Increasing productivity of clay brick forming to build a clay house using compressive forming equipment

Abstract

          Doi Pu Muen Community, Fang District, Chiang Mai Province, is located on the edge of Thailand where the electricity is produced from solar cells and hydropower. Building a clay house was developed and planed for staying and supporting the tourists. The process of clay lumps production with dimensions of 20 centimeters wide, 35 centimeters long, and 12 centimeters high is currently using the method of compacting the soil mixed with rice husks into the wood form, which takes an average of 150 seconds per lump. The average waiting time for drying the clay lumps is 30 days and the labor cost of 1.56 baht per lump which causes to delay of clay house construction problem. According to those problems, the researchers designed and built a compression molding kit that was able to increase molding efficiency with an average compression time of 84 seconds per lump, 44% reduction, using the average drying time of 18 days, or 40% reduction, labor cost 0.88 baht per piece or 44% reduction, the density and water absorption values were not much different. The analysis of the optimum soil mix ratio using the mixed experimental design technique. The soil ratio was 75% and the rice husk ratio was 25% or equal to 12 kg of soil weight, 4 kg of rice husk, using 3 kg of water for mix clay extrusion of one lump which was the appropriate ratio. Totally, the cost of compressive forming equipment was 13,500 baht while the benefit of investment is 136 baht per day, so that we can calculate the payback period of 3.30 months.