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Kasthurba Laterite IJESE Paper
Kasthurba Laterite IJESE Paper
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Abstract: Utilisation of local materials is an important step to sustainable construction to reduce transportation cost,
save embodied energy, and protect the environment. This paper advocates the use of local laterite- a soil type rich in
iron and alumina formed under hot and wet tropical conditions- due to its cost effectiveness and energy efficiency
than that of conventional modern materials in tropical developing countries. This paper summarizes the occurrence
and characteristics of laterite and then highlights the need for developing universal database of properties and
standard testing protocols to facilitate evaluation and extensive use laterite in building applications. Understanding
of properties and potential challenges of using this material will benefit for the development of suitable
strategies/techniques for sustainable construction. Overall, this study identifies various factors that should be
considered for efficient utilization and managements of laterite in construction to meet the growing demand of new
housing and infrastructural in different regions of developing tropical world.
Keywords: laterite, building material, geological, geotechnical characters, developing countries
(a)Residential construction
of laterite. It is essential to define guidelines and makes it suitable as a building material (Kamasew et al,
standardized procedures for selection of laterite for 2013).
building applications. Utilisation of laterite in
5. Quarrying of Laterite Masonry Blocks
construction is marginalized due lack of standardization,
inherent variations and difficult testing procedures. The The methods of quarrying, dressing and construction all
local resource of laterite can be utilized efficiently if are entirely different from other stone masonry
classified and managed based on its potential materials. Laterite blocks are soft for easy quarrying and
characteristics in housing. Classification of laterite shaping, but they become hard when exposed to
based on its performance like brick and hollow blocks atmospheric oxygen. The ease of cutting and shaping
can result in utilisation of the same in buildings for a laterite and hardening with age due atmospheric
wide range of functions. In many applications, exposure makes its use different and versatile in
building applications. Manual quarrying and dressing
especially in public buildings, a number of problems
was adopted in the past was more laborious and time
due to low strength values and also incorrect estimation consuming. Machine quarrying of laterite was invented
of index properties have led to a decrease in the and used for the first time in Kerala, India using mobile
confidence with this material. As a result, architects rotary saw machine that was introduced for the first
hesitate to specify laterite in masonry applications. time and popularised since 1993. It consists of
Laterite, being heterogeneous in nature, due to its following steps: (i) Removal of top soil and levelling
geographic and geological variations, needs a proper the surface, (ii) Marking lines on levelled horizontal bed
understanding for classification and selection for of laterite, (iii) Moving cutters through these lines up to
building purposes. A scientific understanding of laterite desired depth of stone, and (iv) Dis-lodging stones
as building material is highly relevant for its sustainable manually using bars and hauling to construction site.
utilization worldwide. Typical processes of machine quarrying are depicted in
Fig.5.
4. Geological and Geotechnical Characteristics of
Laterite
The word laterite has been derived from the Latin
word later meaning brick (Gidigasu, 1974). Laterite is
an unusual soil which is rich in iron and alumina.
Laterite occurs in tropical humid regions within 300N
and 300S of equator and these regions belong to less
developed areas in economic and scientific terms.
Laterite and laterite soils have been efficiently utilized
in civil engineering applications like road base and low
cost housing (Madhu, 1977). Laterite cannot be placed
in the triplet family of rocks, namely igneous,
sedimentary or metamorphic. It is considered as
metasomatic rock (Kasthurba and Santhanam, 2007).
Metasomatism is a metamorphic process by which the
chemical composition of a rock or rock portion is
altered in a pervasive manner which involves the
introduction and/or removal of chemical components as
a result of the interaction of the rock with aqueous fluids
(solutions). During metasomatism, the rock remains in a
solid state. They are usually found in heavily rainfall
regions formed by intensive and long-lasting
weathering. Silica in the clay is usually leached out over
a long period of time leaving the residual soil rich in
iron oxides, hydroxides and alumina. When lateritic Fig. 5 Machine quarrying of laterite masonry blocks (a)
soils are exposed to atmosphere, the iron hydroxides Quarrying of laterite using mobile rotary saw machine;
lose the moisture quickly to form iron oxides, which (b) Laterite blocks detached from the bed
develop a good bond with other particles in soil to form
the laterite blocks. This process of irreversible surface 6. Laterite Profile from Malabar region, W. India-
hardening known as induration is due to oxidation as a Characteristics
result of exposure to atmosphere. The progressive The Malabar region consists of northern part of Kerala
strengthening was due to mineral transformation from State, located in west coast of India between 7430 E to
goethite to hematite which is a more stabilized form 77E longitudes and 10N to 1230N latitude. The
10.0 9.6
Parallel Dry
9.0
Parallel wet 8.3
8.0 Perpendicular dry
Compressive Strength (MPa)
Perpendicular wet
7.0
6.0
6.0 5.7
5.4
5.2
5.0
5.0
4.4
5.0
4.5
Fig.9 Compressive strength of laterite from various
4.0 region of Malabar, W India
3.0 2.7
2.4
(Laterite designations and their locations shown in
2.0
2.0
1.3
2.0 1.9
Table 3)
1.0
0.0
8. Challenges and Future Outlook for Laterite
UL PTA MU PM
MPa (as per IS 3620-1979). However, considering the purposes, Journal of Institution of Engineers
specific use of laterite for residential applications, this (India), Architecture Division, vol. 86, pp. 1-6.
