Journal of Emerging Trends in Engineering and Applied Sciences (JETEAS) 3 (1): 86-90

Scholarlink Research Institute Journals, 2012 (ISSN: 2141-7016)

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Journal of Emerging Trends in Engineering and Applied Sciences (JETEAS) 3(1):86-90(ISSN: 2141-7016)

Optimisation of Cavity Size in Hollow Sandcrete Blocks

J. C Ezeokonkwo

Department of Civil Engineering,

University of Nigeria, Nsukka
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Abstract
Two-cell hollow sandcrete blocks constitute the dominant wall construction material for modern shelter
provision in many African countries. Obviously, the size of the cavity in a block unit would affect its quality,
especially its compressive strength. Therefore, the thrust of this paper is the optimisation of cavity sizes in
hollow sandcrete blocks. Consequently four different rectangular cavity sizes (117mmx129.5mm; 137.5mm x
150mm; 153mm x 165mm and 168mm x 180.5mm) were introduced into sandcrete block with standard overall
dimensions (450mm x 225mm x 225mm), to produce two-cell hollow sandcrete blocks with centre-web to end-
web ratios of up to 13.28 used to study the strength pattern of two-cell hollow sandcrete blocks. Sand/cement
ratio of 6 and water/cement ratio of 0.7 were used. The blocks were hand compacted and curing was according
to Nigerian Industrial Specifications for sandcrete blocks. Analysis of the results showed that there is an
optimum combination of cavity volume with centre-web to end-web ratio. This optimum combination is best
defined when the as-cast side is the bearing area at test, and the strength evaluated on the basis of effective area
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Keywords: hollow sandcrete blocks, apparent strength, effective strength, end-web, centre-web
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Notations employed in the production and the properties of the
The following symbols are used in this paper: constituent materials (Baiden and Tuuli, 2004 and
Ae effective area of the web Abdullahi, 2005). Surveys of block making industries
a length of cavity
B width of the hollow sandcrete in Nigeria by researchers (Nwoke, 1975; Ibeh, 1975;
b width of cavity Ebuka, 1980; Florek, 1985; Momah, 1987; Adeshola,
Fxa apparent strength based on apparent bearing area of as-cast 1992 and Mohammed, 1992) have shown that the
side geometry of hollow sandcrete blocks vary, as a result
Fxe effective strength based on effective bearing area of as-cast
side of the variation in cavity sizes and centre-web to end-
Fza apparent strength based on apparent bearing area of as-cast web ratios. Moreover, the variation in the centre-web
face to end-web results in different sizes of the solid
Fze effective strength based on effective bearing area of as-cast bearing surface of hollow sandcrete blocks as well as
face
H height of the hollow sandcrete block in the face shell thickness. These variations
L length of the hollow sandcrete block ultimately produce a variation in the axial
Px failure load on as-cast side compressive strength of hollow sandcrete blocks.
Pz failure load on as-cast face Therefore, the overall effect of cavity size on the
Rsg ratio strength of two blocks with different geometry
Rt ratio of average solid thickness of two blocks with different strength of sandcrete hollow blocks is required in the
geometry production of quality blocks, as it has also been
tc centre-web thickness shown that the strength of a block is a function of its
te end-web thickness average solid thickness (Eze-Uzomaka, 1977).
V volume of hollow block
Vc volume of cavity
ta average solid thickness In Nigeria, it is required that the strength of sandcrete
Rs ratio of strength of hollow block to strength of control blocks for building construction should comply with
sandcrete cube the Nigerian Industrial Standards Specification (NIS-
Rg ratio of average solid thickness of hollow block to thickness
of control sandcrete cube 75 and (NIS 87: 2000) or with the Federal Ministry of
Works (RCRDMT-1979) minimum strength
INTRODUCTION specification. However, the Nigerian Industrial
The growing demand for hollow sandcrete blocks has Standard definition of the compressive strength needs
mounted pressure on the supply of the raw materials to be reviewed in order to effectively simulate the
and also raised the issues of sustainability of the raw functional mode of the hollow sandcrete block in a
materials and affordability of the built shelter. In structure. This is necessary for the full load carrying
order to minimize the quantity of the materials used capacity of a block to be utilized and thereby
in producing a block unit, blocks are made to optimise the use of the scarce block materials in order
incorporate different sizes of rectangular cavities. The to minimize costs. Therefore, the thrust of this paper
quality of blocks produced, however, differs from is the determination of the optimum size and
each manufacturer due to the different methods configuration of block cavities with respect to the
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Journal of Emerging Trends in Engineering and Applied Sciences (JETEAS) 3(1):86-90(ISSN: 2141-7016)

