Global temperatures have led to an increasing need for air conditioning systems. So, because of this fact, buildings have been improved in terms of their thermal and energy efficiency. Regarding this, the Brazilian standard ABNT NBR 15.575-4/2013 set minimum parameters for the thermal transmittance and thermal capacity of sealing elements, which allow classifying the thermal efficiency of the building. In order to comply with the requirements, the usage and study of lightweight construction materials have been in focus. An example of these materials is vermiculite. The present research reviewed articles about expanded vermiculite. The study involved the examination and comparison of various articles to analyze the properties of vermiculite and the impact of its usage on coating mortars. It was possible to verify that using vermiculite in mortars caused bad workability and a decrease in mechanical strength. However, the porosity and water absorption in mortars increased. Additionally, it reduced the specific weight and the thermal conductivity of the mortars, allowing for a better thermal insulation of the rooms. As an alternative to decreasing the negative effects of vermiculite, it is possible to use chemical admixtures, mineral additions, and mix design with a greater consumption of binder or a combination of particle sizes.

Resumo O gesso é um material de grande uso na construção civil, destacando-se seu emprego como pasta de gesso para revestimento. No Brasil, o Polo Gesseiro do Araripe é o maior produtor. Percebe-se a necessidade de conhecimento das propriedades e características desse material, principalmente, com foco no produto acabado como revestimento interno em paredes. Nesse contexto, o presente trabalho visa realizar um estudo de caracterização de cinco amostras de gesso do Polo do Araripe, e avaliar a capacidade aderente dos revestimentos executados em pasta desses gessos. O estudo de caracterização ocorreu no estado anidro, por meio de ensaios de granulometria, massa unitária, massa específica, teores de água livre e de cristalização; no estado fresco, por meio de ensaios de consistência normal, tempo de pega e calorimetria; e no estado endurecido, por ensaios de dureza e resistência à compressão. Os ensaios de resistência de aderência à tração ocorreram nos revestimentos de pasta de gesso executados em base cerâmica, produzidos com e sem pré-umedecimento da base. Com os resultados, verifica-se que as pastas de gesso apresentam desempenhos satisfatórios e semelhantes, independentemente do porte do fabricante; entretanto, alguns requisitos normativos não são atendidos.

In this study, calcium-rich wood biomass combustion ash (CRBA) was added as a mineral filler into an eco-friendly hot mix asphalt (HMA). Marshall mix design was used with four different CRBA contents (0%, 3.0%, 3.5%, and 4.5% (w/v %)). Pavement performance was assessed by evaluating the tensile strength, resilient modulus, fatigue strength, and performance in Lottman test. An optimum binder content of 5.5% was achieved for all modified CRBA−HMAs and the reference HMA. The CRBA filler (3.5% and 4.0%) can be used as a mineral filler to improve the Marshall stability up to 27%, compared to that of the pure mixture, and increase the fatigue response of HMA pavements by approximately three times with no harmful effects on the other evaluated properties. Additionally, the CRBA residue does not require crushing and sieving through a 0.075 mm sieve for application to a pavement field.