This work aims to characterize clay soil taken from Loudima, one of the localities in the department of Bouenza in Congo Brazzaville. X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, MEB, X-ray chemical analysis and mechanical tests were performed. The results obtained show that the Loud soil sample is a mixture of Kaolinite (41.33%), quartz (16.03%) and iron oxide (2.93%). By chemical analysis, we noted that the SiO2/Al2O3 ratio = 2.16, which indicates that this soil contains a significant content of quartz. The MEB showed the presence of scattered clay leaves in the form of sticks and some aggregates. The technological tests carried out with this soil have a linear shrinkage of 3.1% at 1150℃., an absorption rate of 6.1% at 1150℃., a compression strength of 25.5 MPa at 1150℃., and a flexural strength of 4.7 MPa at 1150℃. This gives the Loud sample the possibility to be used as a raw material for the manufacture of terracotta bricks.
Cite this paper
Julien, N. P. , Mozalin, F. P. , Raunel, L. , Igor, B. S. V. and Joseph-Marie, M. (2024). Characterization and Evaluation of Some Technological Properties of a Clay Soil Sample Collected at Loudima (Congo-Brazzaville). Open Access Library Journal, 11, e1069. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1111069.
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