HYGROTHERMAL STUDIES OF DIFFERENT ARRANGEMENTS OF A BRICK AND ADOBE WALL ON COMSOL MULTYPHISICS.

The appropriate arrangement and choice of building materials can reduce or even eliminate the risk of hygrothermal problems. The combination of building envelope materials and construction processes can improve a building's response to temperature and humidity, and thus the well-being of its inhabitants. This work analyzes three cases of exterior-exposed perimeter wall configurations (brick/air curtain/brick; brick/ adobe /brick; brick/rockwool/brick), using COMSOL multiphysics simulation software. A coupled three-dimensional heat and moisture transfer model was developed and numerically solved using a finite element method to study and compare the effect of replacing the insulation and air space between the two hollow brick walls with the adobe wall on the comfort level of the building's indoor environment.

Input data and assumptions were required. The model studied was assumed to be located in a warm climate, and the climatic data were extracted from the weather station close to the site studied. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the hybrid wall (brick/ adobe/brick) in regulating indoor conditions thanks to its high thermal mass and insulation compared with those of typical walls (brick/air blade/brick); it can therefore be an alternative to insulation.

The results of this study are interesting in terms of the thermal and hydric performance of double partitions with adobe insulation.