Numerical and Theoretical Analysis of Thermal Behavior of a Composite Material Randomly Distributed

Abstract

Choosing the right materials for construction is a good solution in order to limit their impact on the environment. Adobe brick is currently reaching interest thanks to its low environmental impact and its ability to provide a comfortable indoor environment. The stabilization of the earth by plant-based fibers such as straw, hemp or others makes adobe brick an anisotropic and highly heterogeneous composite material. Possessing the advantages of a promising building material, the adobe brick is getting an increasing attention. The present work aims to understand and to model the effect of plant inclusions on the thermal behavior of the composite material by a numerical approach. A finite element method compared to analytical models has been used to determine the thermal parameters of the composite straw earth including its thermal conductivity and its thermal capacity. From a thermal point of view, the numerical results of the thermal conductivity concern a 2D simulation of finite elements of a matrix with inclusions distributed randomly with different filling rates of 5%; 10% and 15%. The obtained results have been in line with the ones previously found by other authors. This consistency with other studies has validated this application of the theories used to the studied composites Earth-Straw.