Numerical study of the influence of internal structural design on the thermal performance of hollow brick configurations based on HCB8-brick

¹ Sultan Moulay Slimane University, Laboratory of Process, Energy, Materials and Environment, ENSA Khouribga, Morocco
² Higher School of Technology, Ibn Zohr University, Laâyoune, Morocco
³ Laboratory of Mechanics, Processes, Energy and Environment, National Schооl of Applied Sciences, Ibn Zоhr University, Morocco
⁴ Hassan II University, Laboratory of Modelling and Simulation of Intelligent Industrial Systems, ENSET Mohammedia, Morocco

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published online: 22 May 2026

Abstract

This study aims to compare and evaluate five hollow brick configurations with different internal structures, derived from a reference brick (HCB8), in order to identify the configuration providing the best thermal insulation performance under the studied conditions. The results show that the internal distribution of the solid material and air significantly affects the thermal resistance and that the performance ranking of the configurations varies depending on the operating parameters. The configurations conf-5 and conf-4 offer the best thermal insulation for k =0.207 W/ m .K and k=0.925 W/ m .K respectively. Replacing air by EPS or PUF, conf-4 offers the best thermal performance, followed by conf-2, generally the least efficient in terms of insulation. These results highlight the importance of taking outdoor conditions and material properties into account in thermal analysis, as they can significantly alter the ranking of geometric performance.