Self-Compacted Clay Concrete: A Concrete with CSA and Higher Clay Content

Author(s): Claudiane Ouellet-Plamondon, Guillaume Habert
Paper category: Conference
Book Title: 8th International RILEM Symposium on Self-Compacting Concrete - SCC 2016
Editor: Kamal H. Khayat
ISBN: 978-2-35158-156-8
e-ISBN: 978-2-35158-157-5
Publisher: RILEM Publications SARL
Publication year: 2016
Pages: 37-47
Total Pages: 11
Language: English

Abstract: Construction using earth is gaining interest in developed countries, whereas this practice is common in Africa and was more common in Europe 300 years ago. The forecasted increasing demand for cement in emerging countries and the limited availability of aggregates in some area have created the need for alternative building materials. In this study, recent cement and concrete technologies are transferred to earthen constructions to create a Self-Compacted Clay Concrete (SCCC). We showed that the use of a superplasticizer (SP) with plastering earth alone reduced the yield stress and was more efficient when cement was added. The optimal rheology was reached with 1% polycarboxylate ethers superplastizer and 5% calcium sulfoaluminate cement (CSA). The setting was studied with a digital penetrometer. The accelerated phase of the CSA hydration occurred within 6 hours only when 5% of CSA was in the earth mixture. Mechanical tests on the dried self-compacting-clay concrete showed that the compressive strength was increased by a factor of four when reducing the initial water content. The compressive strength of earth material is known to vary with the dry density and the clay content in the compressed earth block. The novelty of our approach is that the identical results can be achieved with a material poured in a formwork rather than compacted. Finally, the carbon footprint of the solution was evaluated, and the results show that this new material is competitive with current construction techniques, especially when using local materials to reduce transport.

Online publication: 2016
Publication Type: full_text
Public price (Euros): 0.00