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Compressed Earth Blocks (CEB) made from soil and compacted using a mechanical molder can be stabilized using cement. Moreover, CEB can perform as well as concrete hollow blocks (CHB) when properly strengthened with ordinary Portland cement. Due to the low tensile strength of CEB, pig hair fibers (PHF) which is waste material, can be utilized as fiber reinforcement to improve the performance of CEB against cracking. Due to the high cost of cement, green mussel shells (GMS), which is another waste material, can be used as partial cement substitute in compressed earth blocks. In this study, CEBs with PHF and GMS were subjected to compressive, flexural, and drip erosion tests. By using 4 variations of fiber content of PHF (0, 0.5%, 0.75%, and 1%) and 3 variations of percentages of cement replacement with GMS (0, 5%, and 10%) resulted to 12 PHF-GMS mix combinations. The compressive strength at 7, 14 and 28 days were evaluated for each mix combination. A total of 276 specimens were prepared in this study. Statistical analysis using the software Stata was conducted to filter the test results. ANOVA and T-Test were also used to determine the significance of the increase in strength with reference to the control specimen. Using the validated test results, the best performing mix was determined. The results showed that CEB with 0.75% PHF and 10%GMS is the best mix among those tested. It yielded 67% increase in compressive strength and 626% increase in flexural strength. Lastly, the same specimens, 0.75%PHF-10% GMS, also performed well in the drip erosion test.

A building faces several challenges across its lifecycle stages. Challenges such as production inefficiency and inadequate waste management hinder advancement in the construction industry. Furthermore, the sector has emerged as one of the largest producers of waste in the world, which can lead to detrimental impacts on the economy and the environment. Conventional approaches are insufficient to eradicate these concerns. Thus, practitioners have sought to implement novel methods to ameliorate the construction process. In this regard, design for manufacturing and assembly (DfMA) and design for deconstruction (DfD) have gained prominence, as studies have elucidated the methods’ unprecedented potential to wholly transform the construction process and mitigate the unwanted impacts brought about by the industry. This study identified the applications and benefits of DfMA and DfD in construction, as well as recent developments and research gaps, through a literature review, using Scopus as the primary database and MATLAB for conducting data text analytics. The current body of knowledge necessitates a further assessment of the following research gaps: (1) development of standard construction-oriented DfMA guidelines; (2) corroboration of the developed DfMA tools through practical application; (3) integration of these holistic design approaches with emerging technologies, such as additive manufacturing and digital fabrication; (4) comparison of structures constructed using DfMA and DfD with structures built with conventional approaches; (5) comprehensive application of DfD guidelines to structural systems; (6) integration of DfMA and DfD; (7) execution of sustainability assessment studies to evaluate the impact of DfMA and DfD; and (8) identification of solutions to the barriers to DfMA and DfD uptake in construction.

ABSTRACT:This study is about the use of fiber reinforced mortar (FRM) as a jacketing material for reinforced concrete (RC) columns. Presented in this paper are analyses of the test results of destructiveloading that were conducted to explore the applicability of different jacketing materials as retrofit to RC columns. The jackets used to wrap RC columns were built of mortar mixed with different fibers. The fibers considered were steel fibers and polymer fibers. A simple model based on material properties was used to simulate the axial strength of the columns. The numerical model calculation results as well as the experimental test results were used to assess the performance of the jacketing materials used. The experimental part consisted of testing two sets of column specimens. The first set is wrapped with mortar jackets reinforced with steel fibers and the second set is wrapped with mortar jackets reinforced with polymer fibers with and without fly ash. The efficacy of the different FRM jackets as retrofitting materials was assessed by calculating the effect of confinement. The calculation was accomplished by measuring the maximum load of the retrofitted columns with jackets and then subtracting the load that can be carried by the control specimens, that is, the column with the original cross section. The confining effect was used as the basis in determining the confined compressive strength of concrete and then used to establish a model that can simulate the axial strength of the columns. The results indicate that the FRM jackets are effective as retrofitting material for RC column.

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