Evaluating the drying effect on the behavior of earth concrete using acoustic emission technique

Hassan Fardoun

doi:10.26168/10.26168/ajce.38.2.37

Hassan Fardoun Université de Bordeaux, UMR 5295, Institut de Mécanique et d’Ingénierie (I2M), CNRS, Esplanade des Arts et Métiers, 33405 Talence, France

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26168/10.26168/ajce.38.2.37

Keywords: earth concrete; drying; mechanical properties; acoustic emission technique

Abstract

The requirement for eco-friendly construction materials is of a persistent need. In addition, waste recycling is urgent. The ecological material adopted in this study is earth concrete incorporated with recycled sand (RS). Both materials being sensitive to water, the work assesses the effect of drying on the mechanical properties. Earth concrete mixtures with different percentages of clay (20%, 30% and 40) were casted and cured at a relative humidity (RH) of 90% and 50%. Compressive tests were conducted on cubic specimens for each mixture. Moreover, the acoustic emission (AE) technique was used to monitor the failure behavior of specimens conserved at the two RH. The results show an increase in the compressive strength at 50% of RH. However, a decrease in the flexural strength has been observed at 50% of RH with RS.