PHYSICO-MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF STABILIZED MUD BRICKS WITH PALM NUT FIBRES IN NDONG VILLAGE, MFOU DISTRICT, MEFOU-AFAMBA DIVISION IN THE CENTRE REGION OF CAMEROON

ABSTRACT:- The objective of this work is the study of the physico-mechanical properties of stabilized mud bricks with palm nut fibres in Ndong Village, Mfou District, Mefou-Afamba Division in the Centre Region of Cameroon to reduce problems such as cracking and detachment of aggregates over time but also low compressive strength that barely reaches 2MPa.The Munsel colour code, particle size, Atterberg limits, bulk density, methylene blue, compression on mud bricks, water absorption and porosity tests were used. Also 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4% of palm nut fibres were used for stabilization of mud bricks. The results showed that the compressive strengths of bricks improved considerably for stabilized bricks than non-stabilized ones, up to 4.5 MPa for 4% fibre stabilization; For porosity, the more fibres are incorporated into the specimen, the more pores it had and the less dense it became, and the more strength the specimens acquired between the aggregates. However, for the non-stabilized specimens, they could not hold up to the end of the test and ended up being unrecoverable for the weighing and dimensional test. With regard to swelling for all specimens, the more fibres are incorporated in the specimens, the more the specimens tended to absorb water and swell, making the bricks brittle.

Keywords:- Physico-mechanical properties, compressive strength, brick stabilization, palm nut fibres, water
absorption, porosity, swelling.