is a technique for building walls using
the raw materials of earth,chalk, lime and gravel. It is an
ancient building method that has seen are viral in recent
years as people seek more sustainable building
materials and natural building methods. Rammed-earth
walls are simple to construct, incombustible, thermally
massive, strong, and durable.

• They can be labour-intensive to construct without

machinery (powered tampers), however, and they are
susceptible to water damage if inadequately protected
or maintained. The second method has developed from
the cob wall so as to standardize or regularize the
thickness of the wall.
 RAMMED EARTH
• Building a rammed-earth wall involves compressing a damp
mixture of earth that has suitable proportions of sand, gravel
and clay (sometimes with an added stabilizer) into an
externally supported frame or mould, creating either a solid
wall of earth or individualblocks.

• Historically, suchadditives aslime or animal blood were used

to stabilize the material, whilst modern construction uses
lime, cement or asphalt emulsions. Some modern builders
also add coloured oxides or other items, such as bottles or
pieces of timber, to add variety to thestructure.

• It is also an attempt to increase the strength of the wall by

ramming it. It is known as the Rammed Earth method

• Twoparallel planks are held firmly apart by metal rods

and clips or bolts, or by small cross piecesofwood.

• Stiff mud is thrown in between these two planks and

rammed down with either a wooden or metal ram rod.
 RAMMEDEARTH
• When one section is completed and hard, the two boards
are moved along and the processisrepeated
• The two planks are then raised up and a second course
of rammed earth is repeated over thefirst.

• The compression strength of the rammed earth increases as

Holy Cross Episcopal Church) in Stateburg,
it cures; it takes some time to dry out, as much astwo years South Carolina,
for complete curing. Exposedwalls should be sealedto
prevent waterdamage.

• Thecompressive strength of rammed earth canbe up to 4.3

MPa(620 psi).Thisis lessthan that of concrete, but more
than strong enough for use in domestic buildings. Indeed,
properly built rammed earth can withstand loads for
thousands of years, as many still- standing ancient
structures around the worldattest.

• Rammed earth using rebar, wood or bamboo reinforcement

can prevent failure caused by earthquakes or heavy storms.
Adding cement to clay- poor soil mixtures canalso increase EDEN PROJECT

astructure's load- bearing capacity

 ADOBE

• Adobe is a natural building material made from

sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or
organic material (sticks, straw, and/or manure),
which the builders shape into bricks using frames
and dry in the sun.
• Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick
buildings. Adobe structures are extremely
durable, and account for some of the oldest
existing buildings in the world. In hot climates,
compared with wooden buildings, adobe buildings
offer significant advantages due to their greater
thermal mass, but they are known to be
particularly susceptible to earthquake damage.
 ADOBE
• Buildings made of sun-dried earth are common in the
West Asia, North Africa, West Africa,[3] South
America, southwestern North America, Spain
Composition
• An adobe brick is a composite material-made of clay
mixed with water and an organic material such as
straw or dung. The soil composition typically
contains clay and sand. Straw is useful in binding the
brick together and allowing the brick to dry evenly.
Dung offers the same advantage and is also added to
repel insects. The mixture is roughly half sand (50%),
one-third clay (35%), and one-sixth straw (15%) by
weight.
• Bricks are made in an open frame, 25 cm (10 in)
by 36 cm (14 in) being areasonable size, but any
convenient size is acceptable. The mixture is
molded by the frame, and then the frame is
removed quickly. After drying afew hours, the
bricks are turned on edge to finish drying. Slow
drying in shade reduces cracking.
 ADOBE
• The same mixture to make bricks, without
the straw,is used for mortar and often for
plaster on interior and exterior walls. Some
ancient cultures used lime-based cement
for the plaster to protect against rain
damage

• Reinforcement can include manure, straw,

cement, rebar or wooden posts.
Experience has shown straw, cement, or
manure added to astandard adobe
mixture can all produce a stronger, more
crack- resistant brick

