[Ferro List] Flipped Boat Wallls

[chuck east]

A 'fantastic' challenge, Chris!  I'm short of 'lots of money' but loaded
with ideas and I've begun fussing with the engineering required to lower a
12 meter or longer boat (or flower) resting on its transom so that it
becomes an LFC church viz flipped ark ... my 'lowering' idea is based on the
now famous GTT model (Glasspool Tilting [down] Technique) which is a lovely
idea albeit currently lacking detail but the search is on.  

My present thought is to have a steel axle at the deck level of the transom
... this axle is part of a steel skeletal system, which will eventually be
removed from the structure, acting as scaffolding during the build and then
support the boat shell during the lowering.  Since the shell is not being
lifted and flipped then it is conceivable (perhaps only to this neophyte's
less-than-nimble mind) that tilting it down could be accomplished with two
very large cranes with one taking up part of the weight on the transom while
another lowers the bow ... or perhaps each crane has one side.  'If' cranes
would work then the weight of the shell and steel scaffolding will
ultimately dictate the number of cranes required.  But to continue the
fantasy: The cranes would tie into the steel structure not the boat itself
and each crane would connect with several points of the steel structure in
order to spread the load, creating a more even distribution of weight ...
these points would be on either side of the shell, the steel structure at
deck level extending 'x' distance beyond the boat on all sides ... perhaps
it would also be necessary to have some points coming directly up through
the shell - at the keel, as it were - to keep the steel structure flat(ish),
preventing the center from buckling/curving down and stressing the shell
inwards. 

Once the shell is in place, remaining mesh would be tied into the foundation
and rendered to complete the structure.  I haven't wrapped my head around
removing the steel scaffolding nor do I know if the bulkheads are added
before or after the lowering but I'll bet Martin has the answer ... I look
forward to knowing how much his boats weighed and how they were turned over
if I understand correctly that some of his boats were built upside down and
then turned over and 'popped' out of their forms ... ???  

Regardless of the failures of my idea, it's revealing, and amusing, how the
boat has gone from being 'flipped over' to being 'tilted down' to now being
'lowered' (as a mother lowers her child into its cradle, feet slightly lower
than the head), each stage suggesting something less radical and impactful
on the laminated shell ... the basic idea being 'Now if we can just avoid
dropping it ... ' 

Now about speaking with that engineer ... first I'll have to figure out the
weight for this boat so, as I've said so many times before, I need to get
Martin's book and get to reading.

Best
Chuck  

-----Original Message-----
From: list-bounces at ferrocement.net [mailto:list-bounces at ferrocement.net] On
Behalf Of Christopher Glasspool
Sent: Thursday, February 21, 2008 5:39 PM
To: Ferrocement Discussion List
Subject: [Ferro List] Flipped Boat Wallls

Chuck,
This was an idea that grew from a discussion on tilt up walls, of which I
was contemplating doing for my workshop.These flip up boat shapes, are
really the same thing, only with a boat shape the tilt up wall also becomes
a tilt up wall and roof. One can look at nature for similar designs. The two
that first come to mind are flower buds and mollusks, such as clams. The man
made example is the Sydney Opera House. The boat shape is a rough
description, and when you start looking at it, you can see a football shape
cut into sections, and formed to meet function. Playing with the shapes
allows you to see the function of maneuverability of being tilted into
position. You can design these to fit together to make a domed structures,
or turn them in different directions to get solar orientation, or a cooling
breeze, northern light, or to take advantage of a panoramic view. If one had
the time and money (lots of it), then all of these could be tuned in for one
 project.
Ferrocement isn't fragile or brittle, but it still very heavy, so having or
hiring the tools necessary to move these structures around would be a big
project in itself. A steep slope would require even more engineering for the
maneuvering of the pieces. It is a fun fantasy in any case. - chris


 
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