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Cement clay interlocking (CCI) hollow bricks have been used as a construction material in many developed and developing countries. Many emerging and underdeveloped nations have utilised cement clay interlocking (CCI) hollow bricks as building materials. In India, Andhra Pradesh local makers prepare these cement clay interlocking (CCI) hollow bricks by simply mixing clay, cement, and sand in a traditional method, without following strict design criteria or rules. Previous research has demonstrated that the mechanical characteristics of CCI hollow bricks gathered from various locations in detailed manner respect to hand books on Civil Engineering as per Indian Standards. Bricks from one region had compressive strengths that were significantly lower than the other region Indian Community Standards. Various methods were employed in this investigation to enhance the mechanical characteristics of CCI bricks. New mix patterns were created with the use of sand, cement, and fly ash in this research paper.

An appreciable quantity of cement is consumed as binder for masonry mortar, which has resulted in cost escalation and high energy consumption in building construction, in addition to contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, disposal of waste lignocellulosic materials as agricultural residues persists as an unsolved technical problem creating environmental pollution. This paper proposes an effective solution for these two critical issues. Coir fiber, when used as a reinforcement material in cement, was found to be effective in enhancing the mechanical properties of the binder. The application of coir fiber reinforcement on strong, moderate, and weak masonry mortars with respect to strength criteria is examined in this study. ANOVA analysis was carried out to examine the level of significance of coir fiber reinforcement on the flexural and compressive strengths of masonry mortar. The findings from the study revealed that 0.5% coir fiber reinforcement enhanced flexural strength of strong mortar by 18%–22%, moderate mortar by 21%, weak mortar by 10%, and compressive strength of strong mortars by 16%–19% by contributing strength in the early curing period. Moreover, coir fiber–reinforced mortars satisfied the compressive strength criteria required of strong mortar (7.5 to 10 N/mm2), moderate mortar (5 N/mm2), and weak (3 N/mm2) mortar for its application as mortar on masonry walls in accordance with Indian standards. The strength of masonry in compression, flexure, and shear determines how well masonry operates structurally. Cement-based structures are strong in compression but are prone to shrinkage cracks over a span of 30 years due to its weakness in tension. Flexural strength is an indirect indicator for measuring tension. Coir fiber imparts tensile strength to the matrix when used as reinforcement in cement mortar. Fiber networking dissipates the tensile stresses that develop in mortar during flexure and would bridge the gap in a better way. This prolongs the life of buildings and maintains ecological equilibrium by preventing the need for periodic repair and maintenance, which reduces cost, time, and labor. The use of fibers in mortar for plastering is found to be more beneficial in enhancing the strength of a masonry structure than adding fibers to blocks. Coir fiber content of 0.25% and 0.5% (10 mm length) by weight of cement was found to be effective at enhancing the early flexural strength of cement mortar. Coir fiber–reinforced plaster cement can be made available ready to use in bags of 25 or 50 kg for a crack-free plastered surface on ceilings and internal and external walls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigates the behavior of a silty clay stabilized with 3, 6, 9, and 12 % of ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS), respectively, and 1 % of quicklime used as an activator. The influence of the composite (Quicklime - GGBS) on the immediate behavior of the silty clay is studied by examining the Atterberg limits, the maximum dry density, the optimum moisture content, and the immediate bearing index. The evolution, at different curing periods (1, 7, and 28 days), of the mechanical characteristics of the treated soil, namely unconfined compressive strength, cohesion, and internal angle of friction is also studied. The increase, up to a dosage of 9%, of the GGBS content, leads to an increase in the optimum moisture content, the immediate bearing index, the unconfined compressive strength, and shear strength parameters. Paradoxically, a decrease in the plasticity index and the maximum dry density was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Curing is the process of maintaining hardened concrete under moist condition. Curing must be undertaken for reasonable period of time, to ensure that the concrete achieves its potential strength and durability. Efficient and uninterrupted curing contributes to the superior quality of concrete. This paper aims to compare the strength parameters of M40 and M25 grade concrete under various methods of curing. For this study, we adopted curing by Immersion and Surface Curing methods. We also adopted Membrane Curing, in which the curing would be done by the application of pigmented emulsions of linseed oil on the concrete surface. Finally, after the concrete specimens have undergone curing for a certain period of time, they are tested for strength parameters such as Compressive Strength and Flexural Strength and the conclusions are drawn from it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing bentonite in composites such as concrete mixture is one of the practical approaches for adsorption of heavy metals. The mixture of bentonite and normal concrete is known as bentonite plastic concrete (BPC). This type of concrete is commonly utilized as the material of cutoff walls under earth dams with the aim of minimizing or preventing water seepage. Plastic concrete should possess high workability and consistency since it is poured into trenches by tremie pipe; this fact highlights the importance of predicting the slump of BPC. Different strength parameters of BPC such as compressive strength and elastic modulus can be predicted by utilizing prediction models. This information is exceedingly useful for modifying mixing design of BPC which results in reducing the cost and time of constructing a project. Consequently, it is vital to propose models that can predict the parameters of BPC with high precision. In this research, 158, 169, and 119 data records respectively for slump, compressive strength of cubic samples (f' c,cube), and elastic modulus (E c) of BPC were collected from literature in order to propose prediction models. Three soft computing methods of artificial neural network (ANN), Multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS), and M5 model tree (M5Tree) were utilized and compared in this paper. Then, parametric studies were conducted to study the effect of different variables such as silty clay addition, bentonite dosage, water content, and curing time on the outputs (i.e., slump, f' c,cube , and E c). Results indicate that ANN models are more accurate than the other models for prediction of all three parameters. The water variable produces the greatest effect on the slump of BPC while the sand variable has the least influence. In addition, both for f' c,cube and E c models, variables of cement and curing time have the maximum and minimum impact on the outputs, respectively. • Three datasets of Slump, f' c,cube , and E c of BPC were gathered from the literature. • Three methods of ANN, MARS, and M5Tree were compared. • ANN models were more precise than the other models. • The parametric studies were performed to investigate the behavior of ANN models. • The sensitivitsy analysis showed the influence of input parameters on models output. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]