From the historical sugar refinery of Chichaoua (Morocco) to the lab: a reverse engineering experimentation on the hydration of earthen materials stabilized with lime

In order to explain the good state of conservation and good mechanical characteristics of the lime-stabilized earth of the sugar refinery near Chichaoua (Morocco, XVIth A.C.) XRD, SEM-EDX, TG-DSC, FT-IR analyses were performed on collected samples. Moreover laboratory earth samples were prepared with selected clay minerals (presence of attapulgite) and lime, involving a reverse engineering process in order to investigate the reaction products during curing . The same analyses performed on the historical samples were carried out on lab samples. Moreover, compressive strength was assessed. The results were compared to the ones obtained on the historical samples. The maturation of lime-stabilized rammed earth was due to lime carbonation and to earth drying and consolidation. Furthermore, the formation of mixed CSH phases was evidenced, possibly because of a slow pozzolanic reaction between lime and clays, that took place in long times both in lab and in historical samples.