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Building with Earth:
T oday, compressed earth blocks technology is used world wide because it combines the best traditional practice with modern technology. The technology is a viable, affordable and green walling material with immense advantages. Stabilised Compressed Earth Blocks (SCEB) are customised for achieving strength desired in building construction.TARA Machines & Tech Services
conducted a training programme on ‘Stabilised Compressed Earth Blocks
Technologies’ for construction of Redbricks School in Ahmedabad.
Redbricks School’s main campus is being built at Santej, an upcoming
educational hub surrounded by green pastures on the outskirts of the
city. The campus is spread over eight acres of land. The soil for the
production of SCEB bricks is sourced from the site. With over two
decades of experience in building with earth, the TARA MechRam-MV
machine has been designed to produce high quality chamfered bricks using
hydraulic compaction. The SCEB bricks for the Redbricks School are
designed with stabilisation using 8-10 per cent of cement. The training programme covered: Mix preparation: Sieving, batching and mixing Compaction: Moulding by hydraulic press, block ejection and stacking Post Production: Humid and wet curing, final storage, quality check, and transportation to site for use In addition to these, the maintenance of machines and quality control during the production process were also demonstrated to the trainees. The training programme focused on the product manufacturing, brick quality control and machines’ maintenance. A total of 12 personnel including three technical persons (project in-charge, site engineer and site supervisor) were trained on TARA MechRam–MV with three operators and six labourers. As the trainees were more interested in practical rather than classroom lecture, accordingly more time was devoted in practical session. Training programme was well managed inspite of lack of prior preparation at site. Mix Ratio The uniqueness of the production system is based on the raw earth excavated at the site itself. The coarse sand is locally procured for production. Based on the soil test report, five different compositions of raw materials are used for trial production of SCEB. In the training programme, different mix ratios were recommended by an expert from Development Alternatives. The final mix ratio for future production is to be finalised by the structural engineers engaged in construction. TARA Technology Package The Compressed Earth Block Technology-TARA MechRam-MV package is a profitable business for micro and small scale building material producers and construction companies. A total investment of approximately Rs. 8 lakhs for a semi-mechanised unit can generate 25-30 per cent net profit. The market for SCEB technology is especially good in areas where soil of adequate quality is available and fired bricks are of inferior quality. The TARA MechRam-MV has a production capacity of 5,000 bricks per day. q Hriday Ray |
