Characteristics study of Stabilized and Compressed Laterite Soil Bricks

There is a need for development of alternative materials for the building industry with low carbon footprint and at the same time to save energy. Clay has been used as a building material from the beginning of humankind. The Compressed Earth Blocks often referred to simply as CEB, is a type of manufactured construction material formed by the compression of the soil in a mould with the help of a manual or motorized press to form a regular block of appropriate shape and size. In this experimental investigation, a series of test bricks were fabricated using various percentage of laterite soil 91%, 90%, 89%, and 88% stabilized with 4%, 5%, 6%, and 7% of cement stabilizer with 5% of sand, compacted with a hydraulic press paver block and brick making machine. Results of dry compressive strength, wet compressive strength and water absorption were tabulated. Results show that 75 to 80% of compressive strength can be achieved at the age of 7 days as compared to 28 days maturity age and full strength can be attainable at the curing period of 28 days.