Evaluation of the physical and electrochemical properties of adobe reinforced and of its component materials

Abstract

The search of solutions to the habitacional crisis that exists in Latin America has favored to the use of the soil-cement-sisal, adobe reinforced like alternative material of building, in such sense, prevailing to determine the vulnerability of a building of this type, is for that reason that, the characterization of the physical, mechanical and electrochemical properties of the materials that composes it, helps to relate causal the external ones of deterioration to the internal ones. In this particular case it was studied, the permeability, the porosity, the capillaiy absorption, the corrosion potentials (referring to Cu/CuSO₄) and the corrosion rates of adobe reinforced, of its components and their interfaces. In the methodological aspect, permeabilimeter of modified Figg. was used to determine the permeability to the water The porosity and capillary absorption were determined following methods traditional, the corrosion potentials were determined using multimeter and the corrosion rates was made by means of the equipment Gecor 6. Two groups was tried, a first group of the component materials: adobe, mortar for stucco and mortar of reinforcement. The adobe with 5% of cement, mortars for stucco: MFA with 12% of cement and MFB with 16% of cement and internal mortar of reinforcement: MRD, of relation water/cement 0,50. A second group of the composed materials, conformed by 3 specimens test of each one of both types of wall of adobe in where all the individual components are combined: mortar of stucco, adobe and internal mortar: (MFA-Adobe-MRD) and (MFB-adobe- MRD). The coefficients of permeability to the water of the component materials oscillate between 5.2.10^-5 for adobe up to 9.71.10^-9 for the internal mortar of reinforcement MRD (a/c=0.50), in mortars for stucco (MFA and MFB) this in the 10^-7 order For the case of the composed materials oscillates between 9,38.10^-8 for (MFA-Adobe-MRD) until 3.28.10^-8 for (MBA-adobe-MRD). The specimens test tubes were exposed to the natural environment during 200 days, being there been dew with water previous to the measures, the corrosion potentials and the corrosion rate were moderate weekly during the days of exhibition. These results in durability terms indicate that the greater benefit in this type of systems and with the smaller cost is obtained improving the quality of the mortar that is used like stucco. Also one concluded according to the values of Porosity and Capillary Absorption the greater than to 19% and 2.23.10^-4 respectively, that the analyzed walls of adobe reinforced are not adapted for aggressive atmospheres if it is taken like reference because these properties are very below the established standards.