Compressive behavior and thermal conductivity-density correlation of expanded polystyrene thermal insulators

Effects of Recycled Expanded Polystyrene Beads on the Mechanical and Physical Properties of Cement-Stabilized Compressed Earth Bricks

“…At contents ranging from 0.25% to 1%, dry compressive strength is reduced by 10.46%-45.06%, respectively, compared with the control. These decreases in mechanical properties have been observed by several authors [16,23,32]. Indeed, polystyrene beads create zones of weakness within the blocks, reducing the resistant cross-sectional area of the specimens [23].…”

“…The water absorption capacity of the samples was investigated. In the work of Veiseh and Yousefi [16], water absorption decreased with increasing EPS content in clay bricks. In our work (Figure 8), we observed a decrease in the water absorption rate from 9.86% to 6.96% for 0% and 0.5% EPS, respectively, which could be explained by a good interaction between EPS and earth at low EPS percentages, resulting in a reduction in brick porosity.…”

“…Recent studies have shown that the thermal and hygroscopic properties of bricks can also be improved by incorporating recycled materials such as waste plastics in the form of fibers, aggregates, or melts [12][13][14][15][16][17]. Indeed, the areas of application of plastics in our daily lives make it difficult to stop using them.…”

“…In previous research, the addition of soil, binder, water, and expanded polystyrene (EPS) gave rise to lightened soils, which are used for backfill, retaining walls, underground cavities, and CEB [16,19,[21][22][23].…”

“…Increasing the EPS bead content reduces the mass density of soils [21]. This leads to a reduction in building mass and improved resistance to seismic forces [16,24]. An improvement in the thermal comfort of buildings is noted with the incorporation of polystyrene beads, as the thermal conductivity of BTC is reduced [16].…”