The effect of fly ash additive on the physical andmechanical properties of plastered adobe (ALKER)

One of the most basic needs of human beings is the need for shelter. In the early periods, people benefited from the land made for their basic shelter needs. Soil structures are used as very important structures in terms of comfort and health with the developing technologies. Adobe structures, the most well-known earthen building type, are the most built building type in the world from past to present. The basic components that make up adobe are clay soil, straw and water. However, the mechanical performance of adobe remains very low compared to reinforced concrete structures. It is important in terms of earthquake resistance and economy to improve the physical and mechanical properties of soil structures, which are healthy and economical building materials that have been used so much from the past to the present, and to increase their applicability, especially in low-rise structures. For this purpose, studies to be carried out on ALKER (Plaster-Mud brick), which is a modern soil structure type with much more durable properties than adobe, gain importance. The effects of fly ash, an industrial waste known to increase the mechanical properties of concrete, which is one of the most used construction materials, on ALKER material were similarly investigated. In previous studies, it was observed whether the strength values of ALKER, which is already known to be more than 4 times stronger than adobe, increase with the addition of fly ash. Experimental studies were carried out on the combinations of clay soil, gypsum, lime and water and fly ash that make up the ALKER mixture, and the most suitable mixture ratio was determined. The physical and mechanical properties of the materials were determined by pressure and ultrasonic sound tests on the samples whose mixing processes were completed in different material ratios. At the same time, SEM-EDS and XRD analyzes were carried out to examine the change of material microstructure according to mixing ratios. The data obtained as a result of the study, as well as low-rise modern earthen structures, barns, coops, etc. It will provide infrastructure for the application in other structures. Thus, it is aimed to obtain a natural, healthy and sustainable building material that can be the most important alternative to concrete in low-rise buildings.