Hygro-thermal coupling in earth building materials

Raw earth is emerging as a viable building material with lower carbon emissions than conventional concrete and fired bricks. an excellent passive hygro-thermal regulator, which improves occupants’ comfort while reducing the need for active heating/cooling installations. The coupled response of materials investigated by exploiting principles thermodynamics porous media unsaturated soil mechanics. degree coupling between temperature relative humidity (or water content) depends on adopted simplifying assumptions. Some these assumptions are valid traditional but may not be applicable to raw characterised relatively high levels liquid/gas permeability. validity current approaches here assessed reference via simple one-dimensional transfer model, simulates behaviour unbounded wall subjected time-dependent boundary conditions two faces. For typical values vapour permeability, complexity governing equations can greatly reduced neglecting variations mass dependency suction without significantly accuracy. Results also strongly influenced both initial state retention properties material.