Abstract

Sandcrete bricks are made up of sand, cement, and water. This study experimented the development of this brick with respect to their mechanical property (the compressive strength) over various curing periods. Sand was introduced in varied proportions of 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25%, as a colourant to resemble fired red brick product. Sandcrete bricks were evaluated at 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 days to determine the impact of curing time on their structural performance. The compressive strength tests revealed an initial strength of 0.82 N/mm² at 7 days, which increased to 1.59 N/mm² at 14 days. Further curing resulted in a notable rise to 3.88 N/mm² by 21 days and 4.57 N/mm² by 28 days. The strength continued to improve, reaching 5.23 N/mm² at 35 days. The data demonstrates a progressive increase in compressive strength with extended curing periods, indicating the potential for enhanced structural integrity of sandcrete bricks with time. This research highlights the importance of adequate curing time in achieving optimal compressive strength, suggesting that prolonged curing is essential for the development of durable sandcrete bricks. This suggests that the developed bricks can find application in building partition walls, perimeter walls and fencing, and in construction of temporary structures that do not require high load-bearing capacity.