Potential Use of Locally and Traditionally Produced Bending Construction Material

摘要

The use of various mineral admixtures,natural or artificial pozzolan as well as any alternative construction material that could partially or fully replace the conventional Portland cement concrete/mortar with quite similar or even improved performances is receiving nowadays more attention and highly encouraging practice.Back to nature and to ancient and traditional materials that are locally available is not a new vision but it is a strategy largely accepted and adopted to lower the environmental impact of construction sector.Using some locally available materials such as natural pozzolana may require an additional activation process such a calcination at relatively high temperature or a chemical activation by some known activators.Sarooj(SRJ)is a popular name given to a locally produced traditional or artificial pozzolana that has been extensively used as traditional construction material in several countries such Oman and some neighbouring countries like Iran.In modern days however;the usage of Sarooj material is limited to the plastering work and restoration of ancient castles and forts.Sarooj has large variety of chemical composition depending on the location from where it has been extracted and thus,the reactivity and the resulted mechanical performances vary to a large extent.This paper investigates the chemical and physical properties of a sample of Sarooj traditionally prepared and extracted from Wadi AL-Mawal region.The chemical analysis and XRD results indicate a great reactivity potential of this material if properly treated and designed.The traditional heat treatment applied seems to be not the appropriate way to reach the full activation of this clayey material.Although traditionally designed,the results of thermal conductivity showed a net decrease compared to normal Portland cement mortar.Combining the use of a locally produced material with an enhanced engineering properties could further promote sustainability in construction industry.