Long-Term Creep Behavior of New Earth Composite Materials

Construction material can be used to build bent structural elements only if a number of mechanical and physical parameters are available to determine safety and serviceability. One of the most important parameters driving the serviceability of a structure is the creep. Shot-earth is a new earth-based composite material that can be used to construct reinforced bent structural elements, such as beams. This paper focuses on models that predict the long-term creep behavior of shot-earth, such as the CEB-FIP MC90. The variability in excavation earth characteristics from site to site is recognized as a major challenge for any earth-based materials, potentially affecting various physical properties. In this regard, the paper also investigates the technology of pressed earth, which involves preparing small and cost-effective cylindrical samples to predict the engineering properties of shot-earth using established correlation laws. Then viscoelastic analysis approach employed in this study consists of two phases. First, the engineering properties of both shot-earth and pressed earth are determined. Then, the experimental characterization of long-term creep behavior performed on pressed earth is used to predict the viscous properties of the shot-earth. The results show that the proposed model is a straightforward tool to accurately predict the viscoelastic response of earthen materials.