Thermomechanical characterization of a bio-composite building material: Mortar reinforced with date palm fibers mesh

This work deals with thermomechanical characterization of composite materials made from mortar and Date Palm Fibers mesh (DPF). The objective is to evaluate the thermal insulation properties as well as the mechanical performance of this material for thermal insulation of buildings. The volume percentage of date palm fibers mesh in the test samples was varied from 0% to 51%. Thermal characteristics of these samples were experimentally determined in terms of conductivity, diffusivity, capacity and effusivity. Furthermore, flexural and compressive strength of the samples were systematically evaluated. The results show that the DPF mesh has a positive effect on the thermomechanical properties of the composite material. Indeed, it significantly enhances the insulating capacity of the mortar, increases heat diffusion damping rate and makes mortar lighter. The DPF mesh also ameliorates the mortar ductility while respecting the mechanical requirements for construction materials. The mortar-DPF mesh composite could be classified among the structural and insulating materials according to the functional classification of RILEM. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.