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Construction
and Building

Construction and Building Materials xxx (2006) xxx–xxx

MATERIALS
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Thermal isolation and mechanical properties of fibre reinforced

mud bricks as wall materials
a,*
Hanifi Binici , Orhan Aksogan b, Mehmet Nuri Bodur c, Erhan Akca d, Selim Kapur d

a
K.S. University, Engineering and Architecture Faculty, Department of Civil Engineering, Avsar Campus, Kahramanmaras, Turkey
b
Cukurova University, Department of Civil Engineering, Adana, Turkey
c
K.S. University, Department of Geology Engineering, Kahramanmaras, Turkey
d
Cukurova University, Department of Soil Science and Archeometry, Adana, Turkey

Received 15 January 2005; received in revised form 18 October 2005; accepted 21 November 2005

Abstract

Fibre reinforced mud bricks, which are studied in this paper, provide the expected technical performance for the thermal isolation and
mechanical properties, according to ASTM and Turkish standards. The mechanical properties of waste materials and some stabilisers
were investigated thoroughly and some concrete conclusions were drawn. The fibre reinforced mud bricks fulfill the compressive strength
and heat conductivity requirements of the ASTM and Turkish standards. Mud bricks with plastic fibers showed a higher compressive
strength than those with straw, polystyrene and without any fibers. Basaltic pumice as an ingredient was found to decrease the thermal
conductivity coefficient of fibre reinforced mud bricks. The fibre reinforced mud brick house has been found to be superior to the con-
crete brick house for keeping indoor temperatures stationary during the summer and winter.

2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Fibre reinforced mud brick; Compressive strength; Stabilisers; Thermal insulation

1. Introduction
Earth as mud bricks, has been used in the construction
of shelters for thousands of years, and approximately
30% of the world’s present population still live in earthen
structures [1]. Earth is a cheap, environmentally friendly
and abundantly available building material. It has been
used extensively for wall construction around the world,
particularly in developing countries [2]. Home brick-mak-
ers of Turkey and the Middle East have long been using
fibrous ingredients like straw to improve the tensile
strength of mud bricks for millennia [3].
The onward march of urbanisation and the continuous
growth of industrialisation throughout the world together
*
Corresponding author. Tel.: +90 344 2191051/2191278; fax: +90 344
2191052/2191050.
E-mail addresses: hbinici@ksu.edu.tr (H. Binici), aksogan@cu.edu.tr
(O. Aksogan), mnbodur@ksu.edu.tr (M.N. Bodur), akca@cu.edu.tr
(E. Akca), kapur@cu.edu.tr (S. Kapur).
with the increasing living standards have turned the crea-
tion of the built environment into a rising threat to the nat-
ural environment. Buildings account for one-sixth of the
world’s freshwater withdrawals, one-quarter of its wood
harvest and two-thirds of its material and energy flows
[4]. Moreover, the excessive and inappropriate sealing
(urbanisation) of land/soil surfaces by ultra and infra struc-
tures, which is an outcome of the population increase, i.e.
mainly as migration, has been a driving force of degrada-
tion of the hydraulic cycle [5].
The increased consumption of materials and resources
together with the associated creation of solid and toxic
wastes underscore the need for the construction industry
to develop, use and dispose building products in a sustain-
able manner. Sustainable construction is using our natural
resources in such a way that they meet our economic, social
and cultural needs, but not depleting or degrading these
resources to the point that they cannot meet these needs
for future generations [6].

0950-0618/$ - see front matter
2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2005.11.004
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2 H. Binici et al. / Construction and Building Materials xxx (2006) xxx–xxx

