Laboratory evaluation of the effect of rice husk fiber on soil properties and behaviors

Abstract Soil stabilization is usually used to enhance the soil properties and characteristics. Cement or supplementary cementitious materials (SAMs) are used for soil stabilization. Stabilized soil can be used in several civil constructions and structures such as roads bed, roadside stability and slop, and subgrade layers for pavement structures. Also, developing countries use stabilized soil for building houses due to low-cost, energy-efficient, and environment benefits. In this study, compressed earth blocks (CEBs) stabilized with Rice Husk Fiber without the use of cement are utilized to evaluate the effects of Rice Husk Fiber on the soil properties and behaviors. Different percentages of rice husk fiber (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0%) are blended into the moist clay and pit sand mixture. The CEBs were extracted from the soil mixture and dried. CEB cube crushing strength and modulus of rupture were determined in laboratory tests. The effect of rice husk fiber on the fundamental structural properties of CEBs was studied and compared to those that did not contain rice husk fiber. The results show that increasing the amount of rice husk fiber reduced shrinkage, drying time, cube crushing strength, and modulus of rupture by half (50%) as well as load-carrying capacity by 25%. According to existing guidelines, the compressive strength and modulus of rupture of the CEBs presented in this study are sufficient for use in earth buildings.