ABSTRACT
Rural adobe houses are the most common housing types in villages in India even today. These mud houses are thermally conducive and represent cost-effective sustainable indigenous technology. However, adobe has limitations of low compressive strength which can be improved appreciably by the incorporation of natural fibers. The present research is an experimental investigation of vernacular natural fibers of Agave Americana and Eulaliopsis Binata in the soil for increasing strength performance. Experiments were administered to find the unconfined compressive strength and maximum stress-carrying capacity of fiber stabilized & unstabilized 240 cylindrical and 240 cubical soil samples for curing durations of 07, 14, 28, 56, and 90 days. Results showed an appreciable increment in the compressive strength of the soil with (both) fibers. Stress-carrying capacity curves revealed better strength behavior of cylindrical samples than cubical samples. The research recommended local natural fibers of Agave Americana and Eulaliopsis Binata for soil stabilization to enhance adobe strength.
