ABSTRACT

This work seeks to find a way in which lateritic soil within Ota, Ogun State of Nigeria could
be use in the production of hollow sandcrete blocks. This replacement is intended to
observe the effect of lateritic soil on the strength characteristic when employed in the
production of sandcrete blocks. It was deduced from past works that the inclusion of lateritic soil in sandcrete block production will produce a lesser quality blocks but this work seeks to find the maximum permissible replacement that will still make the blocks be within the recommended standard. Sandcrete blocks were produced with each lateritic soil samples from different sources replacing the conventional fine aggregate, sand, in steps of ten percent (10%) to sixty percent (60%) and their compressive strengths determined and compared with that of a
standard sandcrete block to check for the acceptable percentage replacement.
Tests like gradation tests which include sieve analysis and hydrometer test, compaction
test to determine the bulk density, Atterberg’s limit test, specific gravity test were performed on the lateritic soil samples to characterise the soils. The blocks were cured by sprinkling them with water twice daily till the twenty seventh (27th) day. In the compressive strength test, seventy two (72) numbers of 225 x 225 x 450mm hollow laterised sandcrete block sizes were produced and crushed with the compressive strength machine to determine their twenty eight-day compressive strength. Classifying the lateritic soil samples with the Unified Soil Classification System (USCS), it was found out that the lateritic soil is sandy silt of high plasticity and can replace sand by twenty percent (20%). This percentage replacement can be recommended to the block molding industries within Ota.