Testing of flexure-dominated interlocking compressed earth block walls

Interlocking Compressed Earth Blocks (ICEBs) are a form of dry stack masonry units made with indigenous soil and typically stabilized with cement. This paper presents testing results for seismic behavior of flexure-dominated ICEB walls. A total of four 1.8-m high ICEB wall specimens were constructed and tested. The specimen dimensions were varied to identify the effects of the following factors on performance of ICEB walls: height-to-width aspect ratio, presence of a flange at one end of the wall, and presence of an opening in the wall. Testing results show that flexure-dominated ICEB walls can exhibit stable hysteretic behavior until a ductile failure occurs. Additionally, wall ductility increases with increasing height-to-width aspect ratio when other design parameters remain the same. Furthermore, strength of an ICEB wall can be enhanced due to the presence of the flange at one end but reduced due to the presence of an opening.