Local Materials: Application to Compressed Earth Bricks

Abstract

 In recent years, the development of housing construction in South Algeria, such as the Adrar region one of the largest regions in southern Algeria has generated a huge need for conventional building materials. Efforts have been directed towards the development of new construction methods using local materials to provide an adequate response to this crisis. Indeed, in our region, earthen building materials based on local materials have proved their use for millennia.However, earthen construction is a method of construction very well known throughout the world since it was the first building material used by man. Indeed, to build on earth is to build with material available in large quantities and virtually everywhere, ecological, recyclable and that offers pleasant isolation. The use of this type of material is suitable for high environmental quality since the process uses an abundant material that does not require too much processing energy. However, the benefits of land as a building material were gradually forgotten given the development of new materials. But in the face of ecological and social problems, interest in earthen construction is beginning to be felt. One solution is the compressed earth brick.This article encompasses an experimental study in particular: the design of earth brick (CEB) from clays extracted at selected sites as well as local crushed sand available in our region is presented. For this, an experimental study has been developed, which consists of the manufacture of mixtures of the earth with different dosages of clay. This after identification of the materials used followed by a study of sand and clay formulation.