Thermomechanical Behavior of Ndouloumadjie and Tattaguine’s Millet Involucre Improved Mud Bricks for Their Use in Ecobuilding

Abstract

This work’s aim is to participate in local materials (raw or fiber improved), which can be used in sustainable and accessible buildings to every Senegalese. To do this, studied materials are respectively collected from a laterite clay pit in Ndouloumadjie Dembe (Matam, Northern Senegal) and another from a termite mound in Tattaguine (Fatick, Central Senegal). These samples are first subjected to Geotechnical identification tests. Mud bricks are then made with raw or sifted millet involucre improved to 1%, 2%, and 3% at 5 mm sieve samples. These briquettes are subjected to compression tests and thermal evaluations. Lagrange and Newton methods of numeric modelling are used to test the whole mixture points between 1% and 3% millet involucre for a better correlation between mechanical and thermal parameters. The results show that in Matam, as well as in Tattaguine, these muds, raw or improved, are of good thermomechanical quality when they are used in bricks making. And the thermomechanical coupling quality reaches a maximum situated at 2.125% for Ndouloumadjie and 2.05% for Tattaguine. These briquettes’ building quality depends on the mud content used in iron, aluminum, silica and clay. Thus, same natural materials can be used in the establishment of habitats according to their geotechnical, chemical, mechanical and thermal characteristics.