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European Journal of Applied Sciences – Vol. 12, No. 6

Publication Date: December 25, 2024

DOI:10.14738/aivp.126.18094.

Akeke, G. A., Ewa, D. E., Takim, S. A., & Enang, A. E. (2024). Enhancing Access to Affordable Housing Through the Improved

Mechanical and Durability Properties of Mud-Crete Blocks. European Journal of Applied Sciences, Vol - 12(6). 811-823.

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

Enhancing Access to Affordable Housing Through the Improved

Mechanical and Durability Properties of Mud-Crete Blocks

G. A. Akeke

Department of Civil Engineering, University of Cross River,

Calabar, Nigeria and Department of Civil Engineering,

Gregory University Uturu, Nigeria.

D. E. Ewa

Department of Civil Engineering,

University of Cross River, Calabar, Nigeria

S. A. Takim

Department of Mechanical Engineering,

University of Cross River, Calabar, Nigeria

A. E. Enang

Department of Civil Engineering,

University of Cross River, Calabar, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

The results of an experimental study using cement, rice husk ash (RHA), sand, and

laterite as constituents to create solid mud-Crete blocks' mechanical and durability

characteristics are presented in this work. RHA and laterite partially replaced

cement and sand respectively in percentages of 10, 20 and 30%. Grade 32.5

Portland Limestone Superset cement was used and the experimental procedure

carried out on the blocks included compressive strength, water absorption and fire

resistance tests. Curing was by sprinkling and the results showed that at 7 days

curing time the average compressive strengths recorded were 2.97N/mm2 for the

control mix, and 2.65N/mm2, 1.72N/mm2 and 1.09N/mm2 for 10, 20 and 30%

replacements, and after 28 days curing 3.01N/mm2, 2.92 N/mm2 1.93N/mm2 and

1.31N/mm2. 7.12%, 8.10%, 8.52% and 8.78% were recorded as average values for

water absorption after 28 days of curing for the control mix and the replacements

at 10, 20 and 30% respectively. The fire resistance test showed that the specimen

had integrity for 8hrs, 6hrs 18mins, 5hrs 6mins and 3hrs 19mins approximately for

the control batch, 10%, 20% and 30% replacements respectively.

Keywords: mud-Crete, block, Strength, durability, shelter.

INTRODUCTION

Access to affordable and sustainable housing remains a significant challenge globally,

particularly in low-income and developing regions. The housing shortage is exacerbated by the

high cost of traditional building materials like burned bricks and concrete. As a sustainable

alternative, mud-Crete (a combination of stabilized mud and cement) has gained attention for

its potential to provide cost-effective and durable shelter solutions. This literature review

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Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom 812

European Journal of Applied Sciences (EJAS) Vol. 12, Issue 6, December-2024

explores advancements in the mechanical and durability properties of mud-Crete blocks and

their implications for enhancing accessibility to affordable housing. To overcome this

limitation, housing must be made accessible and inexpensive for the general public. Nigeria's

successive administrations have paid special attention to the lack of cheap housing and its high

cost, and they have created a variety of initiatives to increase housing accessibility for the

general people. In an attempt to address the housing crisis, the Nigerian government started

constructing affordable homes for laborers and low-income workers, as well as setting up

industries to generate locally produced building materials. Many nations throughout the world

have stressed the need for locally produced building materials, and there is a disparity between

the price of traditional building materials and their depletion. [1]. He claimed that by keeping

an eye out for inexpensive substitute building supplies, this predicament may be resolved.

Nigeria's past and present administrations have developed a number of programs to address

the housing issues that the nation's residents confront, but none of them have yet to produce

fruitful, tangible outcomes. There is no benefit, stating that the rising cost of housing makes it

unaffordable for those with low incomes. This is hardly surprising given how quickly building

materials like cement, roofing sheets, sanitary fixtures, planks, blocks, etc. are becoming more

and more expensive every day. The soaring cost of cement significantly influences the expense

of producing building blocks. These blocks, being essential structural elements of a building,

represent a substantial portion of the overall construction budget. According to [2], the primary

challenge facing the construction sector in developing countries is the high cost of building

materials, many of which rely on imports. Despite this, housing designs aimed at low-income

groups often overlook their financial constraints, as these designs are frequently tailored to

appeal to wealthier individuals, leaving the economically disadvantaged excluded.

Consequently, low-income earners and peasants are seeking more affordable alternatives for

obtaining construction materials within their budget. One such method, according to landlords

and property developers surveyed in Ogun State's Idiroko area, is to employ 100mm and

125mm strong sand Crete blocks for manufacture.

