TITLE:
Physical and Thermo-Mechanical Properties of Composite Materials Based on Raw Earth and Crushed Palm Leaf Fibers (Borassus aethiopum)
AUTHORS:
Mouhamadou Nabi Kane, Mapathe Ndiaye, Pape Moussa Touré, Adama Dione
KEYWORDS:
Raw Earth, Palma Leaf Fibers, Ecological Composite Materials, Physical, Thermo-Mechanical, Thermal Conductivity, Thermal Effusivity
JOURNAL NAME:
Materials Sciences and Applications,
Vol.15 No.9,
September
19,
2024
ABSTRACT: The objective of this study is to seek solutions to reduce the impact of buildings on climate change and to promote the use of local bio-sourced or geo-sourced materials for sustainable construction. Different samples of raw earth from 3 sites were taken in the commune of Mlomp. Geotechnical tests showed that the raw earth samples from sites 2 and 3 have more clay fraction while site 1 contains more sand. The fact of integrating fibers from crushed palm leaves (Borassus aethiopum) (2%, 4% and 6%) into the 3 raw earth samples reduced the mechanical resistance to compression and traction of the 3 raw earths. The experimental results of thermal tests on samples of earth mixtures with crushed Palma leaf fibers show a decrease in thermal conductivity as well as thermal effusivity as the percentages increase (2%, 4% and 6%) of fibers in raw earth for the 3 sites. This shows that this renewable composite material can help improve the thermal insulation of building envelopes.