Influence of Nongrouted, Grouted, and Grouted with Reinforcement on the Thermal Conductivity Value of Interlocking Compressed-Earth Bricks

Abstract

This research aims to investigate the thermal conductivity of interlocking compressed-earth bricks (ICEBs) and the influence of nongrouted, grouted, and grouted with reinforcement on the thermal conductivity value of ICEBs. The centered hot plate approach in a steady-state regime is applied to calculate the thermal conductivity. The results are analyzed, and experiments on full and half bricks reveal that the thermal conductivity values for the ICEB for all conditions range from 0.335 to 0.359 W/m K (whether nongrouted, grouted, or grouted with reinforcement). Nongrouted ICEB has the lowest thermal conductivity value and is the best heat conductor when compared with grouted ICEB and grouted-with-reinforcement ICEB. The thermal conductivity value is the highest when the ICEB is grouted with reinforcement. This demonstrates that the ICEB’s construction conditions (nongrouted, grouted, and grouted with reinforcement) have a significant influence on its thermal conductivity value.