hi am Athira i would like to get details on seminar report on rammed earth construction pdf.....i m doing btech

Rammed earth walls are constructed by ramming a mixture of selected aggregates, including gravel, sand, silt and a small amount of clay, into place between flat panels called formwork.

Traditional technology repeatedly rammed the end of a wooden pole into the earth mixture to compress it. Modern technology replaces the pole with a mechanical ram.

Stabilised rammed earth is a variant of traditional rammed earth that adds a small amount of cement (typically 5–10%) to increase strength and durability. Stabilised rammed earth walls need little added protection but are usually coated with an air-permeable sealer to increase the life of the material — it varies with circumstance. Thousands of unstabilised rammed earth buildings around the world have given good service over many centuries.

Most of the energy used in the construction of rammed earth is in quarrying the raw material and transporting it to the site. Use of on-site materials can lessen energy consumed in construction. Rammed earth gives limited insulation but excellent thermal mass.

Rammed earth walls are sometimes known as pisé walls — from the Latin origin pisé de terre. First used in Lyons, France, in 1562, the term applied to the principle of constructing walls at least 500mm thick by ramming earth between two parallel frames that were then removed, revealing a completed section of compressed earth wall. While 500mm thick walls can still be constructed if desired, with or without cement, most modern rammed earth walls in Australia are built using cement as a stabiliser and are typically 300mm thick for external walls and 300mm or 200mm for internal walls.

Performance summary
Appearance
The colour of rammed earth walls is determined by the earth and aggregate used. The ramming process proceeds layer by layer and can introduce the appearance of horizontal stratification to the walls, which can enhance the overall appearance. It can be controlled as a feature or eliminated.

Aggregates can be exposed and special effects created by the addition of different coloured material in some layers, and elements such as feature stones or objects, alcoves or relief mouldings can be incorporated into rammed earth walls, at a price. Unusual finishes can be achieved by including shapes in the formwork that can be released after the wall has been rammed.