ABSTRACT
50An empirical study validating the timely increment of flexural strength in green bio-composite beams, containing dispersed equine ordure (EO) in naturally occurring clayey soil matrix is performed. These materials containing 50% by volume of EO mimicking thermal properties of the clayey matrix has sustained importance in rural households of Western Rajasthan, India, for the manufacture of cantilever slabs. High gradient improvement in flexural strength in the composite with equal volume fraction of the components was observed after 21 days of ambient curing. Density development in these biocompatible MM-EO composites is stochastic in nature. Comparatively high SiO2 content is observed in the composites manufactured from equal volume of MM and EO compared to other MM-EO composites with distinct constituent volume fractions. The fracture toughness of these materials follows a bimodal dissimilitude with time. The implication of this work is towards a new set of bioactive materials that can be locally manufactured to substitute cement-based structures.
