Characterizing material properties of cement-stabilized rammed earth to construct sustainable insulated walls

• Rammed earth is a sustainable construction material.
• Compressive strength in excess of 10 MPa can be achieved with rammed earth.
• Rammed earth provides reasonable bond strength.
• Effect of using two different types of shear reinforcement on the structural performance of rammed earth has been studied.

Use of local materials can reduce the hauling of construction materials over long distances, thus reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with transporting such materials. Use of locally available soils (earth) for construction of walls has been used in many parts of the world. Owing to the thermal mass of these walls and the potential to have insulation embedded in the wall section has brought this construction material/technology at the forefront in recent years. However, the mechanical properties of the rammed earth and the parameters required for design of steel reinforced walls are not fully understood. In this paper, the author presents a case study where full-scale walls were constructed using rammed earth to understand the effect of two different types of shear detailing on the structural performance of the walls. The mechanical properties of the material essential for design such as compressive strength of the material including effect of coring on the strength, pull out strength of different rebar diameters, flexural performance and out-of-plane bending on walls was studied. These results are presented in this case study.