Durability of the earth mortar: Physico-chemical and mineralogical characterization for the reduction of the capillary rise

Abstract

The stabilization of the earth material in the fields related to the earthen construction, in compliance with the standards in force, allows strong results of strength and durability. The chemical and mineralogical elements play an important role, in the presence of an 'optimum' cement dosage, to strengthen the ties between the clays and the grains of the earth.. This approach targets the search for better performances in the use of natural materials resource in an eco-responsible habitat. This study presents the experimental results of the four techniques of mineralogical and chemical analysis on mortar specimens obtained from earth of the city of Fez. The results of the uni-axial compressive tests of the cylindrical specimens for this earth, associated by various percentages 0%, 4%, 7% and 10% by weight of cement, make it possible to analyze the effect of the mineralogical and chemical elements on the mechanical properties, namely Young's modulus, compressive strength and limiting deformation. However, we determine the water absorption coefficient of the mortar for different cement dosages in order to optimize the durability of the mortar against bad weather, rain and / or very wet climates. In the earth mortar of Fez, the strong presence of calcite (CaCO3), quartz SiO2 and dolomite CaMg (CO3)2 amplifies the improvement of the behavior of the material by the addition of cement. In fact, this strong presence of calcite stabilized the clay by cementing quartz and the cement matrix to strengthen the ties between the grains of the earth. In addition, with respect to the capillary rise, the water absorption decreases with the addition of cement. We also note that the evolution of the mechanical properties is of no importance except in the interval [4 to 7%] which represents the zone of effect for cement stabilization and which houses the optimum technicoeconomic cement dosing.

Thermal, Mineralogical and Chemical Properties of Soil Building Blocks for Eco-Habitat Sustainable

“…According to research by A. Ammari et al, in order to fix inert clay particles, the amount of lime needed between 1% and 3% by weight of soil must be greater than the fixation limit. Furthermore, a portion of the fine sand makes up the quartz, which is not a binder [2,6,7,9]. As a result, the carbonation of the lime cements the quartz grains in the clay Fez.…”

Biomineralisation to Increase Earth Infrastructure Resilience

“…Several literature studies have found that using microbial-induced calcite precipitation to increase bonding, shear strength, and decrease permeability in sandy and gravelly soils is quite efficient [ 19 , 20 ]. There is currently a limited characterisation of the materials that directly compare soil/earth-based infrastructure and self-healing behaviour based on biomineralisation [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. The work presented in Ref.…”