Bradley, R A; Gohnert, M and Bulovic, I (2018) Construction considerations for low-cost earth brick shells. Journal of Construction in Developing Countries, 23(1), pp. 43-60. ISSN 1823-6499
Abstract
Earthen shells are typically designed as pure-compression structures; however, some issues associated with construction practice, fixity, and certain actions (i.e., loading), which induce tensile stress, are often overlooked. Thus, cracking is not uncommon in unreinforced earthen shells. Cracking is particularly undesirable in these shells due to issues associated with the durability of earthen building materials. Moisture, in particular, may significantly compromise the strength and longevity of earthen masonry. In this paper, conventional and contemporary techniques utilised for the construction of earthen shells are reviewed. Furthermore, construction concerns with several methodologies are identified based on case study investigations and lessons learnt from several shells designed, built and monitored by the authors. An important finding is that fixity generated during construction with formwork can lead to significant cracking in earthen shells.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction considerations; earth-brick shells; low-cost housing |
| Index terms: | loading, building material, investigation, formwork, durability, case study, methodology, low-cost housing, compression |
| Subjects: | housing and residential development, building construction, research methods, material properties and characteristics, building materials, construction operations, material degradation and durability, data collection methods |
| Topics: | Construction Technology, Research Practice, Construction Materials, Site Management, Design Practice, Urban Studies |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here