Influence of the curing method on the compressive strength of piles built with industrial and artisanal clay bricks

Abstract

This study determined the influence of curing methods on the compressive strength of piles constructed with industrial and artisanal clay bricks in the city of Cajamarca, both without curing and with different curing methods. The piles were constructed using King Kong 18H SIPÁN industrial bricks and artisanal bricks from the El Cerrillo community. For this study, 25 piles of each brick type were constructed with 1:4 cement-sand mortar and 1 cm joints. In all cases, the bricks were soaked for 20 minutes before laying. Five piles of each brick type were tested without curing, and five were tested with each curing method (spraying with Sika® Antisol® S, immersion in water, daily spraying, and spraying three times a day). After 28 days of curing, the piles were tested, revealing that the industrial piles showed decreases of 13.17%, 26.21%, and 25.16% compared to the uncured piles. However, the piles sprayed three times a day showed an increase in resistance of 4.85%. The compressive strength of the piles made with handmade bricks showed increases of 12.41%, 35.06%, 14.41%, and 16.73% compared to the uncured but saturated piles before placement. Therefore, it is concluded that curing benefits the strength of brick stacks made with handmade bricks; however, it has a negative influence on most of the curing of stacks made with industrial bricks