Abstract :
About 3=4 of Botswana is covered by Kgalagadi
Sands (KS). KS are invariably closely graded, consist of
medium to fine sub-rounded particles and contain insignificant
amounts of silty and clayey fractions. As a result of
these physical and chemical properties, KS lack packing and
therefore compactibility, have very high voids ratios and are
cohesionless. Consequently, the wet and dry strengths
(compressive, shear and flexural), dimensional stability,
durability and aesthetics of building blocks moulded with
KS alone, in the very rare cases where they occur with silts
and clays of the right quantities and quality, are well below
acceptable values.This position paper describes the extensive
experimental work currently underway at Botswana’s
major multi-disciplinary Research and Development (R&D)
Centre—Botswana Technology Centre. The work seeks to
render this immensely abundant and widely available, but
hitherto unusable resource, utilizable in construction. The
affordability of the resultant KSBB shall derive from the
local availability of KS as a raw material, usage of locally
manufactured manually operated equipment and exploitation
of local, largely unskilled labour force under supervision
by semi-skilled artisans
