EarthCrete Systems

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If somehow there were to be a new castable material, that is one that is formulated in a flowable form, and then poured into a mold, there is one best way to maximize the utility of that material. The same law of physics which is employed by using a roof joist in avertical manner, or a truss which uses diagonal bracing between its extremities, or a steel I-beam, or a crane boom, wherever maximum stiffness is desired from minimum material, the principle is to rigidly place that material as far from the neutral axis as possible. What is a neutral axis? That is the location in a composite construct where all the material on one side of it is in compression, and all the material on the other side is in tension. For anything to bend, the material on one side of the neutral axis gets squeezed, and on the other side is stretched. The resistance to bending is appropriately called "stiffness". Stiffness in the scientific world and or engineering world is measured by a unit called "moment of inertia".

 

One does not need to know semantically how these words formulate that, as they signify an abstraction of higher dimensions. The typical unit is inches to the fourth power, one level above cubic inches which denote volume. The added power references a quality of volume, namely the stiffness of it. The actual formula is: (width x depth3) / 12. This material efficiency can be illustrated by actually doing a simple calculation. A cavity wall's moment of inertia is equal to the moment of inertia of the outside dimension, 12", minus the moment of inertial of the cavity, 8". For a 12" length of wall section (a simple arbitrary value for purposes of illustration) we have 12" wall section length x 12"3 wall depth / 12 = 1,724 inches4. Then minus 12" wall section length x 8"3 / 12 = 640. The net moment of inertia is therefore 1,728 - 640 = 1,088 inches4. This is equal to a solid wall 10-1/4" thick, so as far as vertical stiffness goes, the two 2" thick panels or a total of 4" of material are equivalent to ten inches of material, a 10.25/4 =2.56 enhancement ratio. Making narrow deep structural elements yields the greatest strength per amount of material used. The Cavity Wall System is ideally suited for this.

 

With the forming being included in the wall panel system, the ratio of value to invested dollar is maximized. The gross strength of the building per unit of material or dollar is unmatchable by any other system because of the highly efficient structural shapes created. Removing a small amount of perimeter material by sawing a slot and using a matching strip to "key" the panels together is another simple low effort high reward process. In a way, it's similar to the lip on train wheels that keep them aligned on the track. One may object to the domination of concrete surfaces. That is simply to complete the structure for a minimum amount of investment. The tens of thousands of dollars saved can be used at one's discretion to accent as desired. The exterior walls can be dramatic with skillful staining. This piece of petrified wood that a few diamond blades later were sliced through shows the type of coloration that CWS panels could emulate: