Thermo-mechanical properties of fired clay brick incorporating industrial by-product materials cork waste

The quantity of solid wastes (domestic, agricultural or industrial) throughout the world is increasing and their elimination becomes more complex. However, recycling industrial by-product materials waste has become an attractive topic of materials research in civil engineering. These industrial by-product materials waste must be managed responsibly to insure a clean environment. The use of waste in fired clay brick production may also save clay from avoidable depletion and reduce the environmental contamination by waste, contributing to sustainability. The aim of this research is to study the influence of Ground Cork Waste (GCW) on the thermo-mechanical properties of fired clay brick. For this purpose, increasing amounts of Cork Waste (0, 5, 10 and 15% of weight) with a grain size under 1.00 mm were mixed with a clay to produce clay bricks by pressing, drying and then firing at 900°C. The results obtained demonstrate that an increase in the content of CW leads to a significant increase in apparent porosity of fired clay brick. The compressive strength and thermal conductivity of the samples decreased with the increase in content of (GCW).