Effects of Moisture Content on Thermal Properties of Adobe Bricks as a Sustainable Building Material

Abstract

The adobe is a widely used traditional material in popular building construction in rural areas of Northeastern, Nigeria and more generally in African countries. In order to increase comfort and energy efficiency of buildings, it is necessary to better consider the thermal properties of the adobe. Adobes at different locations as a function of moisture content have been studied. Thermal conductivity and thermal resistivity were measured by means of a single probe method. Density was estimated by the ratio of mass to volume. The measured values of thermal conductivity and thermal resistivity of adobe soil are varying between 0.191 to 0.428 W/m K and 2.34 to 5.23 mK/W in the moisture content range 5-20% wet basis. However, the effect of moisture content increase by increasing the thermal conductivity and decreases the resistivity of soil samples. Regression analysis was carried out which could be used to reasonably estimate the values of the thermal conductivity and resistivity as a function of specified moisture content. For the adobe soils studied, thermal properties increased with increasing soil moisture content.