Abstract
Construction materials used in arid zones in Algeria are mainly concrete and clay bricks. These materials are not suitable for this climate as they have poor insulating properties. In order to improve thermal comfort in buildings and to save energy, materials used in construction must be good insulators while having an acceptable mechanical strength. New extruded clay bricks have been developed by incorporating date palm fibers into the clay matrix. These are considered renewable and are abundant agricultural waste generated by date palm trees each year without exploitation. Starting from the composition usually used by the local brickyard, seven compositions were tested, with clay/fiber ratios from 80 %/0 % to 68 %/12 %, by considering as a constant the sum of the masses (clay and fiber), with the percentage of dune sand maintained as equal to 20 wt.-%. From experiment tests it was observed that for a composition with 68 wt.-% clay, 20 wt.-% dune sand and 12 wt.-% fiber, the bricks prepared were light weight, had good thermal properties and met compressive strength requirements. For this composition the weight reduction exceeded 23 % for an energy saving impact of more than 44 % in a dry state.
About the authors
Mohamed Laid Bekhaled is a Phd Student at the University of Médéa, Algeria.
Mohamed Bentchikou is currently working at the University of Médéa, Algeria as Associate Professor. He achieved his PhD at The Laboratory of Construction Materials (LMC) of EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) in Switzerland and wrote his PhD thesis at the National Polytechnic School of Algiers (ENP), finishing in 2008. His focus is on designing innovative materials for thermo acoustical insulation applications and recycling for building construction uses.
Pr. Rafik Belarbi Received his Engineer degree in Building Physics from the School of Engineers in Poitiers (ESIP) and his MSc in Thermal Sciences from the University of Poitiers, France in 1993. He obtained his PhD in Civil Engineering at La Rochelle University, 1998. In 1999, he joined the LEPTAB research staff laboratory and the Civil Engineering Department of La Rochelle University as Associate Professor. He is a Full Professor. Since 1994, he has been involved in several National and International projects dealing with heat and moisture transfer.
Dr. Mustapha Maliki is currently working at the Université Abdelhamid Ibn Badis Mostaganem, Algeria as Associate Professor, he is a member of the LCTPE Laboratory in the Faculty of Science and Technology. His focus is on numerical modeling of hygrothermal response in building envelopes.
Acknowledgement
The authors acknowledge their debt of gratitude to Mr. A. Djedei, Head of the Briqueterie Djedei Abdelkader Blidet Amor company, for providing the facilities and supplying the needed logistics for carrying out this research.
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