Foster Temple This award supports a planning visit for early career researcher, Dr. Craig Foster, University of Chicago and a graduate student to study the mechanical behavior of compressed earth block (CEB). They will collaborate with civil engineer, Dr. Venkatarama Reddy, Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc), Bangalore to establish an ongoing experimental and modeling program for improving the understanding and performance of CEB structures. As a low cost material with high thermal mass, CEB has gained interest in developing countries and in the US sustainability community; however, much remains to be understood about the structural behavior of these materials.
Intellectual Merits The merits of this research include an improved understanding of compressed earth block and masonry in general. This understanding includes knowledge of failure modes, and how failure progresses through a CEB structural system. Secondly, the program will aid in the development of numerical techniques for structures with propagating fractures. In particular, the propagation of fractures where the material may fail either at an interface or in the bulk material will be explored. Eventually this understanding will be applied to design codes for CEB structures.
Broader Impacts There are several ways in which this project will create broader benefits to society. First, by setting up video equipment, the laboratory facilities will be improved. Digital films of tests may be saved, reexamined, and distributed to partners across the globe. The distribution is one way in which international partnerships will be improved. The communications during the visit, the hands on experiments with the material, and the site visits will help build understanding of the needs and approaches in India and the U.S., and will foster cross-fertilization of ideas.
