Ferrocement - A Versatile Light Weight Construction Material

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Ferrocement - A Versatile Light Weight Construction Material

Journal Title: Trends in Civil Engineering and its Architecture - Year 2018, Vol 1, Issue 3

Abstract

Socio-economic factors have always influenced construction practices. Man has invariably attempted to compose materials that are not only cheap and easy to employ, but also strong and durable. In the last century cementitious composite has been the choice of the constructions industry across the globe owing to its low cost, easy to mould into typical shapes and high durability. Reinforced cement concrete, fibre reinforced concrete, polymer concrete etc. are to name a few. One such material is ferrocement having light weight and extremely high load resisting capacity. This paper provides a hands-on insight into this emerging construction material. Ferrocement is a composite material in which rich cement- sand mortar (or micro-concrete) is reinforced with layers of continuous and small diameter steel wire meshes. The basic principle in its formulation is that it can undergo large strains in the neighbourhood of reinforcement and the magnitude of strains depends on the distribution and subdivision of meshes in concrete. The uniform distribution and high surface area to volume ratio (specific surface) of the reinforcement results in a good crack arrest mechanism. Ferrocement Model Code (2001) defines ferrocement as a type of reinforced concrete commonly constructed of hydraulic cement mortar reinforced with closely spaced layers of relatively small wire diameter mesh. The mesh may be made of metallic or other suitable materials. The fineness of the mortar matrix and its composition should be compatible with the opening and tightness of the reinforcing system it is meant to encapsulate. The matrix may contain discontinuous fibers [1]. Ferrocement is used in thin walled structures where strength and rigidity are developed through form or shape. It can be tailored with directional strength properties and has the distinct advantage of being moldable and of one piece construction. Other major advantages are its low cost and non-flammability. The confidence in the material has been building up with time resulting in its wider applications. The application areas of ferrocement are both terrestrial and marine. It has been used in housing (particularly roofing elements), water tanks, pipes, water boats, barges, vessels, reservoirs, swimming pools, farming works, silos and warehouses [2-3]. The basic constituent materials required for ferrocement are cement, sand, water and wire meshes. The cement should normally be of ordinary Portland type. The cement-sand ratio for the mortar varies from 1:1.5 to 1:2.5 and water-cement ratio, from 0.35 to 0.50 by weight. Wire meshes of different types, such as hexagonal (chicken wire mesh), woven, welded, expanded and Watson meshes, have been used. The wire meshes are generally made up of 0.5 to 1.5 mm diameter wires and spaced 5 to 25 mm apart.

Authors and Affiliations

Mumtaz A Quraishi, Sabih Akhtar

Keywords

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EP ID EP605058
DOI 10.32474/TCEIA.2018.01.000112
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