Strengthening mechanisms of clay building materials by starch

Julia Tourtelot (1) , Jean-Baptiste d'Espinose de Lacaillerie (2) , Myriam Duc (3) , Jean-Didier Mertz (4) , Ann Bourgès (5) , Emmanuel Keita (1)

1 NAVIER UMR 8205 - Laboratoire Navier
2 SIMM - Sciences et Ingénierie de la Matière Molle (UMR 7615)
3 GERS-SRO - Sols, Roches et Ouvrages Géotechniques
4 LRMH - Laboratoire de recherche des monuments historiques
5 C2RMF - Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France

Earth has a renewed interest in eco-friendly building materials. Starch is a promising additive, but its strengthening origin needs understanding to promote better solutions according to soil variability. This multiscale study examined natural clays and starches interactions. Clays and starches were evaluated based on mechanical and rheological properties. Kaolinite was found to be better reinforced by starches. At microscopic scale, starches modified the arrangement of grains and clays, but the role of botanical origin is unclear. At molecular scale, the ratio between amylose and amylopectin led the interactions with kaolinite. These results help to understand how bio-additives affect earth-based building materials.

Domains: Materials; Civil Engineering

Julia Tourtelot, Jean-Baptiste d'Espinose de Lacaillerie, Myriam Duc, Jean-Didier Mertz, Ann Bourgès, et al.. Strengthening mechanisms of clay building materials by starch. Construction and Building Materials, 2023, 405, pp.133215. ⟨10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2023.133215⟩. ⟨hal-04211006⟩