clay in rammed earth walls.
thats correct people who have limited knowledge about rammed earth dont know much as some of the best rammed earth houses are built in west australia the builder that helped me in this concept is australias leading rammed earth builder who i flew to bali to oversee construction and also provided the mix formula for the whole project as for the lime stone it worked out as the best product for the mix as its is close to zero clay as clay is a no no in rammed earth abode because clay does not compact for strength thats why to do this project you need professionals and i am lucky to have 3 such builders on my team standing the test of time no worries i can guarantee that i have had many sceptic to my proyek trying to get the formula but i have this safely locked away in my skull and there is also a steel structure design inside the rammedearth for earthquake shakes and cyclone proof roof setup so yes i have done my home work as this is a passion of mine as well as my 3 friends who have visited and given me the stamp of approval so i hope to educate builders and locals that rammed earth is the future my motto be mean 2b green cheers:icon_e_ugeek:
From Wikipedia:
"Building a rammed earth wall involves a process of compressing a damp mixture of earth that has suitable proportions of sand, gravel and clay (sometimes with an added stabilizer) into an externally supported frame, creating a solid wall of earth. Historically, stabilizers such as lime or animal blood were used to stabilize the material, whilst modern rammed earth construction uses lime, cement or asphalt emulsions. Some modern builders also add coloured oxides or other items such as bottles or pieces of timber to add variety to the structure."
I'm not an expert, but this contradicts your assertion that clay is a "no-no".
And also :
CONTINUITY OF TRADITION : NEW EARTH BUILDING
Stephen Dobson
BEng., BCom., Registered Builder 3982
Committee Member JTC BD/83 – Joint Technical Committee of Standards Association of Australia and Standards New Zealand for preparation of a Standard for Earth Building for Australia and New Zealand
"Ability to keep out the elements. This generally requires the walls to be totally waterproof under all weather conditions. Traditionally clay in the earth used for construction was the key element in keeping out the water. Practitioners should be aware that deleting some or all of the clay under some earth building techniques lessens the waterproofness of the building and that substituting surface coatings and chemicals may not be in the best long term interests of the building. Indeed, the line is often crossed when earth building techniques are used with mixes which are so highly contrived as to be not true earth building but more conventional masonry mixes applied with earth building techniques"
Full article is here:
http://members.optusnet.com.au/rogergarlick/Terra2000.doc
I agree with Markit, have your poured all your punctuation marks into your rammed earth walls? Maybe that's the secret? I think we should be told.
There is no way I would contract a builder if he refused to tell me the details of the building materials he was using.
Regards
