Assessment of the Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Local Building Materials Stabilised with Gum Arabic in the Drâa-Tafilalet Region, South-East Morocco

Abstract

Abstract. Morocco enjoys a very remarkable earthen architectural heritage throughout the southeast of the country, earthen constructions which are characterized by its ability to absorb and reject moisture from the indoor air according to the fluctuations of the microclimate of the building guarantees a passive indoor comfort that would save energy. Unfortunately, earthen structures suffer from rapid degradation due to climatic changes (temperature, air humidity, water...). This study concerns mechanical, thermal characterization and durability of compressed earth blocks manufactured (CEB) with clay, gum arabic with different proportions. For this purpose, the mass percentages of 1%, 2%, 3%, 4% and 5% of gum arabic by contribution to the total mass are retained for this research work. cylindrical bricks of CEB are manufactured to carry out mechanical tests, and those of prismatic form are adapted for the determination of thermal conductivities with the method "house has high insulation". The use of gum arabic as a binder in construction has given satisfactory results. At a rate of 5% of gum arabic the bricks are associated with a compaction stress of 5.78 MPA for the compressive strength, allow us to obtain CEB with an acceptable mechanical strength and a better resistance to rainwater. In addition, the values of thermal conductivity measured, show that when the rate of gum arabic increases, the thermal conductivity rises. The thermal conductivities of all formulations vary between 0.72 and 1.05 W/(m.K). The durability test carried out on the stabilized and non-stabilized bricks, shows that the specimens not stabilized by gum arabic are totally degraded from 5 min of immersion, On the other hand those stabilized by gum arabic kept their shape more than 5 hours. This study proved the effectiveness of CEB stabilized by gum arabic for use as new sustainable construction materials in the region of Drâa-Tafilalet (southeast of Morocco).