Design and fabrication of a mechanized system for casting and compacting laboratory-size clay beams

To provide low cost residential buildings as the shelters of the growing population is a challenge in Pakistan. In its plains, it is economical to use clay as the material of construction instead of reinforced cement concrete due to its higher cost and transportation charges. The structural properties of clay can be modied by compacting and baking. This paper presents a mechanized system to cast, compact, and consolidate laboratory-size clay beams. The object of this study was to develop a mechanized system which could expel mixed water from moist clay beams up to optimum moisture content in order to obtain maximum density. This mechanized system is mainly composed of steel mould, truss supported railing, overhead mono-rail system, hydraulic pump, and a bulk head unit. Using this mechanized system, moist clay was compacted up to the density of 2000 kg/m3 at the moisture content of about 13%, whereas the optimum moisture content of the clay was 12%. It is concluded that this mechanized system can be used for quick production of compressed clay beams, which can be baked and reinforced. Those reinforced baked clay beams can be used as pre-cast panels for construction of low cost houses.