Master's Theses

Department

Physics

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Abstract

Houses made of soil have been built for centuries, but until recently the trend had been away from soil to some other building material. Now, however, adobe is again beginning to be recognized as a satisfactory, reliable building material for our time. Recently, especially in the southwestern part of the United States, a surprising number of dwellers have turned again to earth for their building material. They are following in the footsteps of the early settlers, who constructed many missions and other buildings from sun-dried earth. Many of these buildings, although aged, are still in use or may be viewed as historical landmarks. The adobe buildings constructed today range from small houses to impressive theological structures, one of the largest being the Cristo Rey Church in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Thus it is adobe, the oldest of building materials, that is becoming an active candidate for wide use in the house of tomorrow. Since little work has been carried out in this part of the country on the use of modern adobe for building construction and since it is desirable to know the strength of any material used for constructional purposes, the following problem was thought worthy of investigation: To determine the physical properties of Ellis County, Kansas, adobe.

Keywords

Soil surveys, Adobe brick, Natural construction materials, Ellis County (Kan.), Dirt, Fort Hays State University, Clay

Advisor

Dr. Harvey A. Zinszer

Date of Award

Spring 1948

Document Type

Thesis

Rights

© The Author(s)

Comments

For questions contact ScholarsRepository@fhsu.edu

Download


Included in

Physics Commons

Share

COinS