minimum strength requirement should be re-considered, [4] Lawane A., Vinai R., Pantet A., Thomassin J.H
and suitable modification should be made in future and (2011) Characterisation of laterite stone as building
incorporated into the standards. material in Burkina Faso, JourneScientific 2IE, 6
April 2011.
There can be considerable reduction in strength of
[5] IS 3620-1979 (Reaffirmed 1998). Indian Standard
laterite due to saturation (45-70%), which suggests
Specification for Laterite Stone Block for
protection of material from dampness by plastering or
Masonry, Bureau of Indian Standards, New
other damp proofing methods.
Delhi, India.
This study suggests that a classification system for [6] Kasthurba A.K. and Santhanam M. (2010).
laterite based on its applications for different functions Technical report Modification to IS code on
should be developed for better management and specification of laterite stone blocks for masonry
utilization of material. by sectional committee of Bureau of Indian
Standards -accepted for revision of (IS 3620: 1979)
In India, the difficulty to handle standard size for laterite
BIS meeting- BIS-CED6 held at CDOS, Jaipur on
blocks as per IS code 390 x190 x190 mm was reported,
10th January 2012 pp
and there was tendency to cut small sizes for ease in
[7] .Lawane, A. Pantet, Vinai, T. (2012), Local
handling. In Burkina Faso, Africa, as there is no
materials for building houses: laterite valorization
standard, they adapt different size, but mostly brick size
in Africa, in: ICAMMS, journal of housing,
was adapted for laterite masonry blocks, and hence
http://www.scientific.net.
handling was relatively easy, resulting in optimization
[8] Tsobnang Francis 2013 Sustainable Building
of the natural resource. Moreover while using laterite
Materials for Construction in Proceedings of 2iE
for non-loadbearing walls, reduction in standard size
International conference on Eco- materials- A Pillar
shall be considered for optimizing the natural resources.
to Green growth in Africa;10-12 June 2013,
9. Conclusions Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, West Africa
www.2iE-edu.org.
Laterite is a weak stone, but can be used for masonry
[9] Kibort; C.J. (2013). Sustainable Construction:
constructions. The property of laterite can be enhanced
Green Building Design and Delivery, Jon Wiley
by suitable water proofing treatments. Long term study
and Sons; Hoboken, NJ.
is required to find an optimum size for its varied
[10] Persons, B.S. (1970) Laterite; genesis, location and
masonry applications. To arrive at more conclusive
use (In) RW Fairbridge Monographs in Geosience,
suggestions for laterite standards, further studies on
Plenum Press, New York
structural evaluation and statistical analysis are
[11] Aleva, G.J.J. (1994) Laterites, Concepts, Geology,
required. Various factors highlighted in this paper can
Morphology and Chemistry, International
form a basis for a better understanding to and
Interdisciplinary Laterite Reference Collection
improvements on laterite for sustainable construction
(CORLAT) Wageningen, Netherlands 91p.
world-wide.
[12] Gidigasu, M.D. (1974) Degree of weathering in the
10. Acknowledgement identification of laterite materials for engineering
purposes - A Review, Engineering Geology, 8, 213-
This study was conducted during the visit of the first
266.
author to the University of Illinois, Chicago. The first
[13] Madhu, R.M. (1977) An investigation into
author is grateful to the support received from NIT
geotechnical and engineering properties of some
Calicut, which made this study possible.
laterites of eastern Nigeria, Engineering Geology,
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evaluation of laterite stone blocks for masonry
India Part 1: field studies and profile