THERMAL SCIENCE

International Scientific Journal

Mourad Bendekhis

,

Naima Fezzioui

,

Mebirika Benyamine

,

Noureddine Kaid

,

Samia Larguech

,

Mustafa Bayram

,

Younes Menni

,

Salih Özer

HYGROTHERMAL BEHAVIOR AT THE JUNCTION OF CEMENT MORTAR AND BIOBASED MATERIALS: FINITE ELEMENT STUDY OF HEMPCRETE, DATE PALM CONCRETE, AND CLAY BRICK

ABSTRACT
This study investigates the hygrothermal behavior at the junction between cement mortar and three biobased materials, hempcrete, date palm concrete, and clay brick, using the finite element method. Numerical simulations were conducted under both summer and winter conditions to analyze temperature and relative humidity distributions across a multilayer block at a depth of 145 mm. The results reveal that each material exhibits a distinct hygrothermal signature. Hempcrete ensures stable moisture buffering and smooth gradient transitions. Date palm concrete offers high moisture transfer and insulation performance, but with sharper discontinuities. Clay brick shows intermediate behavior with moderate buffering and more gradual junction transitions. The finite element method results highlight the junction as a critical zone where mismatches in material properties can lead to moisture accumulation, mechanical stresses, and durability concerns. These findings underscore the importance of selecting compatible materials and designing junctions carefully to ensure long-term performance and comfort in biobased building envelopes.
KEYWORDS
biobased materials, junction, moisture transfer, heat transfer, seasonal boundary conditions
PAPER SUBMITTED: 2025-04-22
PAPER REVISED: 2025-06-29
PAPER ACCEPTED: 2025-07-30
PUBLISHED ONLINE: 2025-09-26
DOI REFERENCE: https://doi.org/10.2298/TSCI2504239B
CITATION EXPORT: view in browser or download as text file
THERMAL SCIENCE YEAR 2025, VOLUME 29, ISSUE Issue 4, PAGES [3239 - 3251]
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Hygrothermal behavior at the junction of cement mortar and biobased materials: Finite element study of hempcrete, date palm concrete, and clay brick

2025 Society of Thermal Engineers of Serbia. Published by the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International licence