Introduction:

the following study focuses on the granulometric analysis of soils, using a soil from the town of Cuauhtémoc, Villa Flores, Chiapas, Mexico, to determine its possible use in the elaboration of Compressed Earth Blocks (CEB). The purpose of the study is to achieve adequate mechanical strength without using chemical stabilization

Method:

the initial characterization procedure of the soil samples was developed by means of granulometric determination and consistency limits, which made it possible to identify the soil by its granulometric curve and resistance to axial compression. The discussion arose from the identification in the existing regulations for CEB in Spain and Mexico that they establish too wide granulometric intervals and do not seem to give importance to achieving an optimal accommodation of the granulometric curve, forcing chemical stabilization. A granulometric range for CEB was idealized by adjusting maximum and minimum limits of the different sizes of particles that make up the samples and the percentage of initial water was established from the plasticity index. Afterwards, 3 series were elaborated with five samples of compressed earth in each configuration, varying the granulometric curve, percentage of water and elaboration pressure to improve their resistance to compression.

Results:

the results describe a notable improvement in the behavior of the soil as a compressed block when the granulometric adjustment is carried out. The CEB mix design was improved from 32.5 kg / cm2 to 54.75 kg / cm2 by adjusting the percentage of water and nominal brewing pressure.

Conclusion:

it is concluded that it is possible to optimize the use of soil for construction by controlling the granulometry, water content and nominal pressure of the raw material, achieving mechanical strengths greater than 50 kg / cm2 without using cement, asphalt, or lime as stabilizers.

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