Non-linear rheological model of straw bales behavior under compressive loads

Non-linear rheological model of straw bales behavior under compressive loads
Written by esba

The use of straw bales in construction has been continuously increasing over the last years, because straw offers advantages over the use of conventional materials in terms of sustainability, hygro-thermal insulation properties and has good mechanical properties.

In this paper, a simple rheological model for the description of the mechanical behavior of straw bales based on biconical springs is proposed. Given the geometry and the density of a straw bale, the model predicts the mechanical response in terms of force and displacement. The effectiveness of the model is verified through the comparison of the force–displacement diagrams obtained in experimental compressive tests for bales laid flat and on edge. It is shown that the model is able to reproduce the results of a series of straw bale compressive tests.

Authors: Molari, L.; Maraldi, M.; Molari, G.

Link: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0093641316302488

About the author

esba

The European Straw Building Association is an independent European association, devoid of any profit making motive. The object of the Association is to promote and develop the use of straw, as a sustainable way of building in all the senses of the term “sustainable”: renewable, ecological, healthy, energy and climate efficient, social and economic.
The Association is a federation composed of organisations and people particularly concerned with the use of straw in buildings.