Thermal behaviour of adobe constructions

Abstract Adobe is a construction technique that uses soil (a mixture of clay, sand and water), stabiliser and binder as raw materials that are mixed and moulded to form sun-dried blocks. The objective of this study was to assess how various factors affected the dynamic response of the thermal performance of adobe constructions. On the basis of a bibliographical survey the main factors that affect the thermal behaviour of adobe constructions were ascertained. Dynamic thermal simulation software, thermal analysis system (TAS), was employed to simulate the performance of adobe constructions using synthetic weather data to reproduce the climatic conditions for three regions from different latitudes in Mexico. An orthogonal array Taguchi was used to define the range of models required to test the various relevant performance parameters and to relate these through observed behaviour patterns. With this tool it was possible to develop an understanding of the complex interactions between variables. In particular, dynamic thermal simulation allowed an understanding of the time lag in delivering/storing energy to and from the indoor environment within the adobe constructions and how this affected the diurnal variations of internal temperatures.