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Influence of coconut fibers on the physical and mechanical properties of stabilized compressed earth blocks

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Author Affiliations

  • 1Laboratoire de Recherche en Science de l’Ingénieur (LARSI), University of Lomé, BP 1515, Lomé-Togo
  • 2Laboratoire de Recherche en Science de l’Ingénieur (LARSI), University of Lomé, BP 1515, Lomé-Togo
  • 3Laboratoire de Recherche en Science de l’Ingénieur (LARSI), University of Lomé, BP 1515, Lomé-Togo

Res. J. Recent Sci., Volume 14, Issue (1), Pages 17-24, January,2 (2025)

Abstract

Clay soil is a raw material commonly used for the manufacture of building materials, thanks to the different improvement techniques used. Binder stabilization or plant fiber reinforcement are among the techniques that are being studied and deepened with the aim of adding value to the properties of this material. The present study reveals the influence of the length and content of coconut fibers from the coconut palm on the physical and mechanical properties of stabilized compressed clay soil (BTCS) blocks. To do this, the clay soil from the Noèpé quarry (Togo) was mixed with the extracted fibers and cut into two length classes (0-6 and 6-10 cm). Three types of soil were used (70% Sand (S), 30% clay silt (CS); 75% S, 25% CS and 80% S and 20% CS). The land was stabilized with cement with a rate varying from 2 to 8% for a step of 2%. The fibers are incorporated into the clay-cement matrix with a mass content of soil varying from 0 to 0.4% for a step of 0.1%. The results obtained show that the density of the blocks decreases with the increase in the content of fibers incorporated for the two length classes and increases slightly with the content of cement. The opposite phenomenon is observed for capillary absorption, which increases with the fibers content and decreases with the increase in the cement content. Overall, the results show that compressive strength decreases with increasing fibers content.

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