As part of the mobility exchange programs with Teesside University, four UK Students spent a whole month at our BACU Campus, in Umm al Quwain, UAE where they worked on an applied experimental research project related to the area and their studies. This gave them an excellent perspective into the type of emerging projects in the region.
Specifically, the students (coming from a civil engineering project) worked on:
Experimental study of thermal behavior of sandwich panels made up of date palm fibers.
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in sustainable construction materials that possess excellent thermal and acoustic properties. The use of natural fibers, such as date palm fiber, has gained significant attention due to their renewable nature and the low environmental impact they have. This experiment aims to assess the thermal properties of sandwich panels made with date palm fiber. The objectives include finding the density of the date palm fiber, fabricating the sandwich panels using three different widths, and evaluating the thermal performance through the experiment. ‘How does the inclusion of date palm fiber as the core material in sandwich panels affect their thermal conductivity properties?’
Experimental Study of the Acoustic Behavior of Sandwich Panels Made Up of Date Palm
•In this research project we are analyzing the effects of both thickness and density of date palm fibres on their acoustic properties to see if it’s a viable alternative to standard foam insulation.​ Date Palm Fibres are natural fibres that are collected from the sheathing leaf base surrounding the stem (Awad Khidir, et al., 2014).​ Standard foam insulation has been used in the UAE as an insulator for buildings, however it has a reputation of not having good acoustic insulating properties unless combined with other materials (Nurzynski, 2015).​ Foam insulation is not a sustainable solution and alternatives such as rock wool, glass wool and asbestoses are incredibly detrimental to human health and can lead to serious health issues (Al-Rahman, et al., 2012).​ Date palm fibres are natural and cheaper than the afore mentioned materials, and research suggests that it is advantageous in the application of acoustic treatment as well (Al-Rahman, et al., 2012).