Jaydn Decuir
MIT Department: Architecture
Faculty Mentor: Prof. John Oschendorf
Research Supervisor: Nebyu Haile
Undergraduate Institution: Howard University
Hometown: Arlington, Texas
Website: LinkedIn
Biography
Jaydn Decuir is a rising junior civil engineering major and political science minor at Howard University. She is a member of the 6th cohort of the Karsh STEM Scholars Program. She chose civil engineering to combat social issues such as gentrification and affordable housing, working at the intersections of science, community, and policy. At MSRP, under Dr. John Ochsendorf, she is performing material testing on compressed stabilized earth blocks to determine their suitability as low-carbon, low-cost building materials to address the affordable housing crisis in the less economically developed world. Post-undergraduate, Jaydn intends to pursue a PhD, as research can improve the lives of marginalized communities in our society. In her free time, she is in a studio dancing. Jaydn prides herself on her work ethic, eagerness to learn, and inquisitive nature. Post-graduate school, she hopes to become a government researcher to see the direct impact of her work on minority communities.
Abstract
Investigation of Compressed Stabilized Earth Bricks (CSEBs) for Vaulted
Floor Systems
Jaydn Decuir1, Nebyu Haile2 and John Ochsendorf2
1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Howard University
2Departments of Architecture/CEE, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Many less economically developed countries are experiencing rapid population growth. Consequently, affordable and sustainable housing is a pressing need in these countries. One major roadblock is the high construction cost and carbon footprint associated with fired-clay bricks. There have been multiple materials suggested to decrease cement use such as geopolymers and industrial waste; however, for LEDCs, it is vital to consider the materials that will be readily available. Compressed stabilized earth blocks (made from sand, clay, and a cement or lime stabilizer) can serve as a sustainable, cost-efficient alternative,due to the decreased amount of embodied carbon produced. This project performs material testing of three different sand-heavy CSEB mixes for their maximum compressive stress, and modulus of elasticity to test the role of sand and clay in a CSEBs’ performance. An embodied carbon investigation is performed to evaluate the difference between CSEBs and traditional bricks’ carbon footprint. The CSEBs decreased the embodied carbon by 70%; however, had an average compressive strength of only 5 MPa (a traditional brick typically has a compressive strength of 15 MPa). As these mixes were quite sand-heavy, it is evident that clay plays an important role in CSEBs’ compressive strength.
