TY - CONF A1 - Miccoli, Lorenzo A1 - Müller, Urs A1 - Perrone, C. A1 - Ziegert, C. T1 - Earth block masonry, rammed earth and cob: earthen components from different construction techniques and their structural performance N2 - Both in developed and developing countries, modern building materials tend to be preferred to traditional earthen construction. Reasons include low durability, inadequate performance under seismic loading and, in developing countries, a wish to replace what is perceived as 'poor' with what is perceived as 'rich'. In an age when building permissions and construction standards are a must, particularly in seismic areas, even when an owner is willing to build in earth, construction approval needs to be granted: we rely on values and standards to build, but the necessary data on material properties and structural performance of earthen building techniques is scarce if compared to the abundance of data for other materials (clay brick masonry, concrete, steel) available to the engineer. At the same time, traditional builders' skills, knowledge and confidence in earthen building techniques are decreasing if not disappearing. A wallette testing campaign was thus carried out with the aim of filling this knowledge gap. Prior to the wallette campaign, material properties, including composition and physical-mechanical parameters, were determined. Compression and diagonal compression (shear) tests were then performed, and a basic analysis of the mechanical behaviour of structural elements built in cob is provided in relation to earth block (adobe) masonry and rammed earth elements. Cob, shown to have low compressive resistance, has a relatively ductile post-peak behaviour if compared to earth block masonry specimens which, as expected, show a marked brittle behaviour. In terms of shear strength, cob performs relatively well in view of its low compressive strength. The study is part of our work within the framework of the ongoing project NIKER funded by the European Commission dealing with improving the structural performance of Cultural Heritage assets in order to limit earthquake hazards. T2 - Terra 2012 - 11th International conference on the study and conservation of earthen architecture heritage CY - Lima, Peru DA - 2012-04-22 KW - Earth block KW - Rammed earth KW - Cob KW - Mechanical properties KW - Earthen architecture KW - Earth block masonry PY - 2012 SN - 978-9972-2885-5-5 IS - Theme 6 - t6_066 SP - 1 EP - 10 AN - OPUS4-30380 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -