Abstract

This experiment studied the effect of alkali activators on clay from anthill mounds which was blended with a small proportion of cement to develop eco-friendly unfired bricks. Physical, wet and dry compressive strength tests were investigated and the results were analysed using one-way ANOVA. Thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of the unfired bricks were also studied using Hot Disc Thermal Constant Analyzer. The microstructures of the unfired bricks were also analysed with scanning electron microscope equipment. The results of the physical tests were significantly higher at p < 0.05 for unfired bricks made up of 0.5% and 1% weights of calcium chloride and sodium hydroxide at a constant value of 1% weight of sodium silicate more than those made from other amounts of activators. The thermal performance values showed that the bricks are good insulators and could be used for the construction of structure requiring little thermal fluctuations. The study has shown that improved environment-friendly unfired clay bricks could be developed from the mixture of clay samples sourced from anthill mounds and alkali activators in addition to a little proportion of cement. These could be suitable for the construction of grain silos, low-cost structures and short-term shelters in low-income countries.

摘要

本实验研究了碱活化剂对蚁丘粘土的影响，蚁丘粘土与少量水泥混合以开发环保型免烧砖。研究了物理、湿和干抗压强度测试，并使用单因素方差分析分析了结果。还使用热盘热常数分析仪研究了未烧砖的热导率和热扩散率。还用扫描电子显微镜设备分析了未烧砖的微观结构。物理测试的结果显着高于p < 0.05 对于由 0.5% 和 1% 重量的氯化钙和氢氧化钠组成的未烧砖，在恒定值为 1% 重量的硅酸钠的情况下，比由其他数量的活化剂制成的砖多。热性能值表明，这种砖是良好的绝缘体，可用于热波动很小的结构的建造。研究表明，除了少量水泥外，还可以使用来自蚁丘的粘土样品和碱活化剂的混合物来开发改进的环保免烧粘土砖。这些可能适用于在低收入国家建造粮仓、低成本结构和短期庇护所。