Assessment of Thermal Performances of Walls Made of Rubberized Gypsum Composite in Arid Zones - Experimental Study and Simulation

In this study, the thermal performance efficiency of buildings located in M’sila region (Algeria), which is considered as typical arid zone, was investigated. In its first part, the study focused on the laboratory evaluation of the thermomechanical properties of a gypsum mortar, in which rubber waste was incorporated by volume replacement of sand. The second part of study was to investigate the insulation performance of a typical wall subjected to arid climatic conditions, using numeric simulations. The thermal properties were measured using Transient Plane Source method (TPS), and then the Time-lag “ƒ” and decrement factor “φ” were calculated, for various wall configurations, using theoretical equations. The effect of various parameters was studied, including: wall thickness, inclusion of air space within the wall and application of surfacing materials. The obtained results showed that when rubber content, in the composite, increases, the mechanical strength and the density decrease; whereas the insulating performances are considerably improved. The later were improved by more than 50% with 50% of rubber. The numerical simulations indicated that the thermal inertia characteristics [ƒ, φ] are improved when the thickness of the wall increased; moreover, more improvement was recorded (more than 38%% in time lag and more than 2h in decrement factor) when an air space was included within the wall and even when the wall surfaces are coated. The use of rubber waste as building materials, helps to regulate the temperature inside buildings, reduce the energy consumption, reduces the construction cost and protect the environment.