Effect of Temperature on Moisture Migration in Earth and Fiber Mixtures for Cob Materials

Yousra Taouirte, Anne-Lise Tiffonnet, Michael Marion, Hasna Louahlia (), Mustapha El Alami, Ayoub Gounni, Eric Lépinasse and Ionut Voicu
Additional contact information
Yousra Taouirte: LUSAC, Université de Caen Normandie, Site Universitaire Bellevue, 120 Rue de L’exode, 50000 Saint-Lo, Manche, France
Anne-Lise Tiffonnet: LUSAC, Université de Caen Normandie, Site Universitaire Bellevue, 120 Rue de L’exode, 50000 Saint-Lo, Manche, France
Michael Marion: LUSAC, Université de Caen Normandie, Site Universitaire Bellevue, 120 Rue de L’exode, 50000 Saint-Lo, Manche, France
Hasna Louahlia: LUSAC, Université de Caen Normandie, Site Universitaire Bellevue, 120 Rue de L’exode, 50000 Saint-Lo, Manche, France
Mustapha El Alami: LPMAT Laboratory, Faculty of Science Ain Chock, Hassan II University, Casablanca 20000, Morocco
Ayoub Gounni: LPMAT Laboratory, Faculty of Science Ain Chock, Hassan II University, Casablanca 20000, Morocco
Eric Lépinasse: LUSAC, Université de Caen Normandie, Site Universitaire Bellevue, 120 Rue de L’exode, 50000 Saint-Lo, Manche, France
Ionut Voicu: LUSAC, Université de Caen Normandie, Site Universitaire Bellevue, 120 Rue de L’exode, 50000 Saint-Lo, Manche, France

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 14, 1-23

Abstract: This paper highlights the impact of environmental conditions on cob buildings. Different factors such as wall thickness, material permeability and interactions between moisture and heat fluxes can all have significant effects on the performance and durability of cob buildings. An experimental and modeling-based study was conducted on the hygrothermal characterization of cob building materials, which were obtained by mixing earth and fibers. Two types of cob materials that can be used as insulation and to form structural materials in buildings were tested. The effect of outside temperature on adsorption isotherms was investigated for both materials. The experimental data were fitted using the GAB model, after which a new correlation of water content correlation was proposed. Three specific configurations were investigated in which cob material was subjected to moisture transfer and a zero, positive or negative temperature gradient. Based on the resulting measurements, a high coupling effect between heat and moisture transfer inside the structural material was analyzed. A comparison of the experimental and modeling results demonstrated the satisfactory correlation and reliability of the developed model. Simulations were carried out for various wall thicknesses, in order to assess the effect of heat and moisture transfer on water content. The three scenarios were simulated and distributions of water content inside the walls were determined. The results show that the wall thickness of cob buildings and the direction of heat and moisture fluxes affect water content distribution in the structure. A greater thickness of the cob wall leads to higher water content, but this relationship reverses when the heat and moisture fluxes move in the same direction.

Keywords: biosourced materials; temperature effect; hygrothermal behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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