S. Ouattara^1,, M. O. Boffoue¹, A. A. Assande¹, K. C. Kouadio¹, C. H. Kouakou¹, E. Emeruwa¹, Pasres²

The present study aims at understanding the rheological behavior of Compressed Ground Bricks (CGB). It thus uses as raw materials the clay and the sawdust which are an industrial waste with the multiple consequences on the environment. The composites elaborate clay-sawdust of wood are bricks intended to be used like fill material of the walls. Their mechanical properties were studied in order to place at the disposal of the users, of competitive materials; but a particular stress was laid on their behavior at the rupture. Thus, the study shows that the CGB containing clay only have flexural strength and compressive strength respectively of 1.3 MPa and 2.6 MPA. When one adds the sawdust to it, these resistances grow to reach optimal values, before decreasing. For the flexural strength, optimal resistance is of 1.4 MPa, for a content of sawdust of 20%. For the compressive strength, the optimum is reached to sawdust 15% with a resistance of 4.4 MPa. The study of the relations stress-strain shows that the curve of the CGB without sawdust has only one pace rectilinear before the rupture (elastic range); these bricks thus have a fragile behavior. The addition of the sawdust to clay confers on the CGB a quasi ductile behavior characterized by curves which present initially a rectilinear part (elastic range), followed by a curvilinear part (plastic range). One can also note that the addition of the sawdust cause a drop in the dry density of bricks.

compressed ground bricks, clay, sawdust, compressive strength, flexural strength, stress-strain