TITLE:
Combined Litho- and Cement Stabilization of Earth Bricks: Experimental Study of Compressive Strength
AUTHORS:
Mouctar Mahamat Zakaria, Bozabe Renonet Karka, Amir Moungache, Mahamat Barka, Yacoub Idriss Halawlaw
KEYWORDS:
Compressive Strength, CCEB, Cement, Immersion, Suction
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Applied Sciences,
Vol.15 No.8,
August
19,
2025
ABSTRACT: This article presents an experimental study on the evaluation of the dry and wet compressive strengths, after immersion in water, of cement-stabilized and compressed earth bricks (CCEB) with dimensions of 13 × 15 × 30 Cm3. The (CCEB) were subjected to wet curing under cover in a curing bag for compression test periods of 3, 7 and 28 days. Compressive strength was measured by crushing the bricks using a hydraulic concrete press. The results show that increasing the cement content significantly improves the compressive strength of bricks, with dry compressive strength ranging from 3.50 to 6.08 MPa for cement contents of 4% to 8% after 28 days. These results are in line with the values recommended by the Construction Materials Centre (CMC) in N’Djamena (2.4 MPa) and the Earth Materials Research Centre (EMRC) (5 MPa). Wet compressive strength ranges from 2.71 to 4.89 MPa for cement contents of 4% to 8% after 28 days curing. The compressive strength drops from 19.64% to 22.52%, but remains acceptable (above 4 MPa). The bricks have a suction capacity that varies between 1.53 and 4.21 g/cm2∙s1/2. However, all these measurements remain below the threshold imposed by standard NFP554, which is set at 20 g/cm2∙s1/2 for blocks with low capillarity. Based on the compressive strengths obtained, both dry and wet, and in accordance with standard NF XP P13-901, (CCEB) containing at least 8% cement are suitable for building load-bearing walls, while CCEB stabilized with 6% cement can be used for building non-load-bearing walls.