TITLE:
Mechanical Characterization of Compressed Earth Block Reinforced with Rhecktophyllum Camerunense Fiber
AUTHORS:
Jaques Bertrand Sombga, Jean Calvin Bidoung, Lucien Meva’a
KEYWORDS:
Compressed Earth Block, Rhecktophyllum Camerunense (RC) Fiber, Compressive Strength, Flexural Strecngth
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering,
Vol.14 No.11,
November
5,
2026
ABSTRACT: The use of earth as a sustainable building material offers major ecological and economic advantages, particularly in rural areas of Cameroon. However, its low mechanical properties limit its extended structural use. This study addresses the physical and mechanical characterization of Compressed Earth Blocks (CEB) produced from three laterites from the Yaoundé region (Mbankomo, Nsimalen and Messamendongo), stabilized with cement (4%, 6%, and 8%) and reinforced with Rhecktophyllum camerunense (RC) plant fibers at contents of 0%, 0.5%, 1% and 1.5% by dry mass. The results show that the introduction of fibers generally reduces the bulk density by creating cavities, but increases compressive and flexural strength relative to the unreinforced control (CEB 0); Dunnett’s test against the matched CEB 0 (same laterite, cement dosage and curing age) shows that this improvement is statistically significant (p i.e. a gain of +144% over the matched unreinforced control (6.09 ± 0.18 MPa, n = 5; Dunnett p