compressive strength of the block using two-cell
hollow sandcrete blocks.
TEST DETAILS
Specimen Preparation
Fig. 1 show different dimensions and configurations
of the cavity created in sandcrete blocks with the
standard overall dimensions of 450mm x 225mm x
225mm. There are four groups of cavities: 30%,
40.7%, 50% and 60%. The percentage of cavity
volume and end-web thickness is used to identify the
block types, e.g. 30H12.5 refers to a block with 30%
cavity volume and 12.5mm end-web thickness. It has
been shown that for a sandcrete mix with
sand/cement ratio of 6, the optimum water/cement
ratio is 0.7 (Uzomaka, 1977). Opi River sand was
used in this study. It has high specific surface area
and belongs to zone 3 sand (Uzomaka, 1977; Ebuka,
1980 and Ezeokonkwo, 1986). The block specimens
were prepared with wooden moulds. Compaction was
done in three layers, each being tamped 25 times with
a standard wooden tamping rod. Standard 100mm x
100mm x 100mm cube specimens were prepared for
control. The procedure of rubbing down the test face
with carboradum stone was used to achieve the
desired even surface for the as-cast face.

TEST PROCEDURE
Each block was tested in compression in a 2000 KN
capacity Dension Testing Machine. No effort was
made to produce frictionless ends in order to simulate
as closely as possible the actual procedure in practice.

Computation of Compressive Strength

Compressive strength was calculated on the basis of
the apparent and effective bearing areas of the two
perpendicular surfaces as shown in figure 2.

(a) Isometric View of Hollow Block

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Journal of Emerging Trends in Engineering and Applied Sciences (JETEAS) 3(1):86-90(ISSN: 2141-7016)

centre-web to end-web ratio as seen from figures 3

L
and 4. From figures 3 and 4 it is apparent that
compressive strength ratio (compressive strength of
a a block/compressive strength of cube) is a non-linear
function of the centre-web to end-web ratio of hollow
b b B sandcrete blocks. The function depicts a minimum
centre-web to end- ratio needed to achieve minimum
compressive strength for each of the four groups of
hollow sandcrete blocks investigated. This value is
(b) Plan View of Hollow Block not constant but dependent on the cavity volume. The
fact that high centre-web to end-web ratio gives high
compressive strength is also highlighted. But in all it
te can be argued that a minimum and a maximum end-
web to centre-web ratios exist for hollow sandcrete
blocks.
tc

te

(c) Section A-A showing the Effective

Bearing Area of As Cast Side
Fig. 2: Orientations and Dimensions of Hollow

The compressive strength of hollow sandcrete blocks,

when as-cast face was the bearing surface at test, is
calculated as follows:
Fza = Pz [1]
LxB

Fze = Pz [2]
LB-2ab

The compressive strength when as-cast side was the

bearing surface at test is calculated as follows:
Fxa = Px [3]
LH

Fxe = Px [4]
Ae
Where Ae = H (2te + tc) [5]
The standard 100mm x 100mm x 100mm sandcrete
cubes have a mean strength of 9.640N/mm2.
ANALYSIS OF TEST RESULTS
Effects of Centre-web to End-web Ratio (tc/te)
For each of the four different hollow blocks studied,
the strength based on the as-cast face and on the as-
cast side surface strength showed that the
compressive strength increases with increasing
The value of 2 for 30% cavity and 1 for 40.7%, 50%
and 60% cavities should be the lower limit while 6
should be the upper limit value for 30%, 40.7%, 50%
cavities and 4 for 60% cavity. This fact that it is
advantageous to have a thicker centre-web than end-
web is important and should be exploited in practice.
It was observed that hollow blocks with end-web
thickness less than 25mm are difficult to mould,
although they possess high centre-web to end-web

