Enhancing the Performance of Walls Built with Laterite-cement Bricks: A Conceptual Design and Specifications Writing Approach

Abstract

The long term performance characteristics of buildings built with laterite-cement bricks to satisfy functional requirement of walls is desirable, particularly where walls are not rendered externally or not plastered internally. The paper aims to address performance enhancing issues arising from conceptual design solutions including component mixture selection to enhance better performance of laterite-cement bricks. The methodology adopted used a building surveying procedure to assess selected two failed housing schemes whose main load bearing walls failed as a result of poor component mixture specifications including selected buildings with identifiable conceptual design flaws within the study area. The development of the appropriate domain of mixture combinations to enhance better performance was developed using the Mixture Method developed by Scheffe to be able to select component mixture proportions for meeting prescribed requirements for both strength and durability. This study is applicable to the hydraulically compressed M7-Twin Hydraform machine exerting a compactive force of 10 MN/m2. The study has shown that eliminating conceptual design flaws and component mixture selections within a cement content of 8-20 percent would enhance better performance of walls built with laterite-cement bricks