Theoretical Framework
Embedded Files
Informal settlers in the Philippines suffer from numerous fire incidents that are rooted in the scarcity of strong foundations of houses, unattended appliances, and faulty electrical connections. Consequently, with the rise of air pollution and climate change that are mainly aggravated, the researchers discovered Sargassum seaweed, that is commonly washed up on the country’s beaches, that aided the group’s search for a low-cost fire-resistant building material.
The group would address the gaps presented in their provided literature, mainly strength properties, the use of foreign material, the lack of comparison between cement-Sargassum mixture with other types of bricks, such as adobe bricks, and outdated sources of information. The primary objective is to determine the brick’s thermal insulation R-value, thermal conductivity, and combustibility of the concrete-Sargassum brick when exposed to fire, and the efficiency of the Sargassum seaweed aggregate in creating a cement-Sargassum brick. With that said, the researchers would collect the seaweed aggregate from Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte and compare its fire endurance with standard adobe and concrete bricks.
Procedural Framework
The study employs an experimental design to investigate the fire endurance of a cement brick integrated with Sargassum seaweed, compared to standard adobe and cement bricks. The seaweed, sourced from Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, is dried, ground, and mixed to create the prototype. The fire endurance is assessed through the thermal insulation R-value, thermal conductivity, and combustibility of each setup. Statistical techniques such as Mean, Standard Deviation, and One-Way ANOVA test are used to analyze the collected data. Ethical considerations include obtaining permission for seaweed collection and maintaining scientific integrity throughout the research process.
Following the experimental design, the researchers created three distinct setups for the study. This included a cement-Sargassum brick, a standard cement brick, and a standard adobe brick. The seaweed was dried, ground, and mixed with a blend of cement and gravel to create the cement-Sargassum prototype. Each brick's thermal insulation R-value was determined through careful measurement using an infrared laser thermometer, and thermal conductivity was noted based on pre-calculated values.
Procedural Framework
To test the fire endurance of the prototypes, the bricks were placed over a conventional stove running on coal and firewood. The temperatures of the bricks and the fire were recorded at regular intervals until the fire was extinguished. The collected data were then organized into tables and graphs for further analysis.
Statistical methods like Mean, Standard Deviation, and One-Way ANOVA test were used to analyze the data, validate the prototype comparison and draw conclusions. The researchers calculated the mean of the raw values for each prototype to examine variations in fire resistance, thermal insulation R-value, and thermal conductivity.
Throughout the research process, the researchers adhered to ethical considerations. These included obtaining necessary permissions for seaweed collection and maintaining scientific integrity through anti-plagiarism measures and honesty during data collection and evaluation.
In conclusion, the study provides an innovative exploration into the potential of integrating Sargassum seaweed into cement bricks to enhance their fire endurance. The findings of the study have implications for the development of more sustainable and fire-resistant construction materials.
The data is seen to be presented in a table which firstly describes the bricks characteristics that is determined by its combustibility. It is assessed through the heat release rate or the calculated mass (weight) loss after burning the brick. Set-up A (Sargassum-concrete) had a weight loss of 0.175% kg or 16%, it being the highest loss among the three set-ups. Set-up B (concrete) having an 8.3% weight loss and set-up C (adobe) having a 1.2% weight loss. Since the weight loss does not exceed 50% for all set-ups, the bricks can be considered non-combustible. It can be seen that as the time increases and the fire’s temperature decreases, the Sargassum-concrete brick’s temperature immediately sparked as evident in it being exposed to the fire for 5 mins having a temperature of 230.2—indicating low heat resistance.
Inferential data was then derived from the descriptive data with the use of a ANOVA one-way test and a 95% confidence level for the fire resistance and thermal insulation R-value tests. The latter data set yielded a p-value greater than the significance level of 0.05, denoting that there is not enough data to reject the null hypothesis, or that the data is statistically significant. Thus, no inferences were made. The former data set, however, yielded a lesser p-value, allowing the researchers to prove that the temperature readings are significantly different from each other.
The concrete-Sargassum brick, standard concrete brick, and standard adobe brick showed a standard deviation in temperature of 93.56, 23.70, 66.39 respectively. This suggests that the concrete brick showed little fluctuation in temperature while exposed to fire, while the group’s prototype had the most fluctuations among the set-up.
Our study found that despite changes in fire resistance over time, the Sargassum-cement bricks maintained high heat conductivity levels yet had low heat resistance. Moreover, the Sargassum-cement mixture's temperature increased 5 minutes into the experiment, indicating that concrete bricks have the least heat conductivity, making them have good heat insulation. Secondly, the R-value and thermal conductivity of the concrete bricks were mostly zero, as they did not present any heat. This makes them the most auspicious set-up, however, the standard adobe bricks with mostly 0 values became the second most promising set-up. Lastly, the Sargassum-cement brick mix was found to have the least heat resistance compared to adobe and cement bricks.
The study explores the use of Sargassum seaweeds as a biomaterial for bricks, focusing on their properties compared to traditional cement-based and adobe bricks. Moreover, the findings observe that Sargassum heats the slab quickly, resulting in minimal heat resistance. Additionally, the study also provides insights into the creation process and local materials' contribution to the construction industry. However, the lack of specific measurements of the seaweed-cement ratio led to a consideration in the methodology, indicating a difference between the group's prototypes and the listed studies. Furthermore, limited materials, such as the use of a stove oven and an infrared thermometer, may have affected the quality of the seaweed and temperature record.
Annika
"Annigaze"
Joanna
"Oversea-er"
Rianna
"Richeese"
Nina
"The Great"
Hailey
"Algaemazing"
Franzine
"Cha-chi"
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