Natural Materials for Thermal Insulation: Mulch and Lava-Rock Characterizations

Autor: Craig D. Adams, Mario A. Medina, Frédéric Miranville, Aurélien Jean
Přispěvatelé: Physique et Ingénierie Mathématique pour l'Énergie, l'environnemeNt et le bâtimenT (PIMENT), Université de La Réunion (UR), University of Kansas [Kansas City]
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2014
Předmět:
Zdroj: Applied Mechanics and Materials
Applied Mechanics and Materials, Trans Tech Publications, 2014, Machinery Electronics and Control Engineering IV, 705, pp.8-13. ⟨10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.705.8⟩
ISSN: 1660-9336
1662-7482
Popis: This paper reports on the thermal characterization, via the thermal conductivity, of natural materials, such as mulch and lava rock and their usefulness as building insulation. Experiments were carried out using a scale one monitored wall (i.e. heat flux and temperature sensors) exposed to a heating source on one side and to an air conditioned space on the other. The wall system was composed of an 8.85 cm thick cavity, where the mulch and lava rock were placed. The cavity was enclosed between two layers of pine wood (40 mm thick each). After the experiments and statistical data manipulation, the estimated thermal conductivity of the materials were 0.48 ± 0.001 W.m-1.K-1 and 0.129 ± 0.003 W.m-1.K-1 for mulch and lava-rock, respectively. That is, mulch has a thermal conductivity comparable to that of bulk hemp while lava rock has a thermal conductivity comparable to that of hemp brick. These values indicate the usefulness of mulch, compared to the impracticality of using lava-rocks materials for building insulation.
Databáze: OpenAIRE