Evaluation of the thermal conductivity and transmittance coefficient of earthen constructive elements

Abstract

The aim of this work is to determine the thermal conductivity of different earthen constructive elements produced with materials typical of the central-eastern part of the Province of Santa Fe (Argentina), and to evaluate their suitability to be used in the construction of envelopes that comply with the thermal insulation requirements of the corresponding National Regulations. For this purpose, test specimens were made following the different earth construction techniques used in the region (compressed earth block, adobe, rammed earth (tapia), wattle and daub (quincha), and plaster), and their thermal conductivity coefficient was measured, with which the thermal transmittance of different earth construction packages was calculated. The results obtained indicate that the earth construction techniques evaluated show, in all cases, a better thermal performance than traditional solid ceramic brick or concrete block walls, with wattle and daub being the technique with the highest thermal insulation capacity.