Thermo-mechanical characterization and numerical modeling of lightweight mortars incorporating natural Pozzolan and expanded clay
This research studies the thermo-mechanical properties of lightweight mortars (LWM) based on natural pozzolan (NP) from the Moroccan Middle Atlas, which is a porous volcanic rock formed by rapid cooling during explosive eruptions, and expanded clay aggregates (EC). The purpose is to find optimal mor...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Case Studies in Construction Materials |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214509525005303 |
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| author | Brahim Balizi Hamza Karim Serroukh Ayoub Aziz Mouhcine Benaicha Abdelilah Bellil Abdellali El Khadiri Najma Laaroussi |
| author_facet | Brahim Balizi Hamza Karim Serroukh Ayoub Aziz Mouhcine Benaicha Abdelilah Bellil Abdellali El Khadiri Najma Laaroussi |
| author_sort | Brahim Balizi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This research studies the thermo-mechanical properties of lightweight mortars (LWM) based on natural pozzolan (NP) from the Moroccan Middle Atlas, which is a porous volcanic rock formed by rapid cooling during explosive eruptions, and expanded clay aggregates (EC). The purpose is to find optimal mortar mixtures for better thermal insulation with reasonable mechanical properties for green building construction. Experimental investigation includes density, specific heat, thermal conductivity, compressive strength, tensile strength, and elastic modulus. In addition, an SPH implicit numerical model simulates thermo-mechanical behavior and validates experimentally derived results. SPH was employed due to its mesh-free and Lagrangian nature, which provides significant advantages over traditional methods, particularly when handling large deformations, porous materials, and complicated geometries without the requirement of meshing or remeshing. Results: show that high EC content is responsible for significantly reducing thermal conductivity with respect to performance improvement as an insulation material while reducing compressive and tensile strengths as well as increased porosity. Alternatively, NP-based mortars exhibit improved mechanical strength in terms of higher thermal conductivity. Numerical simulations are in good agreement with experiments and validate the applicability of the SPH method for simulating heat transfer in light mortars. The result highlights the thermal vs. mechanical reliability trade-off, necessitating optimized mortar composition for the development of energy-efficient and structurally strong building material. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0d5a3535aa2248c2ab9692d5df694b6f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2214-5095 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Case Studies in Construction Materials |
| spelling | doaj-art-0d5a3535aa2248c2ab9692d5df694b6f2025-08-20T03:53:12ZengElsevierCase Studies in Construction Materials2214-50952025-07-0122e0473210.1016/j.cscm.2025.e04732Thermo-mechanical characterization and numerical modeling of lightweight mortars incorporating natural Pozzolan and expanded clayBrahim Balizi0Hamza Karim Serroukh1Ayoub Aziz2Mouhcine Benaicha3Abdelilah Bellil4Abdellali El Khadiri5Najma Laaroussi6Geo-Biodiversity and Natural Patrimony Laboratory (GEOBIO), “Geophysics, Natural Patrimony and Green Chemistry” Research Center (GEOPAC),Scientific Institute, Mohammed V University in Rabat, MoroccoLaboratory of Intelligent Systems and Applications (LSIA), EMSI, Tangier, MoroccoGeo-Biodiversity and Natural Patrimony Laboratory (GEOBIO), “Geophysics, Natural Patrimony and Green Chemistry” Research Center (GEOPAC),Scientific Institute, Mohammed V University in Rabat, MoroccoStructure and Materials laboratory, National School of Architecture, Rabat, Morocco; IUSTI UMR 7343 Laboratory, Polytech’Marseille, Aix Marseille University, France; Corresponding author at: Structure and Materials laboratory, National School of Architecture, Rabat, Morocco.Geo-Biodiversity and Natural Patrimony Laboratory (GEOBIO), “Geophysics, Natural Patrimony and Green Chemistry” Research Center (GEOPAC),Scientific Institute, Mohammed V University in Rabat, MoroccoGeo-Biodiversity and Natural Patrimony Laboratory (GEOBIO), “Geophysics, Natural Patrimony and Green Chemistry” Research Center (GEOPAC),Scientific Institute, Mohammed V University in Rabat, MoroccoMohammed VUniversity in Rabat,Materials, Energy and Acoustics Team (MEAT), EST Sale, MoroccoThis research studies the thermo-mechanical properties of lightweight mortars (LWM) based on natural pozzolan (NP) from the Moroccan Middle Atlas, which is a porous volcanic rock formed by rapid cooling during explosive eruptions, and expanded clay aggregates (EC). The purpose is to find optimal mortar mixtures for better thermal insulation with reasonable mechanical properties for green building construction. Experimental investigation includes density, specific heat, thermal conductivity, compressive strength, tensile strength, and elastic modulus. In addition, an SPH implicit numerical model simulates thermo-mechanical behavior and validates experimentally derived results. SPH was employed due to its mesh-free and Lagrangian nature, which provides significant advantages over traditional methods, particularly when handling large deformations, porous materials, and complicated geometries without the requirement of meshing or remeshing. Results: show that high EC content is responsible for significantly reducing thermal conductivity with respect to performance improvement as an insulation material while reducing compressive and tensile strengths as well as increased porosity. Alternatively, NP-based mortars exhibit improved mechanical strength in terms of higher thermal conductivity. Numerical simulations are in good agreement with experiments and validate the applicability of the SPH method for simulating heat transfer in light mortars. The result highlights the thermal vs. mechanical reliability trade-off, necessitating optimized mortar composition for the development of energy-efficient and structurally strong building material.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214509525005303Lightweight MortarNatural PozzolanExpanded ClayThermal ConductivityMechanical PropertiesSmoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) Modeling |
| spellingShingle | Brahim Balizi Hamza Karim Serroukh Ayoub Aziz Mouhcine Benaicha Abdelilah Bellil Abdellali El Khadiri Najma Laaroussi Thermo-mechanical characterization and numerical modeling of lightweight mortars incorporating natural Pozzolan and expanded clay Case Studies in Construction Materials Lightweight Mortar Natural Pozzolan Expanded Clay Thermal Conductivity Mechanical Properties Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) Modeling |
| title | Thermo-mechanical characterization and numerical modeling of lightweight mortars incorporating natural Pozzolan and expanded clay |
| title_full | Thermo-mechanical characterization and numerical modeling of lightweight mortars incorporating natural Pozzolan and expanded clay |
| title_fullStr | Thermo-mechanical characterization and numerical modeling of lightweight mortars incorporating natural Pozzolan and expanded clay |
| title_full_unstemmed | Thermo-mechanical characterization and numerical modeling of lightweight mortars incorporating natural Pozzolan and expanded clay |
| title_short | Thermo-mechanical characterization and numerical modeling of lightweight mortars incorporating natural Pozzolan and expanded clay |
| title_sort | thermo mechanical characterization and numerical modeling of lightweight mortars incorporating natural pozzolan and expanded clay |
| topic | Lightweight Mortar Natural Pozzolan Expanded Clay Thermal Conductivity Mechanical Properties Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) Modeling |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214509525005303 |
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