Mechanical behaviour of rammed earth wall built with soils from Cordoba

Abstract

 Earth construction was the main constructive technique in various regions of the world during centuries, including Argen­tina, where it was developed throughout the colonial period, both in the north of the country and in the humid Pampas. The "raw earth" technology is considered optimal from the point of view of balance and protection of the environment, as well as being increasingly valued as a construction material. The constituve material proposed for the construction of the rammed earth wall is loessic silt. This type of soil covers a large part of the province of Córdoba, and in particular an important area of the greater Córdoba. In order to characterize the mechanical behavior of the rammed earth wall, it is necessary to evaluate the physical properties of the loessic silt to be used, as well as its mechanical properties. This article presents the main results obtained from a series of laboratory test son samples and a prototype module, typical of the rammed earth wall construction system, carried out on silt from Córdoba, and which allow us to conclude on the competence of this type of soil as a construction material for a lateral enclosure with compacted raw earth, as a delimiter of space.