The compressive strength of the fibre reinforced mud
bricks was found to be higher than the traditional and con-
crete bricks. Moreover, the presence of fibres in mud brick
has been reported to provide flexibility to the structures by
Binici et al. [7], enhancing their earthquake resistance.
If people continue to use fossil fuels and to pollute the
atmosphere, unfriendly atmospheric and climatic changes
will come to control every part of the world. If friendly liv-
ing medium is wanted, to meet Turkey’s growing energy
demand, the installed electric power capacity of 27.8 GW
in 2001 has to be doubled by 2010. According to 1999 data,
approximately 40% of Turkey’s energy is consumed in
houses. The need for good insulating materials to be sus-
tainable is becoming a very important issue, since the world
energy resources are being used up very quickly. Hence,
people involved in construction are searching for new
approaches to well insulated buildings.
Recent experimental work in the south of Turkey
involves the mixing of plastic fibres, straw and polystyrene
fabric with the different earth sources in order to obtain
heat insulating building materials. The aim of this paper
is to find, via an experimental study, mixtures of mud
bricks for wall materials, which are suitable for heat
insulation.
2. Materials and methods
basaltic pumice and gypsum as the stabilisers and plastic
fibre, straw and polystyrene fabric as the fibrous materials.
The basaltic pumice cone deposits are of Quaternary age
and are located in Southern Turkey. The pumice comprises
an average of 85% volcanic glass and 15% phenocrystic
feldspars along with minor spheroidal hematite minerals,
determined by microscopy. XRD shows the presence of
dominant illite and kaolinite as clay minerals along with
feldspar. The high porosity of the basaltic pumice is an
advantage for easy and economical crushing [9].
The chemical compositions of the cement, lime, gypsum
and basaltic pumice, and some chemical and physical prop-
erties of the clay sources used in this study are given in
Tables 1 and 2, respectively.
2.2. Methods
2.2.1. Mixing of raw materials
The grading curve from particle size analysis of the
basaltic pumice and clay is given in Fig. 1. The other mate-
rials mentioned in Table 3 were added to the mixture with
the proportions given in Table 4 to obtain three different
specimen groups and mixed thoroughly in dry state. Water
was added and the ingredients were further mixed thor-
oughly by kneading until the mass attained a uniform
consistency.

2.1. Materials 2.2.2. Preparation of brick walls

The materials used in this study for fibre reinforced mud
brick production were clay as the main matrix, cement,
Table 1
Chemical content of the cement, basaltic pumice and gypsum (%) used in
The size of the fibre reinforced mud bricks and the con-
crete bricks to be used in the compression strength tests
were selected as 150 mm · 150 mm · 150 mm and
100 mm · 150 mm · 200 mm, respectively, according to
Percentage passing (%)

100
this study
80
Cement Basaltic pumice Gypsum
SiO2 20.1 43.9 5.2 60
Al2O3 5.2 14.1 – 40
Fe2O3 3.9 12.1 0.7
20
CaO 64.1 9.3 12.6
MgO 2.2 8.9 1.3 0
Na2O + K2O 1.4 0.3 – 0 0.005 0.01 0.05 0.3 0.6 3 5 20
SO3 1.2 – 42.8
Diameter (mm)
FL 0.5 0.5 16.1
Crystal water – – 19.4 Fig. 1. Grading curve from particle size analysis of clay–basaltic pumice
FL: loss of ignition. used for the preparation of specimens.

Table 2
Chemical and physical properties of the clay source used in this study [8]
Particle sizes Cationa (meq/l) Aniona (meq/l) Density (g/cm3) Permeability (cm sn)
+ + + +
Sand Silt Clay Ca Mg Na K HCO3 CO3 CL SO4
17
43.44 24.52 32.04 3.5 3.7 0.31 0.31 4.28 0.44 1.3 4.49 1.278 1.8 · 10
Chemical composition
SiO2 Al2O3 Fe2O3 CaO MgO SO4 K2O TiO2 FL
52.40 25.12 7.95 1.42 2.45 0.64 4.27 0.70 3.6
a
Water soluble.
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H. Binici et al. / Construction and Building Materials xxx (2006) xxx–xxx 3

Table 3 cost. Once the choices are narrowed to a few, an economic

Designations of mixtures analysis is performed to identify the one with the minimum
Mix designation Composition of bodies of fibrous mud bricks total cost. The thickness of insulation is also determined
A1 Clay + plastic fibre + basaltic pumice + water on the basis of the minimum cost, as discussed below. To
A2 Clay + plastic fibre + cement + water determine the lowest cost, we need to determine, for any
A3 Clay + plastic fibre + gypsum + water given insulation, the optimum thickness of insulation, which
B1 Clay + straw + basaltic pumice + water
B2 Clay + straw + cement + water
is the thickness corresponding to the minimum total cost.
B3 Clay + straw + gypsum + water Here, the total cost consists of the cost of the insulation
C1 Clay + polystyrene fabric + basaltic pumice + water and the cost of electricity for the lifetime of the house. An
C2 Clay + polystyrene fabric + cement + water enormous amount of work has been carried out for the deter-
C3 Clay + polystyrene fabric + gypsum + water mination of heating and cooling loads of buildings using the
D (traditional Clay + straw + water
mud brick)
handbooks established by some authors [11]. But the case of
E (basaltic Pumice + cement + water reducing the heat transfer to the buildings, using an adequate
pumice brick) insulation, was not analyzed enough for the comparison of
the mud to the concrete bricks. It is clear that this insulation
might extend the lifetime of the house.
the TS (2514). The mixture for both mud and basaltic pum- In this study, the thermal behaviors of fibre reinforced
ice concrete bricks were placed in wooden moulds, where mud brick and basaltic pumice brick investigated in the
they were compacted by vibration. The evaluations of the
test results as well as the geometric and mechanical proper-
ties of the specimens were performed in accordance with
TS 2514.

