Exploratory study of rammed earth walls under static element test

This paper reports on the series of element tests conducted on rammed earth (RE) wallettes to understand their behavior under compression and shear loading while exploring the mesh-wrap strengthening technique to strengthen the RE wallete. Compressive strength and shear strength of RE wallettes are evaluated with varying parameters, namely RE layer thickness and drying periods. The influence of vertical stress on the shear strength of RE wallete is also assessed. Some essential mechanical parameters like elastic modulus, cohesion, and friction angle, are derived and discussed. Finite element models have been developed to simulate and support the experimental results. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study conducted a series of element tests on rammed earth (RE) wallettes to evaluate compressive and shear strength, as well as explore strengthening techniques. By varying parameters like RE layer thickness and drying periods, the mechanical properties of RE wallettes were discussed, and finite element models were developed to simulate the results.