Fresh and hardened state properties of hemp concrete made up of a large proportion of quarry fines for the production of blocks

The study shows that mixes with only quarry fines and hemp straw give low mechanical performances. To enhance these results, lime and a superplasticizer are added in the mix design. By keeping a major proportion of quarry fines, the obtained best mix offers flexural strengths superior to the levels required for gypsum blocks in the EN 12859 standard while maintaining a good workability at fresh state and having interesting thermal and acoustic characteristics.