Subject Area
Civil Engineering
Abstract
Earthen construction is one of the earliest forms of construction and is still widely used around the world as an efficient and sustainable building material. Compressed stabilized earth blocks (CSEB) are a modern implementation of earthen construction where soil, water, and cement are compressed in a mold to create a masonry unit. CSEBs have a large creation envelope and changes to mix design and initial compression impact compressive strength and density, for which minimum values must be guaranteed per building design codes. Current design codes lack codified design guidelines for CSEB and its benefits remain unrealized at scale. This research advances earthen construction by establishing mix design selection processes through accurate estimates of compressive strength and density as functions of mix design and initial compression. Specifically, this dissertation experimentally characterizes CSEB performance and develops predictive models for CSEB compressive strength and density that provide a codifiable methods for prescriptive design.
Degree Date
Winter 12-20-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Department
Civil and Enviornmental Engineering
Advisor
Brett Story
Second Advisor
Usama El Shamy
Third Advisor
Kathleen Smits
Fourth Advisor
Andrew Quicksall
Fifth Advisor
Jessie Marshall Zarazaga
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank everyone who has helped me through this process. A huge thank you to my advisor Dr. Brett Story for your guidance and grace in my early attempts at writing research papers. Your considerate advice on presenting concise information has been invaluable throughout this process. I would also like to thank the students of garland high school who enrolled in the S3i program over the 2021-2023 summer sessions. Your participation in the soil sifting and block creation processes made light work of large creation projects. Additionally, thanks to garland high school for your funding and support over these last couple of years. A special thanks to Kennith Sangston of the ME machine shop who helped to create some of the equipment used in this dissertation. I would also like to thank Hussam Khresat, Muath Alhumaidi, Hamoud Alshallaqi, Jase Sitton, Levin Deputy, Johnathan Thomas, Micah Pressler, and Adriana Mena for your companionship and problem solving in the lab. To my father, I can’t express how helpful you have been in the block creation processes throughout this dissertation. Your optimism and problem solving was extremely helpful during the long weekends we spent making blocks. Thank you for your help in iterating the block handling process, and development of soil sifting techniques. I would also like to thank my mother for her keen intellect and insightful reasoning, and my brother for being there when I needed to clear my head. Finally, I would like to thank my wife for her continued love and support throughout the entire process.
Number of Pages
122
Format
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
Hillyard, Robert, "Performance Estimation and Specification of Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks (CSEB) Through Experimental Characterization and Predictive Modeling of Structural Properties as Functions of Mix Design and Initial Compression." (2025). Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations. 40.
https://scholar.smu.edu/engineering_civil_etds/40
