Partial Replacement of Cement with Calcined Clay and Cow Dung Ash for Third Coat Wall Plastering Works in Low-Cost House Buildings

Abstract

Abstract

Due to cement is a costly material, people have been using clay and cow dung plaster alone or reinforced with grasses for on-wall plastering, with no mix composition. Having this point to mind, the purpose of this study was, to investigate partial replacement of cement with calcined clay and cow dung ash for third coat wall plastering works in low - cost house buildings.Pre-conditional test of: natural moisture content, gradation, atterberg limit, specific gravity, free swell, silt content, water absorption, moisture content, and unit weight were took place in order to identify the individual properties of the materials used in mortar production.  Chemical compositions of the materials were identified: to compare the mineral constituent of the materials replacement with cement. Post ˗ conditional testes such as: consistency and setting time of cement and cement replacement and some cube samples of mortar with:0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 percentage of cow dung ash and calcined brown clay were prepared and subjected to:7,14 and 28 days of period before tested for water absorption, shrinkage, compressive strength and soundness test.The test showed that the compressive strength was decreased as an amount of calcined brown clay and cow dung ash increased in mortar and increased with the curing days. Finally, durability test were performed using visual observations by referring to ASTM specification code. For all, the best test result showed that, for tested properties with 10% proportion and 1:9  equal amount of calcined brown clay and cow dung ash (1CBC:1CDA) to cement mix ratio. Thus, it was low cost alternative materials for third coat wall plastering and under normal weather conditions, it was used as low ˗ cost house buildings, in case of non-structural members.

Keywords: Clay, cow dung ash, durability, free swell, liquid limit, and mortar.