Contribution to the study of thermal properties of clay bricks reinforced by date palm fiber

Published Date

AIP Conf. Proc. 1758, 030004 (2016); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4959400
• Conference date: 15–18 April 2016
• Location: Beirut, Lebanon

Author
A. Mekhermeche1),a), A. Kriker1) and S. Dahmani1)

a) Corresponding author : syamabdou@yahoo.fr

Abstract

The Saharan regions of Algeria are characterized by a hot and dry climate. The most used cement materials such as theconcrete or the mortar blocks have bad thermal characteristic. However, these regions have several local materials: clay, dune sand and some natural fibers, which are formerly proved their thermal efficiency. The price of construction material used therefore depends on the international market constantly destabilized by theeconomic crisis coupled with the energy crisis in recent times. To produce a framework of life at a lower cost, it is important, therefore, to circumvent the influence of the cost of energy by upgrading the local materials of construction. In order to improve thermal performances in Saharan building materials this study was lanced. The aim of this research isthen to fabricate some bricks using three local materials:namely the clay, sand dune and the fibers of date palm. The percentage of sand and fibers varies from 0% to 40% and 0% to 3% by mass respectively. A sand dune of Ain El Beida of Ouargla of Algeria was used. Clay was extracted from Beldet Amer of Touggourt Ouargla Algérie. The fibers used in this study were vegetable fibers from date palm of Ouargla Algeria. The results showed that increasing in the mass fraction of sand and of fiber were beneficial for improving thermal properties. As function of increasing the percentage of sand dune and fibers there were: A decrease in: thermal conductivity,specific heat, heat capacity, thermal effusivity and thermal diffusivity and there were an increase in the thermal resistance.

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Mechanical properties and hygroscopicity behavior of compressed earth block filled by date palm fibers

Published Date
30 May 2014, Vol.59:161–168, doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2014.02.058

Author

• Bachir Taallah ^a
• Abdelhamid Guettala ^a
• Salim Guettala ^a,b,,
• Abdelouahed Kriker ^c

• aCivil Engineering Research Laboratory, University of Biskra, 07000 Biskra, Algeria
• bCivil Engineering Department, University of Djelfa, 17000 Djelfa, Algeria
• cE.V.R.N.Z.A Laboratory, University of Ouargla, 30000 Ouargla, Algeria

Received 16 November 2013. Revised 13 February 2014. Accepted 17 February 2014. Available online 15 March 2014. 

Highlights

• Mechanical properties and hygroscopicity behavior of compressed earth block filled by date palm fibers was investigated.
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  Better result of the dry compressive strength was observed with 0.05% fiber, 8% cement and compaction pressure of 10 MPa.
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  Impact of palm fibers on the tensile strength was unfavorable.
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  Increasing cement content and decreasing palm fibers content there is a decrease in total water absorption.
• •
  The swelling of the blocks increases with decreasing cement content and increasing palm fibers content.

Abstract 

This paper investigates the mechanical properties and hygroscopicity behavior of compressed earth block (CEB) filled by date palm fibers in order to valorize local building materials and the contribution to the cost reduction of housing especially in rural areas. In this framework, a series of blocks were fabricated using a soil, stabilised with cement, the crushed sand and fibers, and compacted with a static loading by applying three compacting stresses (1.50, 5 and 10 MPa). Better result of the dry compressive strength was observed by CEB with 0.05% of fiber content, 8% cement content and compaction pressure of the 10 MPa. But for the remaining studied cases, the addition of fibers under compaction pressure has an adverse effect on the properties of CEB. Impact of palm fibers on the tensile strength was unfavorable because of their low tensile strength, very high water absorption, by heterogeneity or distribution and a low adhesion with the matrix. Could be said that by increasing cement content and decreasing palm fibers content there is a general decrease in total water absorption of the blocks. The swelling of the blocks increases with decreasing cement content and increasing palm fibers content.

Keywords

Compressed earth block

Date palm fibers

Mechanical properties

Water absorption

Swelling

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• ⁎ 
  Corresponding author at: Civil Engineering Research Laboratory, University of Biskra, 07000 Biskra, Algeria. Tel.: 00 213 551874005.

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The mechanical and physical properties of compressed earth block stabilized with lime and filled with untreated and alkali-treated date palm fibers

Published Date
1 February 2016, Vol.104:52–62, doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2015.12.007

Author 

• Bachir Taallah ^,
• Abdelhamid Guettala

• Civil Engineering Research Laboratory, University of Biskra, 07000 Biskra, Algeria

Received 22 September 2015. Revised 28 November 2015. Accepted 2 December 2015. Available online 11 December 2015. 

Highlights

• Effect of untreated and alkali treated date palm fibers on the properties of CEB with quicklime is discussed.
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  The alkali treatment of fibers did not improve the strength of the blocks.
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  The bulk density and thermal conductivity decreased with increasing fibers content.
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  The fibers alkali treatment of date palm fibers has a negative effect on thermal insulation of CEB.

Abstract 

Most developing countries have an urgent need to construct and build houses that are more durable at a low cost. The compressed earth block (CEB) has been identified as a low-cost material with the potential to redress the problem and reverse the shelter backlog. While its properties, using cement and lime, are well understood, the use of vegetal fibers with chemical stabilizers still raises a lot of questions. The principal objective of this research is to investigate the mechanical and physical properties of CEB stabilized with quicklime and filled with date palm fibers. The fibers have been chemically treated using an alkaline solution to enhance the fiber/matrix bonding consequently increases the mechanical strength. In this work, the effect of curing methods and curing time on mechanical strength of CEB was studied. The investigation results indicate that, although the strengths values of CEB filled with alkali treated fibers is slightly greater than that with untreated fibers, the fiber surface treatment did not result in an improvement in the fiber/matrix adhesion, leading to a decrease in strength of the blocks. The research findings show that the use of date palm fibers lead to a reduction in thermal conductivity and bulk density and increases the capillary absorption of the blocks. An adverse effect on thermal conductivity of CEB with alkali treated date palm fibers was observed.

Keywords

Compressed earth block

Lime

Cure

Date palm fibers

Alkali treatment

Adhesion

Mechanical strength

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• ⁎ 
  Corresponding author.
  
  

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