Resumen de Effects of the use of plant mucilage on the physico-mechanical properties of raw earth structures
Olga Maria Medina Lorente, Begoña Carrascosa Moliner, Laura Osete Cortina
Raw earth constructions, by their very nature, are particularly sensitive to variations in the surrounding climatic conditions. Consequently, the use of this material implies the incorporation of substances of various kinds that have a stabilising function and help to prolong the life of these structures. For this reason, the use of plant substances from succulent plants is proposed, which is also a sustainable and safe option, both for the environment and for cultural assets. In this sense, the aim of the present research is to study the effect of the incorporation of these substances in the chocototype of raw earth used from pre-Inca times to the present day in the Archaeological Park of Cochasquí, Ecuador. For this purpose, plant substances of the cactaceae family of the genus Opuntia; Austrocylindropuntia Subulata (MUHLPFRDT. Backbg) and Opuntia huajuapensis (Bravo), which can be found in the natural environment, have been evaluated. In this experimental investigation, the characteristics of these substances and the influence they can have on the stabilisation of this raw soil have been evaluated through a series of physical-mechanical tests, including: the comparison of the kinematic viscosity of the different plant substances used, as well as the evaluation of the water behaviour in soil samples stabilised with different concentrations of mucilage.