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Journal of Emerging Trends in Engineering and Applied Sciences (JETEAS) 3(1):86-90(ISSN: 2141-7016)
ratio. Such blocks developed cracks while still
plastic. This observation confirms that the 25mm
minimum thickness for webs and face shells specified
in the Nigeria Industrial Standard for sandcrete
blocks is reasonable. Such blocks are easy to work
on, and are free from cracks. They also showed good
strength development.
Effects of Average Solid Thickness on Block
Strength
Researches Eze-Uzomaka (1977) and Ezeokonkwo
(1988) have shown that the solid part of hollow block
is highly significant and it influences the strength of
hollow blocks. In this study, each hollow block type
has the same bearing area, but different average solid
thickness. The average solid thickness is defined as
the solid area divided by the median perimeter of the
solid area and the value, with respect to fig. 2, is
given below:
ta = (LB 2ab) [6]
{2(L-te) + 3(B-ts)}
Both the strength and average solid thickness of
hollow blocks were expressed as ratios (Rs and Rg) of
the corresponding values or sandcrete cube specimen.
Fig.5 shows that the solid part of hollow block affects
the strength of block in an exponential manner the
strength increases exponentially with increase in the
average solid thickness of the blocks. Also,
correlation between Rs and Rg is improved when
grouped together for the same end-web thickness.
The exponential curves shown in fig. 5 have
coefficient of correlation ranging from 0.879 to
0.999.
Effects of Cavity Volume on Strength
It has been observed that greater volume of specimen
(solid volume) leads to a more uniform stress
distribution and therefore a lesser likelihood of
premature failure (Neville, 1966). The introduction of
cavity in a specimen reduces the available solid
volume for uniform stress distribution, which may
89
lead to premature failure. Hollow block is composed
of webs and face shells that have different
dimensions. As the cavity volume increases, these
webs and face shells decrease accordingly. The
measured strength of hollow blocks decreases as the
solid area decreases.
Fig. 6 shows that cavity volume expressed as a
percentage of solid volume affects the strength, the
strength being inversely proportional to the cavity
volume.
The inverse proportion between apparent strength,
effective strength and cavity volume is depicted when
the as-cast face was the bearing surface at test. This
relation also exists between the apparent strength and
cavity volume when the as-cast side was the bearing
surface at test. This inverse proportion is better
described by a non-linear curve through sets of
blocks strength with the same end-web thickness.
Fig. 7 shows the trend of change in compressive
strength as the volume of cavity expressed as a ratio
of the volume of solid part is increased. This trend is
rather interesting in that as the cavity volume
increases the strength decreases to a minimum and
then begins to increase. This would appear to be
anomalous, as one would generally expect the
strength to continue to decrease with increasing
cavity volume. The observed trend may be ascribed
to some sort of size effect. Although, the failure load
of the block is less after the trough than at the trough,
the strength that is expressed as stress is higher after
the trough than at the trough because of the smaller
bearing area after the trough.
Consider, for example the for 37.5mm end-web
block. The trough occurs at a cavity volume ratio of
120%. The corresponding failure load is 94.5KN
while the corresponding load bearing area is
23,625mm2 giving a strength value of 4.0N/mm2. At
cavity volume ratio of 150%, the load bearing area is
22,500mm2 while the failure load is also 94.5KN thus
giving a strength value of 4.2N/mm2?
Journal of Emerging Trends in Engineering and Applied Sciences (JETEAS) 3(1):86-90(ISSN: 2141-7016)
However, for cavity volumes greater than the trough
value, the failure of the block is sudden and rather
catastrophic making this regime after the trough very
undesirable. Therefore, the maximum volume of
cavity that should be incorporated in the blocks is
that corresponding to the trough value.
CONCLUSIONS
The following conclusions are drawn from this study:
1. A non-linear relationship exists between
strength and centre-web to end-web ratio.
This indicates a minimum centre-web to
end-web ratio that is dependent on cavity
volume. It also shows that high centre-web
to end-web ratio gives high strength.
2. The strength increases exponentially as the
average solid thickness of block increases.
3. The strength decreases geometrically as the
cavity volume increases. This is the case
when as-cast face was the bearing surface at
test and also for the apparent strength of as-
cast side.
4. Parabolic relationship exists between the
effective strength on as-cast side and cavity
volume. It shows that there is a minimum
volume of cavity for a given centre-web to
end-web ratio.
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