Thermal Characterization and Energy Efficiency Investigation of Composite Building Material based on Clay and Locally Ecological Additives

In the present research work, the authors propose a composite building material based on clay and local ecological additives. The composite material comprises clay, cork aggregates, natural lime, and sheep wool fibers. A characterization of the thermal conductivity of the developed material is given by the Permanent Hot Plane method. The thermal effusivity of the material is measured using the Hot Plate Method in a transient regime. In addition, the thermal diffusivity is measured experimentally via the Flash method. The results of the thermal characterization show that the integration of cork, sheep wool fibers, and natural lime considerably improves the thermal performance of the clay. An evaluation of the energy efficiency of the composite material was performed via a dynamic thermal simulation on a model building of real dimensions. The results reveal a good thermal insulation capacity of the composite material, encouraging its integration into construction applications.