Effect of superplasticizer on the characteristics of stabilized earth concrete

Use of earth concrete, which is an attempt to bring in sustainability in the construction industry, has gained momentum recently. The objective of the study is to analyse the effect of superplasticizer on workability and compressive strength characteristics of stabilized earth concrete. In the present study, earth concrete is prepared by using laterite soil as fine aggregate. Earth concrete mixes with three different proportions of cement, soil and coarse aggregate respectively in the ratios 1:1.413:4.484, 1:1.063:3.373 and 1:0.85:3.597 are considered in the study. The proportions are obtained by trial and error procedure, incorporating modifications based on the observed properties of mixes prepared. The mixes are compared with and without the incorporation of 1% of Naphthalene based superplasticizer by the weight of cement. The workability, density and cube compressive strength these mixes are obtained for different water cement ratios with and without the addition of superplasticizer. The density and cube compressive strength of the mixes are computed as the average of 5 specimens from each of the mixes. A total of 275 specimens are prepared to identify the mixes and estimate the necessary parameters. The workability, density and compressive strength are found to be enhanced with the use of superplasticizer. In the experimental program, compressive strengths exceeding 40 MPa have been attained by the mix having cement, soil and coarse aggregate in the ratio 1:0.85:3.597 respectively, which accentuates the potential of stabilized earth concrete for structural applications.