Earthen building 2.0: Earthen building of the future – The art of craftsmanship based on engineering approaches

The research project aims to investigate the deformation behavior of rammed earth wall elements under the influence of moisture and temperature fructuations as well as superimposed loads. The focus is on the prototype test of the fiber optic sensor technology suitability for long-term monitoring of load-bearing rammed earth walls. The project includes experimental test series on rammed earth test specimens in different sizes in order to investigate material characteristics and deformation behavior. The special focus of this exploratory study is on the investigation of the moisture-dependent material parameter - shrinkage. Furthermore, it will be examined whether the measurement method is suitable for long-term measurement of load-dependent material behavior, such as creep, and whether this measurement method is suitable for in-situ measurements on real load bearing rammed earth wall as part of buildings.

The theoretical part of the project integrates the experimental findings into a numerical model using the finite element method (FEM) in order to model the failure behavior of rammed earth wall elements under static load. 

Project duration:
2024-2025

Funding:
Österreichische Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft (FFG)

Project team:
Institute of Structural Design (ITE), TU Graz:
Iveta Šarmanová, Andreas Trummer, Ingo Candussi
Labor für Konstruktiven Ingenieurbau (LKI), TU Graz:
Bernhard Freytag, David Danner
Institut für Ingenieurgeodäsie und Messsysteme (IGMS), TU Graz:
Werner Lienhart, Andrea Agreiter