Technological projects portfolio

Innovative bio-sourced materials are increasingly used in the construction and renovation sector. Though the designers of these materials rely on regulated experimental methods, there is a lack of knowledge about how materials’ thermal behaviour changes under variable hygroscopic conditions.

This divergence from models makes it difficult to quantify the insulating properties of these materials in the presence of humidity.

PREDICTBIOMAT aims to predict these properties in more detail, to improve the energy footprint of buildings and support the design of new materials.

Coupled heat and mass transfers are currently little-known because of their complexity. The only studies using experimental methods are costly in time and resources. Additionally, they lack flexibility as they cannot be applied to virtual materials.

PREDICTBIOMAT starts from the actual morphology of a test sample that is digitised (heterogeneity, pore size, complexity) using 3D nanotomography.

An innovative HPC digital resolution method is then applied to the digital representation to predict its behaviour under conditions of hydrothermal coupling. The target relative error margin is below 20%.

This innovation could be used by bio-sourced material manufacturers, building renovation diagnostic experts or any R&D department involved in designing new materials.

It also fulfils tradesmen’s and builders’ needs for information about these new materials, which are typically lignocellulosic (fibrous plants, straw etc.), as these details are not always known precisely.