Influence of Clay and Moisture Content on Characteristics of Stabilized Mud Blocks Made with Sandy Soil

Soil has been extensively utilized as the primary construction material in manufacturing masonry units since the advent of human civilization, primarily due to its abundant availability, ease of accessibility, and cost-effectiveness. Soils containing nearly 70% sand content and less than 15% clay content are suitable for manufacturing masonry units viz sandy soil. Stabilized mud block (SMB) represents an innovative alternative masonry unit increasingly favoured over traditional ones globally. Various parameters, including soil type and gradation, moisture content, block density and stabilizer content and type, influence the characteristics of SMB. In this context, an attempt has been made at the laboratory level to identify the effects of varying moisture content (by increasing OMC at a rate of 1%, viz., OMC, OMC+l%, & OMC+2%), clay content (7.5%, 10%, & 12.5<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">%</sup>), and stabilizer content (8% and 10%) on the properties of SMB. Findings indicate that the moisture content plays a crucial role in block making, demonstrating greater ease of production at OMC+2. Despite variations in the properties, the dimensional stability of the blocks remains within acceptable limits. Blocks containing moisture content at OMC+1 and higher clay content attain maximum compressive strength and increased water absorption. The lowered initial rate of absorption was noted in blocks with clay content of 12.5<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">%</sup>. The embodied energy and carbon of SMB are found to be 3.536 MJ/unit and 0.665 kg of CO<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf>e, resulting in 81% and 64% savings in energy and carbon compared to conventional masonry units.