Mechanical and hygrothermal properties of compressed stabilized earth bricks (CSEB)

In Africa, compressed stabilized earth bricks are used increasingly in construction. The mechanical, thermal and hygroscopic properties of earth-based building materials available in the African market are not known with accuracy. For this reason, it is often difficult to predict the thermal behavior and the sustainability of buildings made from earth bricks. The work presented in this paper aims at measuring the mechanical, thermal and hygroscopic properties of compressed stabilized earth bricks (CSEB) produced by eight brickworks in Senegal. These properties include compressive strength, thermal conductivity, thermal capacity, and water vapor permeability. The mechanical characterization showed that the compressive strength of CSEB made by these brickworks is insufficient for CSEB to be used in a load-bearing wall according to the African standard ARS 674. The thermal characterization gives an average thermal conductivity of 0.75 W m−1 K−1 and an average specific heat of 1040 J kg−1 K−1, with a Variation Coefficient of 8% and 7%, respectively. The hygroscopic characterizations show a low resistance to water vapor of these bricks. These values are close to the few data existing in the literature on CSEB.