The salt attack of Fired Clay Bricks (FCBs) causes surface damage that is aesthetically displeasing and eventually leads to structural damage. Methods for determining the resistances of FCBs to salt weathering have mainly tried to simulate the process by using accelerating aging tests. Most research in this area has concentrated on the types of salt that can cause damage and the damage that occurs during accelerated aging tests. This approach has lead to the use of accelerated aging tests as standard methods for determining resistance. Recently, it has been acknowledged that are not the most reliable way to determine salt attack resistance for all FCBs in all environments. Few researchers have examined FCBs with the aim of determining which material and mechanical properties make a FCB resistant to salt attack. The aim of this study was to identify the properties that were significant to the resistance of FCBs to salt attack. In doing so, this study aids in the development of a better test method to assess the resistance of FCBs to salt attack. The current Australian Standard accelerated aging test was used to measure the resistance of eight FCBs to salt attack using sodium sulfate and sodium chloride. The results of these tests were compared to the water absorption properties and the total porosity of FCBs. An empirical relationship was developed between the twenty-four-hour water absorption value and the number of cycles to failure from sodium sulfate tests. The volume of sodium chloride solution was found to be proportional to the total porosity of FCBs in this study. A phenomenological discussion of results led to a new mechanism being presented to explain the derivation of stress during salt crystallisation of anhydrous and hydratable salts. The mechanical properties of FCBs were measured using compression tests. FCBs were analysed as cellular materials to find that the elastic modules of FCBs was equivalent for extruded FCBs that had been fired a similar temperatures and time. Two samples were found to have significantly different elastic moduli of the solid microstructure. One of these samples was a pressed brick that was stiffer due to the extra bond that is obtained during sintering a closely packed structure. The other sample was an extruded brick that had more firing temperature and time compared with the other samples in this study. A non-destructive method was used to measure the indentation hardness and indentation stress-strain properties of FCBs. The indentation hardness of FCBs was found to be proportional to the uniaxial compression strength. In addition, the indentation hardness had a better linear correlation to the total porosity of FCBs except for those samples that had different elastic moduli of the solid microstructure. Fractography of exfoliated particles during salt cycle tests and compression tests showed there was a similar pattern of fracture during each failure. The results indicate there were inherent properties of a FCB that determines the size and shape of fractured particles during salt attack. The microstructural variables that determined the fracture properties of FCBs were shown to be important variables to include in future models that attempt to estimate the resistance of FCBs to salt attack.

Le recyclage ou la réutilisation des déchets de démolition de maisons individuelles, de petits collectifs et de sites industriels édifiés en terre cuite, est actuellement limité par la présence de déchets composites, formés par l’assemblage de terre cuite, de mortier et / ou de plâtre principalement. Dans l’optique de valoriser la terre cuite dans la même filière ou dans d’autres secteurs industriels, la présence de plâtre, pouvant générer des ions sulfates au contact de l’eau, est un obstacle. La principal option de fin de vie des déchets de terre cuite en mélange est ainsi l’enfouissement en installation de stockage de classe 3. Le but de cette thèse a été de développer une méthode de séparation des déchets de démolition de terre cuite, plus intéressante d’un point de vue environnemental que l’enfouissement, et permettant de récupérer des matières premières secondaires de terre cuite valorisables dans des filières pertinentes. Une étude du gisement a été réalisée afin d’établir la nature des assemblages en présence dans les déchets de déconstruction et de fournir des échantillons représentatifs. Ces échantillons ont permis la détermination des mécanismes d’adhésion des interfaces. Une méthode de séparation a ainsi été développée et la compatibilité des matières premières secondaires de terre cuite a été comparée vis-à-vis de trois filières de valorisation. / Recycling or reuse of demolition waste from individual houses, small collectives and industrial sites built with fired clay bricks, is currently limited by the presence of mixed waste, which is mainly an assembly of fired clay bricks, mortar and gypsum. In the perspective to valorize fired clay waste from demolition, the presence of gypsum, which may contain sulfates, is a restriction. Currently, the main end-of-life option for non-dissociated fired clay waste is the landfilling in waste storage facilities of class 3. The aim of this PhD thesis is to develop a separation process of mixed fired clay waste, environmentally more friendly than landfilling, in order to recover and valorize secondary raw materials in relevant industrial sectors. A study of the deposit has been done to identify the nature of the mixed demolition waste and to supply representative waste samples. Those samples enable to define the adhesion mechanisms at the interfaces. Then, a separation method has been developed. Finally, three routes have been investigated in order to valorize the recovered clay bricks.

