Durability of Raw Earth Blocks Reinforced with Wheat Straw Fibers

Abstract

The key drivers of the growing interest in the recovery of local materials, particularly land and waste plants, are low-cost building materials, thermal comfort, decreased energy consumption, and decreased carbon dioxide polluting emissions. This work's primary objective is to test a bio-sourced composite material that takes the form of a block of unfinished soil that has been stabilized with cement and blended with wheat straw. This study is being done with the objective of examining the impact of this fiber at different weight percentages (0, 2, 3%, and 4%) on the mechanical behavior, durability, and thermophysical properties of the produced blocks. The results obtained indicated an increase in thermal conductivity, from 2.75 W/mK for the blocks without wheat straw fiber to 0.398 W/mK for those getting 4% of the wheat straw fiber, signifying an improvement in thermal insulation. While retaining the low performance threshold required by the earth construction standard, this improvement was accompanied by an average decrease in mechanical performance.