Développement d'un matériau composite éco-circulaire destiné au secteur de la construction : Transition vers un liant à faible impact environnemental
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- The construction sector faces significant environmental challenges because it is one of the sectors with the greatest impact in terms of energy demand, greenhouse gas emissions, depletion of natural resources, and waste generation, making it the largest producer of waste in Europe. This sector is facing a growing need to shift its practices toward an eco-circular approach. It is within this context that the RECOB² project is situated, aiming to develop a 100% circular dry screed panel from local waste, by replacing the conventional binder with a binder that has a low environmental footprint. The material under study is a composite consisting of three main components: a supersulfated binder made from industrial byproducts (steel slag), sand derived from crushed demolition waste, and a fiber reinforcement composed of paper strips and/or recycled cellulose fibers. The samples are manufactured by simply mixing the components, molding, and drying, using a deliberately simple and low-energy-cost process. This thesis focuses on the mechanical characterization of this material, which incorporates a new binder with low environmental impact, by studying its behavior under uniaxial compression and three-point bending, while quantifying the influence of manufacturing parameters and mixture composition. These analyses are based on a microstructural approach, combining X-ray tomography and microscopy, allowing for the observation of the distribution of constituents, the internal structure, and the porosity of the samples. Two successive experimental campaigns were conducted. The first revealed insufficient hydration of the supersulfated binder in the majority of samples, primarily due to unsuitable manufacturing processes. This finding led to the development of a second campaign incorporating revised manufacturing parameters: reduced molding pressure, the introduction of manual compaction, and extended wet curing.