EFFECT OF MICROSTRUCTURE ON THE MECHANICAL AND THERMAL-PROPERTIES OF LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE PREPARED FROM CLAY, CEMENT, AND WOOD AGGREGATES

Wood concretes of a clayey matrix are considered herein from the stand point of developing insulation materials through reliance on local res ources and reusing industrial mineral wastes. Both the mechanical and thermal properties of these materials depend heavily on their microstr ucture and, in particular, on their porous structure which the authors have identified initially. An experimental study of the compression r esistance as well as of the thermal conductivity in the dry state and at ambient temperature shows the changes in these characteristics as;a function of porosity. A comparison with theoretical models previously tested for other types of cellular materials has served to validate i ts application in the case of wood concretes of a clayey matrix. (C) 1 998 Elsevier Science Ltd