Assessing the Bearing Capacity of Cast Laterite in Compression and Flexure

Abstract

This article examines the usability of the mixture of laterite and calcined (heated) gypsum or cast laterite as a residential building masonry material. The objectives involved preliminary tests to determine the gradation of the laterite, mix ratio of the constituent materials with adequate proportion of heated gypsum. Compressive and flexural tests were carried out on the samples to determine the suitability of the material for walling. The results obtained from this work show that calcined gypsum is suitable for a non-load bearing (infill) masonry material. The comparison of the tests results indicates that cast laterite of 15% gypsum additive is adequate and higher in compression and flexure than the conventional sandcrete blocks.