Abstract
In the present paper, we study with both experimental and numerical aspect the heat and moisture transfer properties of a wall based on concrete filled with the natural fibers. The wall was placed in climatic chamber and temperature and relative humidity were monitored at different depths. A developed model describing heat and moisture transfers in porous building materials was implemented in COMSOL Multiphysics and solved with the finite element method. The obtained results are compared with experimental data. A relatively good agreement was obtained for both temperature and relative humidity variation at different depths. Finally, the developed model gives almost a good prediction despite the classical difficulties encountered at the experiment, which is very promising for the prediction of the hygrothermal behavior of bio-based building materials at different conditions.
Highlights
The recent resorting to using environmentally friendly building materials was accompanied by a fast development of mathematical models describing heat and mass transfers in this type of materials
We performed a validation of a mathematical model for heat and moisture transfer of bio-based building wall
To solve the equation system, they were implemented in COMSOL Multiphysics, that is adopted for partial differential equation systems
Summary
The recent resorting to using environmentally friendly building materials was accompanied by a fast development of mathematical models describing heat and mass transfers in this type of materials. Adding natural fibers to building materials makes them highly porous, storing considerable amounts of heat and moisture. This feature added complexity to these mathematical models due to the strongly coupled thermal and hygric resulted phenomena. A considerable number of experimental studies were carried out at material and wall scales to study physical, thermal and hydric properties of biobased building materials [1,2]. The need for predictions under various climatic conditions at different scales pushed researchers to develop mathematical models which predict temperature and humidity profiles in building materials. A model was developed based on Kunzel’s work, solved numerically and results were compared with experimental data obtained from a conducted test on a wall made of date palm fibers concrete
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
