An article published inside the Int. Journal of Engineering Research and Application
Website: www.ijera.com, (ISSN: 2248-9622, Vol. 6, Issue 9, (Part -3) September 2016, pp.50-59)
Christian Bock-Hyeng, Ph.D.1, Andrea N. Ofori-Boadu, Ph.D.2
Emmanuel Yamb-Bell, Ph.D.3, Musibau A. Shofoluwe, D.IT.4
1-Assistant Professor, Department of Built Environment, North Carolina A & T State University, Greensboro, North Carolina.
2-Assistant Professor, Department of Built Environment, North Carolina A & T State University, Greensboro, North Carolina.
3-Professor, Department of Civil Engineering and Forestry Techniques, The University of Bamenda, Cameroun.
4-Professor, Department of Built Environment, North Carolina A & T State University, Greensboro, North Carolina.
ABSTRACT
In the pursuit of cheaper and more sustainable building materials to meet housing demands in developing countries like Cameroun, the mechanical properties of adobe bricks which have been stabilized with recycled sugarcane fiber waste were investigated. Laboratory experiments were conducted using sugarcane fiber waste stabilized adobe brick specimens with fiber proportions of 0%, 0.3%, 0.6%, 1.2%, 2% and 3% by weight. Fiber stabilization increased compressive strength by 58.61% for 3% bricks, reaching 4.79 MPa. Further, 3% fiber stabilized bricks shrunk by 7.49%, while the non-stabilized bricks shrunk by 12.13%. Also, 3% bricks lasted for one week before deterioration when immersed in water, while the non-stabilized bricks lasted for only a few hours. The findings confirmed that sugarcane fiber waste stabilized adobe bricks have improved strength, durability and stability. The use of abandoned sugarcane fiber waste in adobe bricks will contribute to the development of more durable, sustainable and stronger adobe brick structures, as well as reduce the environmental and economic challenges associated with the disposal of sugarcane waste.
Keywords:Adobe bricks, Sustainability, Sugarcane fiber (bagasse), Material properties, Mechanical properties.
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