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10In this paper, influence of moisture content on the mechanical characteristics of rammed-earth has 11 been studied. Samples from different soils (sandy, clayey, stabilized) were manufactured and tested 12 in unconfined compression at several moisture contents. Compressive strength, elastic modulus and 13Poison's ratio were determined. A simplified method to measure the suction within rammed earth 14 samples has been developed and validated. The variation of mechanical characteristics related to 15 moisture content and suction are presented. This paper shows that a slight increase in the moisture 16 content of dry rammed-earth is not followed by sudden drop in wall strength. Qualitative 17 explanations at the nano-scale are presented. 18

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