Modified Thermo-Physical Properties and Thermal Behavior of Plasterboards with Different Mixing Water Ratios

The building sector is one of the most energy-intensive fields in the world. Hence, enhancing the production techniques of traditional materials seems to offer a viable solution for tackling this challenge effectively. However, plaster is considered one of the most used construction substances thanks to its advantageous characteristics such as its aesthetic aspect, its fire resistance and its thermo-acoustic insulation qualities. The present paper includes in its entirety an experimental study aiming to evaluate the effect of the mixing water ratio on the thermo-physical properties, and the thermal behavior of the plaster matrix. Otherwise four blending proportions were investigated (0.5, 0.6, 0.7 and 0.8). The obtained results showed that increasing the water quantity used during the preparation process allows reducing simultaneously the plaster thermal conductivity from 0.415 to 0.359 W/m.K and its density from 1398.4 to 1096.4 kg/m \(^3\) . Furthermore, an appreciable improvement of the thermal behavior has been noted. Thus gains of approximately 24.47 and 15.68% were achieved for the time lag and the temperature attenuation factor, respectively. On the other hand, this process has adversely affected the mechanical performance of plaster. Therefore, by transitioning from a water-to-mix ratio of 0.5 to 0.8, the mechanical strength decreases from 5.8 to 2.1 MPa, respectively.