The Effect of Red Brick on the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Adobe

Abstract

his study investigates the mechanical proprieties and hygroscopicity behavior of adobe incorporating waste red bricks as alternative to soil-sand mixture as well as sand. The main objective of this work is to study the effect of the use of waste red bricks on the mechanical strength of adobe. The study also focused on testing hygroscopicity behavior, through its total and capillary absorption. In this context, we used a content of quicklime (12%), three contents of waste red bricks and crushed sand (10, 20, and 30%) of the weight of the dry soil. The results indicate that there is a significant improvement in mechanical strengths (dry compression and dry traction) and durability (capillary and total absorption) with the addition of 30% waste red bricks and crushed sand. Adobe stabilized by waste red bricks gives considerably higher mechanical strengths and durability compared to bricks stabilized with crushed sand.