Strength-ductility behavior of earthen block reinforced with vetiver shoot
Mohammad Sohidul Islam, Shantanu Paul, Samir M. Iqbal
Abstract
Buildings made of earthen blocks have gained popularity in recent years from the viewpoint of sustainability. But due to their brittleness and low tensile strength, earthen buildings are very prone to earthquakes. Recent studies have focused on improving the strength-ductility behavior of earthen blocks by incorporating natural and synthetic fibers. Vetiver grass is utilized to safeguard embankment slopes and riverbanks worldwide. But its effectiveness in reinforcing earthen blocks is missing in the literature. Work herein focuses on evaluating the strength and ductility characteristics of vetiver shoot reinforced earthen blocks through unconfined compression tests. Vetiver shoots in 1%, 2%, and 3% proportions are mixed with clay soil for the preparation of earthen blocks. Improvements of up to 38% in compressive strength and 202% in ductility index are obtained in reinforced samples compared to unreinforced samples. Microstructural investigation shows that clay particles sticking to the fiber surface contributed to such improvements.