Engineering and Geochemical Assessment of Grey Clay from Iko Town, South-South Nigeria, for Building Construction Applications

Grey clay is abundantly available in Iko Town in South-South Nigeria. However, there is no scientific information on its potentialities. Hence, this research has been designed to determine its suitability for building purpose, considering how necessary shelter is for the survival of man. The flowability, gradation, and geochemistry of the clay were assessed. Also, samples were prepared from the clay under same conditions, dried sufficiently, and then subjected to various tests to examine their heat transfer and strength behaviors. For each test category, ten samples were prepared and used and the data obtained were averaged per test. It was found that the clay material possessed acceptable flow characteristic and contained enough proportions of some basic chemical oxides required for bricks making. The differences in temperatures between the surfaces of the samples ranged between 1.0 oC and 4.0 oC, depending on hourly sunlight intensity. The results further revealed that, if applied as earthen building material, the clay could perform satisfactorily in terms of thermal insulation. Though the flexural strength (0.184 MPa) and compressive strength (1.927 MPa) were low, the clay could be modified for improvement in its load-bearing capability and durability. Values obtained from the model developed for the clay’s surface temperature prediction agreed with the relevant measured data. Therefore, utilization of the clay material for passively-cooled building design would be of great economic and social benefits to the region in particular and building industry at large.