TITLE:
Numerical Simulation and Experimental Characterization of Clay Paste under Loads for Energy Saving in Clay Materials Processing
AUTHORS:
Brahiman Traore, Kokou Esso Atcholi, Ouro-Djobo Samah, Samuel Gomes, Tibi Beda
KEYWORDS:
Simulation Model, Environmentally Friendly, Construction Materials, Rheological Behaviour, Clay Materials, Energy Saving
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Minerals and Materials Characterization and Engineering,
Vol.4 No.2,
March
30,
2016
ABSTRACT: Requirements for the respect of the environment encourage to reduce the impact of human activity
on the nature. Civil engineering answers these requirements by the development of ecological
construction materials. This paper deals with the transformation of clay raw materials which enable
the processing of environmentally friendly construction materials: in addition to their biodegradability,
the alveolar fired clay materials allow energy saving in home heating thanks to their
thermal isolation properties. But their manufacturing is a high energy consumption process, in
particular during compaction, drying and firing which contribute to the emission of greenhouse
gases. The goal of this paper is to study the rheology of clay pastes in order to develop low energy
in manufacturing processes. For this purpose, theoretical and experimental approaches were carried
out on six clay varieties. In the theoretical approach, a finite element (FE) simulation model
has been developed for pressing a non-rigid material predicting deformations and stresses occurring
within the clay structure. Experiments have then been carried out to validate the finite element
modelling. In this experimental approach, the clay pastes were transformed with water content
respecting the Atterberg limits which determine the plasticity of clays. The samples compaction
has been carried out under variable loadings in order to determine the suitable low energy
consumption loading.