Towards a method for characterising the mechanical properties of rammed-earth

Abstract

(Background) The construction sector significantly contributes to ongoing global challenges, including climate and resource crises. Earthen building materials, such as rammed earth (RE), have regained interest due to their relevant assets. RE construction involves compacting moistened raw soil within formwork to produce load-bearing walls. However, the qualification of constitutive models developed for quasi-brittle materials for application to RE remains uncertain. (Aim) This works aims to investigate the mechanical properties of RE to identify the parameters of basic and advanced constitutive models. (Method) Silty-sand cylindrical specimens were manufactured using locally sourced soil, with double compaction employed to ensure homogeneity and representative physical characteristics. Mechanical testing included cyclic compression and indirect tensile tests, with Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technic were used to measure elastic properties, namely Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio. (Results) The mean, standard deviation and percentiles were calculated to characterise the material’s mechanical behaviour. The preliminary findings exhibit strong consistency with existing literature, reinforcing their validity.