https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1970-1694
Abstract
This study constitutes a step forward in the overall effort to evaluate the applicability of compressed earth blocks (CEBs) as an environmentally friendly construction alternative in Kuwait. The study is part of a series of experiments that started by assessing different soil samples from various regions in Kuwait. It was discovered that soils in the northern areas (near Al-Sabriyah district and Boubyan Island) contain a good mixture of clayey and silty deposits that can be used to produce CEBs. The collected soil from this region was used in producing CEBs. Three half-scaled walls were constructed and were laterally tested in the out-of-plane direction using quasistatic loading. One of these walls was strengthened using carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates. A fourth wall made from regular concrete masonry units (CMU) was also tested and compared with the results from the CEB walls. The tests showed the latter had a significantly reduced lateral capacity compared with the wall made from CMUs. It emerged from the test results that a higher percentage of stabilizer in the CEB production enhances the performance of walls made from these CEB in their out-of-plane direction. This is especially the case in terms of stiffness, strength, displacements, and energy dissipated. Results revealed that strengthening CEB walls can alter their structural behavior from flexural dominated to shear dominated failure with an increase of 116 % in the wall strength (nearly doubled) under lateral loading in the out-of-plane direction.
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