[Ferro List] Fiberglass mesh for LFC subterranean home: Strength & EMF

[chuck east]

Thanks for the insights, Paul.   

I hope I haven't taken liberties in altering the subject of my reply but I
wanted to avoid diluting the stream on Tom's tank and more specifically
focus this particular quest.

Based on early advice from Chris re Martin's LFC concept & practices, I've
continued along the lines of building an LFC subterranean home as
eco-consciously as possible with the strength to withstand Earth's dynamics
... in steel-vs-fiberglass, along with the weight considerations, I'm also
inclined to think that EMF is a real concern and would prefer to have as few
EMF producers as possible.  Also my meager understanding of LFC is that it
is best to eliminate specific stress points (poorly phrased?) which are
created by rebar thus in keeping with Martin's practices (my design is
toward a barrel/dome shape) I was imagining a LFC boat flipped upside down
and covered with earth.  

I was not thinking of using stucco or plaster fiberglass mesh - I presumed
it wouldn't have the strength - but I had imagined that the fiberglass
industry would have produced something with the strength of the steel mesh
used in LFC.  Do you know of such a product?  I've searched but no joy as
yet.

I suppose at this point I should also question my assumption that I can
build a subterranean home with mesh-only (sans rebar) ... my impression was
that Chris felt it was possible but I may have got that wrong.  Meanwhile my
design wavers between use of rebar and not and clearly implications are
considerable in terms of cost and construction method.  Fun stuff and I do
have time to get it right.

Best
Chuck  

-----Original Message-----
From: list-bounces at ferrocement.net [mailto:list-bounces at ferrocement.net] On
Behalf Of paul at ferrocement.net
Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 6:51 PM
To: Ferrocement Discussion List
Subject: Re: [Ferro List] Part 2 /Tom's Crud/Passivisation

Hi Chuck,

When Martin Iorns was looking for a solution for the problems of voids and
incomplete encapsulation in traditional FC work, he reviewed his
experience with fiberglas lamination. He supposed that fiberglas
procedures could be followed but mortar could be substituted for resin and
steel mesh substituted for the fiberglas mesh. When he out his theory in
practice during inital testing he discovered that it worked beautifully
and thus LFC [laminated ferrocement] was born.

Simply put fiberglas rebar could be used in FC but fiberglas mesh, i.e.
the mesh used in synthetic stucco, cannot provide the strength that steel
mesh can provide.

I am not implying that traditional FC [framework covered in layers of wire
mesh and then hand plastered] is not viable. It certainly is viable and in
certain instances it may be preferred. LFC is superior for ultimate
quality control and is especially useful when you want to accurately
reproduce an FC object over and over.

Paul

> Gentlemen
>
> I've followed this discussion faithfully and hopefully this question,
> addressed to any and all, has some relevance (albeit somewhat indirect):
> Can
> fiberglass be a viable alternative to steel as rebar and mesh or as
> mesh-only as in laminated structures?
>
> Chuck
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: list-bounces at ferrocement.net [mailto:list-bounces at ferrocement.net]
> On
> Behalf Of tom rapenske
> Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 3:54 AM
> To: Ferrocement Discussion List
> Subject: Re: [Ferro List] Part 2 /Tom's Crud/Passivisation
>
> Paul,
>
>   All were galv staples and galv tie wires to compact meshes. But hey, do
> we
> discount the cut ends of thousands (seemed like millions) of mesh wires,
> exposing bare steel, from eliciting enough electrogalvanic reactions? That
> was a worthwhile thought until my latest test proved it dead wrong.
>   Quite a puzzle ain't it? More tests.
>
>   Tom
>
> Paul Sarnstrom <paul at ferrocement.net> wrote:
>
> You mentioned you used staples to staple the 1/2" layers of mesh to your
> plywood water tank form. Were the staples galavnized? If not then you have
> dissimilar metals in contact with each other and the potential for an
> electro-galvanic reaction. Also, didn't you staple multiple layers of mesh
> together in your failed footbridge experiment?
>
>
>
>
>
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