Improvement of mechanical properties of adobe brick reinforced with sisal fiber

In the surrounding rural region of Hawassa village houses are constructed by using soil, wood, teff straw, and water which is called chika in the local name, although its degradable materials prompt a shift to adobe brick for durability. Adobe brick, prevalent in rural locales, offers social, economic, and cultural advantages. However, its inherent flaws include brittleness, low compressive, and tensile strength, along with moisture sensitivity. This research aims to enhance the native soil attributes of Hawassa villagers by integrating sisal fiber for brick production. The investigation employed soil, water, and sisal fiber to create enhanced adobe bricks. A displacement controlled uniaxial testing machine was utilized to evaluate the compressive strength of the bricks. Findings indicated that a 0.9% sisal fiber inclusion achieved a maximum compressive strength of 13.44 MPa, outperforming conventional samples by 3.4 times, alongside a flexural strength of 0.097 MPa, exceeding conventional results by 3.34 times. The study includes a comparative analysis of mechanical properties and a cost evaluation between traditional and enhanced approaches.