Mechanical behaviour of earthen materials: A comparison between earth block masonry, rammed earth and cob

• Compression and diagonal compression tests of earthen wallettes were performed.
• Manufacturing practice is one of the key factors affecting performances of earth block masonry.
• Earth block masonry and rammed earth show a brittle mechanical behaviour under compression.
• Cob shows relatively ductile post peak behaviour under compression due to fibres content.
• Cob presents a relatively good performance as far as shear behaviour is concerned.

Earth represents one of the oldest construction materials, which is still utilised both in developed and in developing countries. In this paper a comparison of the mechanical performance of structural elements built in three basic techniques, earth block (adobe) masonry, rammed earth and cob, is presented. In order to gain better knowledge on the structural behaviour under static loads an extensive compression and diagonal compression (shear) test campaign was performed. First compression results showed brittle mechanical behaviour in the case of earth block masonry and rammed earth elements, whereas cob exhibited a very different stress–strain pattern: cob can deform beyond the elastic range with a gradual drop in capacity. Despite its low compressive strength, cob thus presents a relatively good performance within the earthen material range as far as shear behaviour is concerned.The data here reported represents a base for a further investigation on the dynamic behaviour of the three materials considered. The study was carried out within the framework of the project NIKER funded by the European Commission dealing with improving immovable Cultural Heritage assets against the risk of earthquakes.