Eigenschaften industrieller Lehmbauprodukte für den Mauerwerksbau und Verhalten von Lehmsteinmauerwerk

Properties of industrially produced earthen building products for masonry and behaviour of earth block masonry

. The contribution gives an overview of the properties of industrially produced earthen building products for masonry. In the meantime the quality of the industrial production of this group of building materials reached a level similar to that of other products for construction. Earth plasters exist as plasters for universal, one or multi layer applications or as lower, upper or finish plasters. Earth blocks are provided in different sizes and with different perforations. The mechanical properties of different earth block types are signified by compressive strength of up to 11 N/mm² but are typically in a range between 2 and 5 N/mm². A critical point is the correlation of the strength of earthen materials with their moisture content. Results from earth blocks showed that in a relative humidity window between 40 and 70 % rh the compressive strength of earth blocks is fairly constant. Masonry made from earth block and earth mortar exhibited compressive strength and elastic modules similar to masonry made with aerated autoclaved concrete blocks. The shear strength of earth block masonry, however, is fairly low, due to the weak bond between earth block and earth mortar.