MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR OF ADOBE BRICKS REINFORCED WITH WATER HYACINTH FIBER

Abstract

Thailand is facing serious water pollution problems, especially in natural water sources such as rivers and canals. The widespread water hyacinth plant prevents oxygen from penetrating and dissolving into the water. Therefore, the utilization of water hyacinth as construction materials can be an alternative to reduce the volume of water hyacinth. This study focused on the mechanical behavior of adobe bricks by using water hyacinth as fiber reinforcement. The mixture of adobe bricks was a combination of clay and sand in a ratio of 1:1. Cement at 5% is added to the mixture of adobe bricks. Water hyacinth at the length of 3 cm, 5 cm, and 7 cm was mixed with soil samples at 0.5% by weight. The mechanical behavior of adobe bricks consists of compressive strength, flexural strength, durability, and volume change are investigated. The results demonstrated that the adobe bricks reinforced with water hyacinth couldreduce the shrinkage by approximately 31-34%. Moreover, the flexural strength of adobe bricks reinforced with water hyacinth can reach 61-74% of the compressive strength. However, the flexural strength of non-reinforced adobe bricks can reach only 17% of the compressive strength. The addition of water hyacinth in the adobe bricks can decrease the unit weight by approximately 20%. Moreover, non-reinforced samples broke down after soaking in the water for 24 hours. In conclusion, water hyacinth fiber can increase flexural strength, durability and reduce the shrinkage of adobe bricks.