Impact of pH Water and Mineralogical Microstructure of Soil Mixed with Wood Waste on the Compressive Strength of Composite Bricks; and Bricks Resistance Modeling

This study includes the manufacture of cement stabilized clay bricks with embedded mahogany chips. The impact of this waste and its interaction with water in the bricks was evaluated on the mechanical properties. The compressive strength tests using a universal press were carried out on bricks with and without adding wood chips. The results obtained show that the incorporation of wood chips into the bricks decreases the compressive strength. This reduction in compressive strength led us to conduct an analysis of clay and water as intrinsic factors, before and after incorporation of untreated wood waste. Thus, a mineralogical analysis of the clay with and without mahogany chips was made using an X-ray diffractometer, using an anticathode of cobalt with the line Κα, of wavelength λ = 1789Å. After quantification of the mineral constituents, it is noted that the concentration of SiO₂ decreases considerably in the clay with addition of wood chips, resulting in the reduction of the compressive strength in these composite materials (from Rc = 9.26 MPa at 0% of chips to 3.55 MPa at 8%). A mathematical model following the interpolations of Lagrange was then proposed. The analysis of the water resulting from the impregnation of dry wood chips in the water, shows that the water becomes strongly acid (pH = 4.3 at the 7th day of immersion), thus contributing to the reduction of resistance. This analysis of intrinsic factors will allow future studies to take into account the treatment of wood waste by different processes in order to increase the mechanical, thermal and acoustic properties of composite bricks with the same contents, thus generating massive support for the use of its composite materials.