WOSICK, ERIN1; GEBREMARIAM, TSEGAYE2; WELDON, BRAD3; BANDINI, PAOLA4; AL-AQTASH, UMAIMA5

1 Undergraduate Research Assistant, New Mexico State University, Department of Civil Engineering, wosick10@nmsu.edu

2 Graduate Research Assistant, New Mexico State University, Department of Civil Engineering, tsegbesh@nmsu.edu

3 Assistant Professor, New Mexico State University, Department of Civil Engineering, bweldon@nmsu.edu

4 Associate Professor, New Mexico State University, Department of Civil Engineering, paola@nmsu.edu

5 Graduate Research Assistant, New Mexico State University, Department of Civil Engineering, umaimaq@nmsu.edu

Many historic and modern adobe structures are found in the Southwestern United States, where the arid climate lends well to this type of natural, economical, and sustainable construction method. This paper examines the strength characteristics of the adobe material typical of this region. Due to the inherent variability of the material and lack of consistent codified testing procedures, measuring the strength properties of adobe bricks presents many challenges. The materials, mixing procedure, curing (i.e., drying) procedure, and testing method influence the strength characteristics of a given brick. Using recommendations from the literature and building codes, specimens were tested to investigate several parameters influencing the strength characteristics of adobe masonry, including specimen size, water content at mixing, and water content at breaking. This study aims to provide information that can be used to develop a reliable and consistent method to determine the strength characteristics of adobe masonry improving construction and preservation techniques.

Keywords: adobe; strength, testing