Effect of the addition of recyclable materials in the lightweight construction mastic regarding the calorifying capacity, and thermal and acoustic insulation

Abstract

This paper discusses the results of the experimental research conducted to study the inclusion of recyclable materials such as rice husks, expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in the mastic for lightweight construction used for the manufacture of Drywall plates in response to the minimization of the environmental impact, and the use of the properties of discarded materials that are, once again, introduced in productive processes to obtain low thermal conductivity, high heat capacity, high sound absorption capacity and that comply with international standards for construction materials. For this purpose, tests to measure four properties such as Thermal Insulation, Calorific Capacity and Physical-Mechanical Testing (Flexural Resistance and Nail Tensile Strength) were carried out by means of test pieces taking into account the ASTM C1396 / C1396M - 04 and ASTM C473 - 03, while ISO 16283-1 and ISO 717-1 were used for the acoustic insulation test. The results obtained were processed by applying a multivariate statistical analysis using the Statgraphics Centurion XVII-2015 software that established the maximum and minimum values, Pearson's correlation and Spearman's ordinal as the analysis method for reporting the most efficient material regarding the four measured properties. Rice husk, replacing by 60% the weight of plaster in the original mastic, reported the best results in each of the four tests carried out throughout the research. In this way, it is confirmed that it is a suitable material for the implementation in lightweight construction processes as it shows that recyclable materials are efficient and also have specific properties such as strength, lightness and flexibility that give an added value to be used again as a replacement of traditional materials.