Study of black and composite agglomerates of cork as thermal insulating materials

The behaviour of cork agglomerates as thermal insulating materials was studied. The products used were black agglomerate (BA) and composite agglomerate (CA), which were prepared from black regranulate (BR) of cork. In the preparation of the agglomerates, the specimen thickness for BA and the particle size of BR and the resin dosage for CA Were varied. A procedure was proposed for measuring the thermal conductivity of materials in a granular or powder form. The thermal conductivity of BR, BA, and CA was determined using a Ketherm QTM-D3 fast meter, provided with an adapter QTM PAl. The behaviour as a thermal insulating material can be improved by decreasing the particle size for BR and by increasing the specimen thickness for BA. In the case of CA, the best behaviour is shown when the intermediate particle size of BR and the highest resin dosage are used in its preparation. Frequently, the insulating behaviour is better for CA than for BR, and also for BA than for CA.