2.2.3. Testing of mud bricks

The mud bricks were taken out from the moulds, cov-
ered with wet gunny bags and allowed to cure for a week.
They were later tested for compressive strength after 30 and
60 days of casting. The test results were found as the aver-
age of the compressive strengths of five specimens. Individ-
ual variations of more than ±5% of the average were not
considered in calculating the average values.

2.2.4. Thermal insulation

Insulating buildings elements such as walls, roofs and
doors, is an important matter for reducing the rate of heat
loss in the houses. To reduce the heat flow efficiently the
proper insulation materials should be selected by accounting
for the purpose, environment, ease of handling and installa-
tion together with the cost. The latter is an important factor
that will alter our decision in selecting the insulation [10].
Thus, the final selections among the insulating materials that
meet the requirements are made on the basis of the lowest Fig. 2. Model house of basaltic pumice bricks.

Table 4
Mixture proportions
Mix designations Components (kg)
Clay Cement Basaltic pumice Gypsum Plastic fibre Straw Polystyrene fabric Water
A1 60 – 10 – 0.2 – – 20
A2 60 10 – – 0.2 – – 20
A3 60 – – 10 0.2 – – 20
B1 60 – 10 – – 2 – 20
B2 60 10 – – – 2 20
B3 60 – – 10 – 2 – 20
C1 60 – 10 – – – 0.6 20
C2 60 10 – – – – 0.6 20
C3 60 – – 10 – – 0.6 20
D 60 – – – – 2 – 20
E – 15 50 – – – – 8
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Table 5
The characteristics of compressive strength and physical properties of
bricks
Mix designations N/mm2 Water Loss of Density
absorption weight after (g/cm3)
after 24 h (%) 7 days (%)
30 d 60 d
A1 4.5 6.1 1.245
A2 5.2 6.7 1.266
A3 3.8 5.3 1.279
Average 4.5 6.0 31.1 12.3 1.263
B1 3.9 4.8 1.248
B2 4.8 5.8 1.257
B3 3.5 3.7 1.255
Average 4.0 4.7 34.8 13.5 1.253
C1 3.8 3.9 1.251
C2 4.1 4.7 1.271
C3 3.7 3.6 1.258
Average 3.0 4.1 32.5 13.1 1.260
D (traditional 1.2 1.8 38.7 17.5 1.253
mud brick)
E (basaltic 2.0 2.8 28.6 15.4 1.290
pumice brick)

Fig. 3. Model house of fibre reinforced mud bricks.

context of Southern Turkey’s climatic conditions. The
indoor and outdoor temperatures of the model houses,
constructed from basaltic pumice bricks and fibre rein-
forced mud bricks, were measured three times a day for a
whole year (Figs. 2 and 3).
Due to the fact that most of the houses in the area of
experimental study had two stories, the model houses were
built similarly, only with 60 cm story height. Each house
was of the same size and plan with two rooms and a hall
on the second floor and a single large room on the first.
In addition, the thermal conductivity coefficient (tcc) of
the fibre reinforced mud bricks, traditional mud bricks and
basaltic pumice bricks were determined according to the
ASTM C-549 [12].
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Mechanical properties
The values of the fibre reinforced mud bricks tested in
the present study vary from 2 to 6.7 N/mm2 and are much
higher than the compressive strength values required by the
TS 2415, for traditional mud bricks, which is 0.5–1 N/mm2
(Table 5). In practical terms this means that by the use of
fibre reinforced mud bricks the thickness of the outer load
bearing walls can be reduced substantially.
The highest compressive strength at all ages has been
found for plastic fibre specimen. Considering the average
compressive strength of the early age specimens, the com-
pressive strength of group A were found to be 18% higher
than that of group B and 25% higher than that of group C.
Considering the 60 days’ average compressive strength, the
compressive strength of group A specimens were found to
be 22% higher than that of group B and 32% higher than
that of group C (Table 5).
Apart from concrete bricks, specimens with higher water
absorption had higher densities and weight loss than the
others. The effects of stabilisers on the compressive
strengths of different groups were found to be different.
Specimen A2 had the highest compressive strength which
was 9% higher than that of specimen A1 and 36% higher
than that of specimen A3 (Table 5). The compressive
strengths of the fibre reinforced mud bricks of groups A
and B were about three times higher than that of the tradi-
tional mud bricks, whereas, that of the fibre reinforced
mud bricks of group C was about twice higher. While the
compressive strengths of mud bricks with cement were
highest, those of the ones with gypsum were lowest. Fur-
thermore, the compressive strengths of specimens with
plastic fibres being highest, those of the specimens with
straw were the lowest.
3.2. Thermal insulation
The use of thermal insulation materials, particularly
wall materials, has been the major issue in today’s con-
struction industry aiming to save energy. The energy crisis
experienced in the past have shifted the focus of the eco-
nomical gain to energy saving. The solution of the problem
of energy saving, in the construction sector, could be
achieved by prudently chosen materials and wisely
designed thermal insulation units, as is demonstrated in
the conductance of the fibre reinforced mud bricks in the
especially constructed mud brick and concrete brick houses
of this study. The fibre reinforced mud brick house was
determined to be 56.3% cooler than the concrete brick
house in the summer and 41.5% warmer in the winter
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H. Binici et al. / Construction and Building Materials xxx (2006) xxx–xxx 5

