Comparative Performance of Burnt Clay Bricks and Compressed Stabilized Earth Bricks and Blocks

Abstract

The prevailing shortage of many building materials based on natural resources has led to a considerable price escalation in recent times. This has created opportunities for developing many alternative masonry materials that can be used for wall construction. Compressed stabilised earth bricks, solid blocks and interlocking blocks are few such materials. To reduce the number of bricks used in a given area, Rat-trap bond is also gaining popularity. All these will create many challenges to the professionals involved in the building industry that have to be solved by providing data on strength and behaviour characteristics. This research compares the strength, load deformation characteristics and the applications of English and Rat-trap bond patterns in masonry construction. The findings are based on burnt clay bricks and compressed stabilized earth bricks and blocks in order to investigate comparable performance.