Thermal Behavior of a New Eco-Friendly Sandwich Material Based on Clay Combining with Granular Cork

Cork is being studied as a very interesting green additive with a high thermal and acoustic performance. Combining it with construction materials presents composites of high thermal performance, to reduce environmental impact and optimize the energy efficiency of the building. Authors in this work try to valorize the using of granular cork produced by cork wastes and by-products in thermal insulation. This paper presents an experimental study to understand the thermal behavior of a new sandwich material, based on the composite clay-granular cork and reinforced by an internal and external layer of cement mortar. Thermal proprieties of new material were measured using Asymmetrical Hot Plate and Flash methods. A scanning electron microscopy is used to observe the microstructure of the clay-cork composite to obtain information about the microstructure and the interface compatibility between clay and granular cork. Thermal dynamic characteristics were evaluated to see the effect of the sandwich material in the building envelope in comparison with hollow clay brick. A simulation using TRNSYS software for a model house was done to evaluate the effects of the developed material on the energy efficiency and thermal comfort of a residential building.