Rammed earth hygric properties and evolution

Abstract

The hygric characterisation of authentic rammed earth materials is presented. Since these materials expand and liquefy upon contact with moisture, currently available methods are adapted to deal with this material evolution during the tests. In particular a thin permeable wick is introduced in the capillary absorption test. Moreover, confined and unconfined ways of testing are addressed. The results show that both the material origin and the material evolution can significantly impact the hygric properties.