• An adobe wall can serve as a significant

heat reservoir due to the thermal properties
inherent in the massive walls typical in
adobe construction.
 ADOBE

• Blocks shall be kept covered with air

tight polythene sheets for first 48 hrs Image:Iran, Bam.
with relative humidity up to 100.
• Polythene sheets shall be removed
after 48 hrs and the blocks shall be
kept in shaded area like having
enough air circulation.
• Sprinkle water over blocks daily, as
many times needed, during 28 days.
• Write date of production on block corner.
• Cover stacks top with coconut leaves or
any other cover to avoid directsunlight.
• Principle is that blocks shall not dry
for 4 weeks.
MOULDS FOR ADOBE
sarthakaura.wix.com/arsarthakkaura
 STRAW BALE
 Very clayey soil, in a liquid state, is poured on straw, which hasbeen
chopped to the desired length.
•The mix is generally tampered afterwards into forms.
• These walls are not load-bearing.
• They are light, have a very high thermal insulation value and must
be built in a wooden structure.
•Straw clay can be used as a filler wall, formed between a wooden
structure or as prefabricated blocks.
 COMPRESSED EARTH BLOCK
• Compressed Earth Block often
referred to simply as CEB,is a type of
manufactured construction material
formed in mechanical press that
forms an appropriate mix of dirt, non-
expansive clay, and an aggregate into
a compressed block

• CEB blocks are installed onto the wall

by hand and as slurry made of a soupy
version of the same dirt/clay mix, sand
aggregate, is spread or brushed very
thinly between the blocks for bonding.
 COMPRESSED EARTH BLOCK
• The advantages of CEB are in the wait
time for material, the elimination of
shipping cost, the low moisture content,
and the uniformity of the block thereby
minimizing, if not eliminating the use of
mortar and decreasing both the labour
and materials costs.

• CEB can be pressed from humid earth.

Because it is not wet, the drying time is
much shorter. Some soil conditions permit
the blocks to go straight from thepress onto
the wall.
• A single mechanical press can produce
from 800 to over 5,000 blocks per day,
enough to build a 1,200 square feet (110
m2) house in one day.
 WATTLE AND DAUB
• Wattle and daub method is an old and
common method of building mud
structures.

• There bamboo and cane frame structure

that
supports the roof.

• Mud is plastered over this mesh of

bamboo cane and straws

• Due to excessive rainfall the Wattle and

Daub structures gets washed off.

• However, the mesh of cane or

splitbamboo remains intact and after
the heavy rain is over the mud is
plastered on again.
sarthakaura.wix.com/arsarthakkaura
Step by Step construction
POURED EARTH

•Humid soil was traditionally poured into

wooden lattice works. Thus, it gave some
thermal mass to light structures as well as
some acoustic insulation.

•In recent times, dry soil has been poured

into synthetic textiles which are hold
outside by wooden poles driven into the
ground.

•Dry soil is also being poured into long

synthetic tubes, which are staked upon
each other.
 EARTH BAGCONSTRUCTION
• This method was developed from
the bunkers made by the military
• The basic construction method begins by
digging a trench.
• Rows of woven bags (or tubes) are filled
with available inorganic material
• After the foundation is laid, each
successive layer will have one or more
strands of barbed wire placed on top.
• The weight of this earth-filled bag
pushes down on the barbed wire
strands, locking the bag in place on
the row below.
• The most popular type of bag is
made of woven polypropylene.
• Organic/natural materials such
As hemp, burlap or other natural-fiber
bags (like "gunny sacks") can be used.
SHAPED EARTH
 FOUNDATION
• Often it is feasible to build the walls of a
home on mud, but some more solid
material is needed for the foundation and
basement.
• If stone is locally available it canbe used.
• There are times when the topsoil may be
soft and useless but there may be
reasonable harder subsoil capable of
carrying the weight of a single storey mud
house. In this situation remove the soil
from the trench you would normally dig
for a stone or brick foundation.
• Slightly dampen the excavated soil and then
replace a part of it to fill the trench about 6
to 9-inches. Ram this very hard - then repeat
until the trench is full.
• If there is bamboo is available, it can be used
to make narrow rafts of split bamboo. Having
done the first 6-inches infilling and ramming,
a raft of bamboo strips is laid all around.
 MORTAR
SUITABLE MORTAR FOR MASONRY

