Maximize strength and ductility 

Enough strength

without too much concrete

Earthen walls can be reliable even if strengths are lower than concrete walls.

• Structural guidelines exist for brittle unreinforced earthen walls to 0.6 g pga risk.

• Reinforced, adobe, rammed earth, CEB: good strength, some ductility, wide RC footing.

• Reinforced ICEB, cob: good strength, moderate ductility, narrower walls and RC footing.

• Conventional earthbag: low strength, moderate ductility, gravel bag footing:  stable but more deformable than unreinforced adobe.

• Improved resilient contained earth (CE) earthbag: moderate strength, high ductility: interconnected embedded reinforcement with medium to strong soil increase strength and decrease deformability. Meshed, attached plaster is integral to strength.
  

Under construction July 2021

request info from simple_earth@yahoo.com