Experimental evaluation of straw bales mechanical performance

The use of straw bales in construction is becoming increasingly widespread in the last years. Straw bale building offers advantages over the use of conventional materials in terms of sustainability, hygro-thermal insulation properties and ensures good mechanical properties. In this paper, a discussion on the behavior of single unrendered straw bales under compressive load is carried out. Starting from the data obtained from an extensive experimental campaign conducted on bales of several materials, a simple interpretation of the deformation of the bales under compression has been proposed.