article · Case Studies in Construction Materials
High energy consumption in the building sector necessitates better thermal insulation materials. To address this, a novel composite brick was developed using traditional gypsum and aggregate from crushed sand rose stone sourced from southeastern Algeria. Researchers evaluated formulations combining these materials and used response surface methodology alongside artificial neural network modelling to identify the optimal mixture. The best formulation contained approximately forty percent gypsum combined with varying sizes of crushed sand rose aggregate. This mix achieved an optimal balance between mechanical strength and thermal performance, delivering a compressive strength of 6.2 MPa and a thermal conductivity of 0.35 W/m K. Compared to standard commercial red bricks, the composite brick demonstrated fifty-three percent lower thermal conductivity and reduced indoor temperatures by nineteen degrees Celsius under hot test conditions.
Buildings in hot and arid climates require substantial energy for cooling. Developing construction materials from local, natural resources rather than energy-intensive standard bricks can significantly reduce indoor temperatures. This approach improves energy efficiency, supports climate-appropriate construction, and provides lower-carbon building alternatives for hot regions.
This work is at an applied and tested laboratory stage, presenting a validated formulation for insulating composite bricks. It could enable building material manufacturers and construction contractors in arid regions to produce lower-cost, energy-efficient masonry using abundant local minerals. Moving towards commercial production would require scaling manufacturing processes and testing full-scale wall assemblies under operational building conditions.
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Due to the high energy consumption of the building industry, improving thermal insulation is essential. The choice of construction materials directly affects thermal comfort and energy efficiency. Increasing use of gypsum (G)-based products as thermal insulation in advanced building envelopes is prompting further research into their heating properties. This project aims to develop a novel bio-composite brick using locally available materials from southeastern Algeria that can withstand local environmental and climatic conditions. Specifically, locally sourced sand obtained from crushed sand rose (CSR) and traditional gypsum (G) were combined in an innovative way. The originality of this work lies in the integration of CSR as a functional aggregate combined with local gypsum, optimized through a multi-step RSM–ANN–GA approach. Two formulations were tested: C1 with 50 % CSR and 50 % plaster, and C2 with 60 % CSR and 40 % plaster. The best composition was predicted more accurately and consistently by the ANN/GA optimization than by the RSM/DF method: 40.2 % gypsum, 4.3 % CSR (3–8 mm), 58.8 % CSR (8–15 mm), and 35 % CSR (15–25 mm). This formulation achieved the most balanced performance in terms of mechanical strength and hygrothermal behavior. Furthermore, the composite brick containing 60 % CSR and 40 % G demonstrated better thermal insulation compared to commercial red bricks. This local composite brick effectively reduced indoor temperatures in hot regions, lowering them by 19°C after 30 min, and maintained a temperature difference of 19 °C at 120 min. Both bricks cooled to room temperature within 30 min, which is beneficial for buildings in arid and hot climates. • Eco-friendly brick made from 58 % sand rose and 42 % gypsum as optimal composition. • RSM and ANN models predict compressive strength with high accuracy (R² = 0.98). • Optimal mix yields 6.2 MPa strength and 0.35 W/m·K thermal conductivity. • Composite brick has 53 % lower thermal conductivity than standard red brick.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.cscm.2025.e05673
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