Proposal of an innovative solution for partition walls: Mechanical, thermal and acoustic validation

Nowadays, there is an increasing need for alternative construction technologies that allow, among others, reducing construction wastes and energy consumption during the buildings’ life-cycle. In this context, this paper presents results of a research project which goal is to develop an innovative solution for partition walls. This solution is based on a masonry block made of an eco-efficient new composite material. The composite material used in the production of the blocks results from the combination of three industrial by-products, namely: flue-gas desulfurization gypsum; granulated cork; and textile fibers resulting from the tyre recycling process. Besides the rawmaterials, the innovation of the solution results also from the new design of the block, whose shape enables the positioning of the infra-structures during the assembling of the indoor wall. In this paper, details of the design process of the block and both the optimization of the composition of the material and construction technology are provided. The validation of the partition wall solution in the point of view of mechanical, thermal and acoustic performance was also carried out. From the results obtained, it is possible to conclude that the solution fulfils all the requirements of structural stability adequate for this type of wall. In terms of thermal performance, the proposed solution presents very good behaviour, being the acoustic performance slightly lower than the traditional solution. 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.