
A compressed earth block (CEB), also known as a pressed earth block or a compressed soil block, is a building material made primarily from damp soil compressed at high pressure to form blocks. The current design practice for CEB. CEBs are typically used for single story homes and school houses. Interlocking CEB blocks are dry stacked (no mortar in the joints), reinforced through flues and grouted. Stabilized compressed earth block (CEB) structures are popular in developing countries because of their low cost, sustainable use of indigenous materials, and inherent simplicity.
Also the bottom corners I would recommend using 4 bolts vs 2 bolts on each corner to prevent deformation. When CEB buildings are designed and constructed based on structural design principles and industry knowledge, they are a great option for simple, single-storey structures.The hole on the top lever arm was an original idea for placement of a handle but after making a few dozen blocks I found it impractical and over-engineered. I used 1/2 inch bolts on a smaller design which held up well so I guess to be on the safe side go for larger.In recent years, compressed earth block has become a popular construction material due to its sustainability, low cost, local availability, and aesthetics. Specifically not to use 3/8 inch bolts like I did because they will bend under the stresses produced. I had a few flaws pop up with the above design.
I was frustrated because the only plans or presses I would find were metal construction (CINVA/ GRAGO Ram) which I do not have the tools or the budget to put one of these together. I too have been looking into CEB press designs. Surprisingly the 2x2 arms hold very well.I just stumbled onto this site/ thread. This will alleviate stresses that would normally push the 4 vertical boards at angles.If you are wondering, I used 2x6 boards and 2x2 for the arms. The blocks after they have been properly cured for a minimum of 28 days, can be used to build walls as shown in.Another thing, when you attach the arms make sure that they are vertical-most where the most stress is produced in compacting soil. The lever system is basically everything above the two corners I mentioned earlier so they will need the thicker bolts at the stress points.Compressed Earth Block Building Systems.
02 cents, probably not even worth the good all copper ones either.How about this for an extraction method. And it solves the corner strength issue.It still doesn't solve the ever present problem of getting the brick out of the mold, but I'll sleep on it and try to come up with something that works with the current design constraints.My. Cut in 3-4 inch heights an 8 foot section would build a lot of CEB machines. There must be a rectangular beam that is the size necessary to make bricks. My goal is to build a ECO-Shed using sustainable building materials that I can use to teach my students (high school science teacher) about such concepts as sustainability - show them that there are 'other' ways of building/ living.I had an idea for the form/ removal issue - see attachmentBasically you could use your initial design but only permanently bolt/ screw one end and one side piece together to forms two separate L pieces - these L pieces could have doll rod or something else to just line the form up and it could be held together by a heavy duty ratchet tie down - press brick - release ratchet - take apart form… This is assuming a ratchet could get the job done… but they are cheap in staying true to the design ideaNot sure if this is a good idea or what but I figured I would throw it into the mix.I would imagine at times a short build time would be somewhat critical, say in an area that has a short dry season in which to build, or even conversely a short rainy season to provide the moisture to help with making the blocks stick together.At what point does the cost or materials make it worth while to spend the money? As a former mechanic I had no problem spending 500 dollars on a specialty tool if it saved me 2 hours on a particular job, the ROI was usually a matter of a few weeks or maybe a month or two at the outside.While I do like the idea of being able to build out of materials lying around, as they are usually cheap or free, the benefit of being able to crank out bricks at a much faster pace would pay for itself if you can find yourself doing other projects with the time, Sepp's use of excavation equipment while making a post and beam root cellar for example.Anyway, the ratchet strap got me thinking about all of this, I would imagine it would work quite well in holding the two pieces together, but would be ungainly to attach and remove for every brick. I am impressed with Amedean's design and all of the thread ideas and feedback.
If you do this with a couple helpers - one on on the lever, one operating the slide bottom and fetching finished bricks and one shoveling the mixture in, I bet you could have a respectable production rate, and the cost of the changes to the apparatus would not be too terribly much more. You'll have to move the lever a longer distance, but the effort will be less. You might get a little "squeeze leakage" in the brick there, but once they've dried a little, you can trim it off.Also, I'd add a long steel bar (use brackets so you can remove it easily) to the end of the wood lever. You'd want to raise the apparatus up high enough to allow the brick to clear and for you to fetch it out of there. Then, once the brick is made, slide the bottom and use the press to push it out.
The good news is that I addressed the issue with a healthy degree of satisfaction by inserting plywood liners shaped to fit the bottom of the mold and additional liners along the sides of the inner walls. For starters, I want to avoid an over reliance on liners which disintegrate relatively quick because this would not be cost effective and they don't preserve the shape of the block. Perhaps use a shop press to make bricks that need to have more strength, and the apparatus-made ones for lower-load duties.The mold is a challenge but I have gained some experience and drawn a few conclusions. The shop press method will be much slower, but you will be able to apply several tons of force to make a much denser brick.

