Engineering Commons^™

Improved Compressed Earth Blocks, Tarek Mahmoud Ahmed Elgindy

Archived Theses and Dissertations

Bricks and blocks, being two of the most important building materials in our construction field, can be made out of different materials, most popular of which are earthen materials. Ancient civilizations used earthen materials as a cheap and easy way to make bricks from which they built their houses and shelters. Ancient Egyptians used "mud" (which is technically silt and clay) to make bricks which we call now adobe. These days, despite the low cost of adobe it is loosing grounds in the construction of housing because of its very low compressive strength and poor durability against weathering. Accordingly, cement …