Thesis (BS Architecture) University of the Philippines Mindanao, 2018

Rammed Earth is an ancient building technique constructed by ramming a mixture of selected aggragates, including gravel, sand, silt, and a small amount of clay. This technique is highly sought as one of the most environmentally-friendly construction methods in the world. In line with this, there is a need to investigate the capability of the soil to become a rammed earth wall.
A total of six different earth-cement mixtures with five sample blocks each were produced for the experiment. There were four tests performed: Grain Size Analysis, Compressive Strength Test, Water Erosion Test, and Lateral Load Test. The physical appearance of the blocks were also observed and recorded. The comparison of the total estimated construction cost between the traditional system of CHB Piling and the Rammed Earth technique were also analysed.
From the gathered results, the type of soil used was sandy clay and it can be used as a load bearing wall. It has also been concluded that the strength of the material is both dependent on the content of cement and the effectiveness of compaction. The material also passed the water erosion test both for average rainfall and heavy rainfall. The material also passed the lateral load test which should resist a minimum pressure of 5psf. In terms of cost, it has been concluded that despite the expensive labor cost for rammed earth, the overall estimated cost is still cheaper than CHB piling because of the cost of the raw materials.
Since the study was only to investigate rammed earth technique on the soil collected on Brgy. New Bohol, Kidapawan City, the researcher recommends future researchers to investigate other soil types from other places. Additional tests are also recommended.