Experimental study on thermal properties of bio-composite (gypsum plaster reinforced with palm tree fibers) for building insulation

Abstract

This paper presents an experimental and theoretical study of the thermo physical properties of date palm tree fiber-reinforced plaster composites. In this work, the thermal conductivity and diffusivity of composites are determined by the "DICO" method. The palm tree fibers are incorporated, without any preliminary treatment, into a plaster mixture. Four samples containing different percentages of palm tree fibers are realized (prepared) and examined. Furthermore, the interface of palm tree fibers is observed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The experimental results show that the reinforcement of plaster by palm fibers decreases the thermal conductivity and diffusivity. Therefore, the measured thermal conductivity is compared with the theoretical models (serial model, parallel model, Krischer model and Willy and Southwick model).