• Stabilised Earth Mortar is best suited for

masonry using mudblocks
.
• Mud mortar shall be stabilised1.5times
more than the mud blocks.

• Add coarse sand (0.2 to 2mm) to reduce

shrinkage.

• Prepare plastic mix rather than dry mix.

• Ideal mix = soil suitable for mud block +40% to

50%of sand by weight + 7.5%cement.
 MORTAR
Test the mortar before use

• Procedure
– Start with amix of 1 vol. Cement + 6vol.
Soil + 6 vol. Sand.
– Apply a layer of 1cm mortar on a block
soakedin water and let it dry in shade.
– Observethe mortar for cracks.
• Interpretation
– If cracksappear, reduce the soiland
increase the sand proportion. 1
cement + 5 soil + 7 sand.
– If mortar is too crumbly, increase thesoil
and reduce the sand proportion.
1 cement + 7 soil + 5 sand
TREATMENTAGAINST TERMITES
• Mud is the natural home
oftermites so in areas where they
are common the same
precautions have to be taken as
in all buildings to prevent their
moving up into the walls and
eating wooden framesetc.

• A one-inch thick layer of mortar

(one part of cement to 3-parts of
sand) can be laid all over the top
of the basement wall before
building the mud walls above it.
This is helpful in keeping out
both termites and damp.
 TREATMENT AGAINST
TERMITES
• Even better is to construct a
burnt brick or stone (or it can be
rammed earth) all round the
building (to prevent damage to
the walls by splashing, of rain
water) and this too can be
plastered over with a rich
cement mortar.
• Any thin sheet metal may be
laid over the basement wall
with a 3- inch downward
projection before starting to
build the superstructure mud
wall above. This is expensive
but veryeffective.
• There are various chemicals on
the
market, which can beused.
 WATER
• Water and dampness are one of the
major problems for mud as
construction material.

• The best way of protecting

anywall from either rain or sun is
to have a good big overhang to
your roof.

• The sloping, or pitched roof

isbetter because the walls need
not be so high asfor a flat roofed
house.

• Provide trenches round the house

to receive dripping water and drain
it away.
Advantages of Mud:
• Environmental impact:
• To save natural resources.
• Using neither cement nor rock (Save our mountains).
• To save building materials:
• Main materials are soil and water, mixed to be mud, if the mud is too
sticky, we can add up with paddy husky or rice straw or local fiber
weed or bamboo.
• Energy use :
• To save energy.
• Cool in summer (Inside building temperature is about 24°c to 26°c.
• Warm in Winter (Automatic control temperature by passive cooling
system)
• Capital Expenditure:
• To save money .
• No air – conditioning, no electricity bills.
 DISADVANTAGES

 Humidity is the crucial factor, mud-house will easily catch fungus.

 The brand- new mud-house may have foul odour of crushed green
leaves.
 Erodes easily by water.
 Low tensile and shear strength , hence , roofs difficult.
 Susceptible to mechanical damage, rodents and burgles.
 Grip between earth and wood is very weak , hence, framed
doors and windows are not possible.
 Requires regular maintenance.
 Not fire proof and not termite proof.
Examples of mud construction-

Taos Pueblo (New Mexico) Arg-e bam (southeastern Iran,)

Ref-http://www.earth-auroville.com
 Shibam (Yemen) Siwa oasis (western egypt)

Djinguereber Mosque (West Africa.) West Africa (Uzbekistan)

Ref-http://www.earth-auroville.com