According to [3], sand Crete blocks are formed or molded using sand, water, and binder- containing cements and defined Sand Crete blocks as comprising of sand, water and binder, an

Evaluation of the Solid Sand Crete Blocks' Compressive Strength -The costliest component in

the creation of sand-Crete blocks in the Idiroko Area of Nigeria is cement, which is used as a

binder. They also confirmed that in order to make their products profitable and accessible to

the general public, manufacturers of Sand Crete blocks use less Ordinary Portland Cement

(OPC) in their production. They believe that in order to reduce the cost of construction, the

general public has come to tolerate these subpar blocks because to the high rate of poverty in

West African nations, especially Nigeria. Blocks made of sand Crete have long been used in

various countries, including Nigeria [4]. A mixture of sand, cement, and water is used to make

Hollow Sand Crete blocks, which are widely used across the world, particularly in Africa. Sand

Crete blocks are one of the main expenses of the most typical buildings in various parts of

Nigeria [5]. Because of its naturally low compressive strength, it is vulnerable to seismic action.

[6] claims that previous studies by other researchers have shown disappointing production

results of commercial sand Crete blocks, with compressive strength significantly lower than

specified strength for building. Blocks made of Sand Crete can be categorized as solid, hollow,

or cellular. These days, sand Crete skin panels and blocks are utilized to improve a building's

appearance as well as to limit wind and moisture intrusion [7]. Sand Crete block is defined by

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Akeke, G. A., Ewa, D. E., Takim, S. A., & Enang, A. E. (2024). Enhancing Access to Affordable Housing Through the Improved Mechanical and Durability

Properties of Mud-Crete Blocks. European Journal of Applied Sciences, Vol - 12(6). 811-823.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/aivp.126.18094

the Nigerian Business Preferred as a composite material molded into various sizes using

cement, sand, and water. Sand Crete blocks are construction materials that are generally made

of ordinary Portland cement, water from streams or boreholes, and sharp sand that has been

collected from rivers or streams. The ingredients are combined in the right amounts and

molded into the required shapes and sizes [8]. The most typical sizes of Sand Crete blocks are

450mm × 225mm × 225mm and 450mm × 150mm × 225mm. The blocks can be hollow or solid

[9]. According to [9], the NIS specifically recognizes two types of blocks: load-bearing type A

blocks and non-load-bearing type B blocks. They can both be hollow or solid. Comparing Sand

Crete bricks to other materials reveals how inexpensive they are. They offer exceptional

resistance to harm without requiring the additional cost of protective devices. They no longer

use any environmentally hazardous fabric in their products. Sand Crete blocks don't rust,

degrade, or harbor undesirable insects like other building materials can. Sand Crete blocks are

widely accepted in many construction structures due to their usefulness and adaptability to

various climatic conditions. This is especially true in nations with tropical rainforests that

experience high temperatures and precipitation [10]. Again, in the works of [11], varieties of

sand Crete blocks are distinctive by NIS, type A (load bearing blocks), and Type B (non-load

bearing blocks), and that there are 4 fundamental households of blocks; are solid blocks, hole

blocks, perforated blocks, interlocking blocks. About ninety% of buildings constructed in West

Africa are constructed with sand Crete blocks, making them important constructing material

[12]. After curing, sand Crete block has a relative high compressive strength; variety of

minimum power laid out in NIS 87:2007 is among 2.5N/mm2 to 3.45N/mm2, which

accelerated with increase in density [13] Sand Crete blocks are produced in lots of parts of

Nigeria without reference to any global or countrywide specs, sand Crete blocks are

enormously cheap when in comparison to different construction materials. In addition, they've

higher resistance to rusting, insect and pest assault, crumbling, and are nonhazardous whilst as

compared with different constructing substances [14]

The frequent collapses of buildings in Nigeria, along with the resulting deaths and destruction

of homes, have become a great concern. A subpar and outmoded building material, notably sand

Crete blocks, was one of the many explanations given for these disasters [15] One very

important feature of blocks is their compressive electricity, which is a measurement of how

resistant they are to load software when they are in the crushing mechanism. The quality,

grading, and density of fine aggregates/sand, curing conditions, satisfactory manage, vibration

time, amount of water used, cement-sand blend ratios, hollow space extent, center-web to stop- web ratio, and the type and grade of cement are found to affect the energy of hollow sand Crete

blocks [16]. According to [17], the compressive electricity is defined as the average

compressive energy of five blocks and, for machine-vibrated blocks, cannot be less than

3.45N/mm2 for load-bearing walls and 0.5N/mm2 for non-load-bearing walls. For hand- compacted blocks, it cannot be less than 2.45N/mm2 for load-bearing partitions and 1.8

N/mm2 for non-load-bearing walls.

Blocks are defined by [18] as Mansory units of big length in all dimensions, except for bricks,

but no dimension may be greater than 650 mm, nor may the height exceed the length or six

times the thickness of the block. The sizes of the sand Crete blocks vary: they are 225 mm, 150

mm, 125 mm, and 10 mm, in that order. In Nigeria, sand Crete blocks are used in the

construction of almost 90% of the country's physical infrastructure [19]. For institutional and