En raison de l'exigence de protection de l'environnement, les briques d'argile cuites sont face à une nouvelle tendance de développement. Briques d'argile cuites ne sont pas seulement satisfaits de la mécanique force mais aussi augmentation de l'utilisation de l'énergie. La conductivité thermique est un paramètre très important mesurer l'utilisation de l'énergie. Sur le principe de garantir essentiellement propriétés mécaniques, la réduction de la conductivité thermique a été l'un des développements importants objectifs dans l'industrie du bâtiment.Basé sur l'analyse de la microstructure, les pores microscopiques ont un effet sur la macroscopie constantes élastiques et conductivité thermique. Micropores parallèles résultant de la production les méthodes provoquent l'isotropie transversale des briques d'argile cuites. Cependant, ce n'est pas clair que l'influence des micropores sur les propriétés macroscopiques. Bien que certains modèles étudié l'effet de la porosité sur les propriétés mécaniques des briques d'argile cuite, ces modèles sont empiriques et ont ignoré de nombreuses informations microscopiques. Un des buts de la thèse est d'analyser l'influence de la forme, l'orientation et la distribution spatiale de microscopique facteurs sur les propriétés mécaniques et la conductivité thermique afin de fournir une référence optimiser la micro-structure des briques d'argile cuites. / Due to the environmental protection requirement, fired clay bricks are facing new development tendency. Fired clay bricks are not only satisfied with mechanical strength but also rising energy utilization. Thermal conductivity is a very important parameter to measure the energy utilization. On the premise of guaranteeing the basically mechanical properties, reducing thermal conductivity has been one of important development goals in building industry.Based on the analysis of micro-structure, microscopic pores have an effect on macroscopic elastic constants and thermal conductivity. Parallel micropores resulting from producing methods cause the transverse isotropy of fired clay bricks. However, it is not clear that the influence of micropores on the macroscopic properties. Though some models studied the effect of porosity on mechanical properties of fired clay bricks, these models are empirical and ignored many microscopic information. One of the goals of the thesis is to analyze the influence of shape, orientation and spatial distribution of microscopic factors on mechanical properties and thermal conductivity in order to provide a reference to optimize the micro-structure of fired clay bricks.

La réduction de la consommation énergétique dans le secteur de bâtiments présente aujourd’hui une priorité primordiale dans les politiques des pays industrialisés. En France, le secteur du bâtiment consomme environ 43 % de l’énergie finale et contribue pour près d’un quart aux émissions nationales de gaz à effet de serre [ADEME]. Il se positionne comme un acteur clé pour parvenir à résoudre les inquiétants défis environnementaux auxquels nous devons faire face. Face à ces véritables défis, l’augmentation des niveaux d’exigence des réglementations thermiques s’est poursuivie et intensifiée pendant les 40 dernières années, jusqu’à la naissance de la réglementation thermique 2012, qui a permis de construire des bâtiments basse consommation (BBC) qui équivaut à 50 kWh/m².an. Cette nouvelle réglementation plus exigeante constitue une incitation forte à l'innovation des matériaux, produits et systèmes d'enveloppe. Dans ces conditions, l’amélioration des performances hygrothermiques des matériaux de construction aura des retombées économiques et environnementales conséquentes. C’est dans ce contexte que ce travail a été mené. Il vise à étudier et à améliorer les performances des produits de l’entreprise Briqueteries du Nord (BdN). Il est réparti sur deux axes principaux : le premier consiste à l’étude de l’inertie thermique et du pouvoir hygroscopique des briques en terre crue. Le second axe vise à élaborer des solutions possibles concernant l’amélioration de la résistance thermique des briques en terre cuite. Ce travail de recherche a été réalisé au laboratoire de l’Ecole Centrale de Lille avec une étroite collaboration avec l’université d’Artois et l’entreprise (BdN) / Nowadays, the reduction of energy consumption in buildings industry represents a major issue in industrialized countries’ policies. In France, the building sector consumes about 43% of final energy and accounts for nearly a quarter of the national emissions of greenhouse gas emissions [ADEME]. It is considered as a key factor to overcome the environmental challenges we have to face.In front of these significant challenges, the thermal regulations requirements were seriously intensified during the last 40 years until the notification of the thermal regulation 2012. This latter enable the construction of low energy buildings (BBC) whose consumption is equivalent to 50 kWh/m² per year on average. This new regulation provides a strong incentive for innovation of materials, products and envelope systems. Under these conditions, improving hygrothermal performance of building materials will allow a substantial economic and environmental benefits. This work was conducted in this context. It aims to study and improve the performance of the company Briqueteries du Nord (BdN) products. It is divided in two main axis: the first consists on studying the thermal inertia and hygroscopic capacity of unfired clay bricks. However, the second axis aims to develop possible solutions for improving the thermal resistance of fired clay bricks. This research was conducted in the laboratory of the Ecole Centrale de Lille with close collaboration with the University of Artois and the BdN company