Fibre reinforced mud brick Basaltic pumice brick Outdoor Humidity

Humidity(%)
55 100
90
45 80
Temperature (oC) 35
70
60
25 50
40
15 30
20
5
10
-5 0
Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov
Age (Months)

Fig. 4. Temperature of the houses indoor and outdoor.

Table 6 1.3
The thermal conductivity coefficient of bricks (kcal/m h C)
A

The density of bricks (g/cm3)

Mix designation of specimens Thermal conductivity coefficient
A1 0.202 B
A2 0.243
A3 0.231
1.25 C
B1 0.206
B2 0.230
B3 0.217 D
C1 0.213
C2 0.241 E
C3 0.226
D (traditional mud brick) 0.215 1.2
E (basaltic pumice brick) 0.306 X1 X2 X3
Specimens
(Fig. 4). From Table 6, it is seen that the tcc of the fibre
The thermal conductivity coefficient of

0.32
reinforced mud bricks is 67.6% lower than that of the
0.31
basaltic pumice bricks. However, the tcc of the former
was determined to be close to that of the traditional ones. 0.3
A
bricks(kcal / mh oC)

Moreover, the fibre reinforced mud bricks made of basaltic 0.29

pumice have been found to conduct heat at lower rates 0.28 B
than the fibre reinforced mud bricks made with other sta- 0.27
bilisers (Table 6). Thus, the basaltic pumice materials (spec- 0.26 C
imens A1, B1 and C1) can be recommended to be used as 0.25
ingredients in mud bricks to prevent the probable conden- 0.24 D
sation on walls by decreasing the tcc. The decrease of the 0.23
tcc is most probably due to the high porosity of the basaltic E
0.22
pumice as stated by Kelling et al. [8].
0.21
The thermal conductivity variations of mud bricks
0.2
showed a similar trend to their density variations (see
Fig. 5). Hence, using mud bricks with lower densities will X1 X2 X3
prevent energy loss from buildings. Mud bricks with basal- Fig. 5. The variations of density and thermal conductivity coefficient for
tic pumice and gypsum had lower thermal conductivity the bricks. Note: X1, X2 and X3 denote specimen numbers.
than those with cement.
It was found out that from June to September, inclusive,
the cooling energy demand for mud brick buildings was 4. Conclusion
57% lower compared to that for basaltic pumice brick
buildings. On the other hand, from November to February, The fibre reinforced mud bricks, especially the group A
inclusive, the demand for heating energy for the former specimens, have been found to fulfill compressive strength
buildings was 69% lower than that for the latter ones (see requirements of ASTM and Turkish Standards. The basal-
Fig. 4). tic pumice, as an ingredient, was found to decrease the tcc
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6 H. Binici et al. / Construction and Building Materials xxx (2006) xxx–xxx
of fibre reinforced mud bricks with specimen A1 yielding
the lowest value. The thermal conductivity variations of
mud bricks showed a similar trend to their density varia-
tions. Hence, using mud bricks with lower densities will
prevent energy loss from buildings. Moreover, the fibre
reinforced mud brick house has been found to be superior
to the basaltic pumice brick house for keeping indoor tem-
peratures stationary during the summer and winter.
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