Development of solid, foam concrete interlocking blocks and studies on short masonry specimens

This paper combines two technologies, viz, interlocking blocks and foam concrete to study and develop solid foam concrete interlocking block masonry. Various aspects of the manufacture of foam concrete interlocking blocks are discussed. The density of foam concrete blocks ranges between +/-50 and 1250kg/m3. Class-C fly ash was used as set-accelerator to facilitate early demoulding. Masonry prisms were tested under axial and eccentric compressive loads and the permissible stresses obtained were compared with those applicable for conventional brick/block masonry. Flexural behaviour both parallel and normal to the bedding plane has been studied with and without plastering. The test results were compared with IS and ACI standards, and the results indicated that the allowable stress levels for light weight SILBLOCK masonry are higher than that of conventional brick masonry.