Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks (CSEB)
CSEB is a high-quality construction material also known as “Earth Blocks” that is being increasingly used as an alternative to the traditional burnt bricks or cement blocks.
Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks (CSEB) are an eco-friendly building material made from locally sourced soil with between 5 and 10 percent of cement, compressed to form a masonry brick. The use of cement for soil stabilization allows the building of higher and thinner walls, which have a much better compressive strength and water resistance. With use of 5 to 10% cement for stabilization, the blocks must be cured for 28 days (Four weeks) after manufacturing. They can then be allowed to dry and reach their full 28 days strength and be used like common bricks with a soil cement stabilized mortar. These blocks are tested for strength and those produced by InnoBlock reach a strength level of over 6MPa so they can be classed as Class I blocks.
Benefits of CSEB
A local material
Ideally, the production is made on the site itself or in the nearby area. Thus, it will save transportation, fuel, time and money.
A bio-degradable material
Well-designed CSEB houses can withstand, with a minimum of maintenance, heavy rains, snowfall or frost without being damaged. The strength and durability have been proven for half a century. The main advantage is that the material is biodegradable. After pulverizing, and blending into the soil, decades will let the raw material soil-cement mix used in making CSEBs will degrade in 10 or 20 years so that the raw materials will turn back into the basic material of our Mother Earth!
Limiting deforestation
Firewood is not needed to produce CSEBs. So this will save the forests, which are being depleted quickly in the world, due to short view developments and the mismanagement of resources.
Management of resources
Each quarry should be planned for various utilisations: water harvesting pond, wastewater treatment, reservoirs, landscaping, etc. It is crucial to be aware of this point, which is very profitable if well managed, but disastrous if unplanned!
Energy efficiency and eco-friendliness
Requiring only a little stabilizer, the energy consumption in a m3can be from 5 to 15 times less than a m3 of fired bricks. The pollution emission will also be 2.4 to 7.8 times less than fired bricks.
Cost efficiency
Produced locally, with a natural resource and semi-skilled labour, almost without transport, it will be definitely cost effective! More or less according to each context and to one’s knowledge!
An adapted material
Being produced locally it is easily adapted to the various needs: technical, social, cultural habits.
A transferable technology
It is a simple technology only requiring semi skills and is easy to obtain. Unskilled workers will be able to learn how to do it in few weeks. An efficient training centre will be able to transfer the technology in a week’s time.
A job creation opportunity
CSEBs allows unskilled and unemployed people to learn a skill, get a job and enable a rise in the social values.
Market opportunity
According to the local context (materials, labour, equipment, etc.) the final price will vary, but in most cases it will be cheaper than fired bricks.
Reducing imports
Produced locally by semi-skilled people, there is no need for imports of far away expensive materials or the transport over long distances of heavy and costly building materials.
Flexible production scale
Various types of equipment for CSEBs are available, from manual to motorized tools ranging from village to semi-industry scale. The selection of the equipment is crucial, but once done properly, it will be easy to use the most adapted equipment for each case.
Social acceptance
As has been demonstrated, CSEB can adapt itself to various needs: from poor income to well off people or governments. Its quality, regularity and style allow a wide range of final house products. To facilitate this acceptance, banish from your language “stabilized mud blocks”, for speaking of CSEBs in this way rejects all the research and development done during half a century. Previously, in the minds of most people, mud blocks meant, poor building material.
The Advantages of Auram Machine made bricks
- The Auram press 3000 & Automatic press, achieves a very high compression of up to 1.83 with 15 tons available force.
- The high compression ratio achieved by the press produces exceptionally strong blocks, allowing multi-storey buildings or large spans to be constructed.
- The micro adjustment of the lid ensures very accurate blocks, with less than 1 mm difference in height. These in turn save mortar. Plain and hollow blocks need only 1 cm of stabilized earth mortar; interlocking blocks 245 & 295 require 5 mm of stabilised earth mortar; and dry interlocking blocks 300 do not need any mortar at all, but only a grout to be cast in the holes.
- The desired height of the Auram blocks can be adjusted. Plain blocks are normally 9 cm high, but can be made at any height from 5 to 10 cm in increments of 5 mm.
- The block modules have been created to ease the design work for architects and engineers.
- The plain and interlocking block moulds of the Auram Press can produce full, 3/4 and 1/2 sizes. This helps contractors to do clean and cheap work.
- The standard blocks plain and hollow 240 can be combined together, as can the standard blocks plain and hollow 290, thanks to identical modules.
- Hollow Blocks save up 32.6% of material and provide better heat insulation.