Wet Erosion Resistance in Compressed Earth Blocks. Evaluation of different methods for the analysis of results

Abstract

This research aims at analyzing different international standards test methods to assess weathering resistance, particularly wet erosion of compressed earth blocks (CEB). Emphasis is placed on wet erosion tests by spraying pressurized water and hastened erosion due to falling water. Furthermore, two alternatives are proposed to evaluate such resistance: mass loss and comparison with standardized patterns; ultimately analyzing the viability of each method. Lastly, it is concluded that comparison against standards is the only effectual method to evaluate wet erosion resistance of soil test-pieces subject to a pressurized-water spray test. On the contrary, calculating the loss of mass is not a suitable method for assessing the results of the tests.