Ferro-Cement

Presented by Vipul (3108) Ridham (3408) Hatim (1308)

Definition of Ferro cement (ACI committee,549,1988)

Ferro cement is a form of reinforced concrete using closely spaced multiple layers of mesh and/or small diameter rods completely infiltrated with, or encapsulated in, mortar. The most common type of reinforcement is steel mesh. Other materials such as selected organic, natural or synthetic fibers may be combined with metallic mesh.

Definition of Ferro cement

Ferro cement is a thin cement mortar laid over wire mesh, which acts as a reinforcement. It is relatively cheap, strong and durable, and the basic technique is easily acquired.

What is Ferro-cement?

drawing by http://ferrocement.com

It is a strong, low-cost, long-lasting building material made from a wire reinforced mixture of sand, water, and cement A Ferro-cement structure is usually 2-5 cm (3/4"-1 3/4") thick-- much thinner and lighter than poured concrete structures. Because it has wire reinforcing distributed throughout the structure, Ferro-cement structures have much greater tensile strength and

HISTORY

Its use was primarily for making the hulls of boats as a substitute for wood. It had also been used for making roofs of houses. The low-cost, labour intensive nature of Ferro cement made it ideal for use by developing and poor countries.

Manufacturing Process
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The required reinforcement cage is prepared. The meshes are tied to the skeletal steel by binding wires at 200mm intervals. Machine mixing of mortar is done to save water consumption. Plastering is one step or two step. The cage is filled manually. In absence of formwork temporary props are used to avoid sagging.

Ferro-Cement Basics

The strength of a ferro-cement structure depends on basically two things: The quality of the sand/cement mortar mix. The sand must be clean and sharp. The cement must be fresh, and the mortar mix "dry"-that is: well mixed using a minimum of water. The mortar should be used as soon as possible after mixing, especially in warm weather.

The quantity of reinforcing material, usually common "chicken wire". More wire results in a stronger structure. A high quality boat hull will require as many layers of wire as can be gotten into the thickness of the hull.

Material Specifications

Cement-sand ratio: 1:1.5 1:2.5 by mass. Water-cement ratio: .40-.60 by mass. Reinforcement cover: Minimum: 2mm. Maximum:5mm. Section Thickness: 12.5,16-20mm. Reinforcement: Content- 125-250kg/m3. Specific Surface: 2-6 cm2/cm3.

Why would builders choose ferro-cement construction over other methods?

In the case of the water tank it might be because it is being constructed in a remote location with the use of unskilled labor, and where materials must be carried in by hand. If suitable sand can be obtained locally, then only cement and common chicken wire would have to be brought in. A conventional poured concrete tank would require several times the volume of materials, as well as boards for the necessary form .

Differences & Advantages over RCC

Main difference: Manner of reinforcement. Closely spaced small diameter bars of steel are used as reinforcement. RCC uses larger diameter bars spaced in one direction unlike a mesh in Ferro cement. The lower dead weight: Easier handling and reduced foundation costs. It is a labour intensive product and can be made by unskilled labourers with little training.

Difference between FERROCEMENT & RCC

Property Ferro cement RCC

Thickness Matrix

20-50 mm Cement Mortar

>100mm Cement

Properties of Constituents

Cube compressive strength: Mortar : 25-30 N/mm2. Yield stress of mesh : 338 N/mm2. Yield stress of skeletal steel : 245 N/mm2.

Modulus of Elasticity
1) 2) 3) 4) 5)

Square Mesh : 2.12x105 N/mm2. Chicken Mesh: 2.39x105 N/mm2. Mortar : 0.25x105 N/mm2. MS round bars:1.90x105 N/mm2. Deformed bars:2.12x105 N/mm2.

Miscellaneous Points

Reinforcement: small diameter bars. Matrix accounts for 95% of the total volume.. Matrix cover: 2-5 mm. Ferro cement/RCC size:1/4-1/10 (thickness). Insulation: Very poor as Ferro cement consists of only cement and steel. A perfect concrete cure is between 28 damp days and 28 steam cure hours. Start plaster in the centre and work towards the ends. Used for anticorrosive linings. Fire Resistance: 48hrs. at temperatures in excess of 750 degrees Celsius. Modifications can make it resistant to temperatures between 1200 and 1500 degrees celsius.

Economics
The economic advantage of Ferro cement structures is they pay for themselves. Houses pay for themselves with almost zero maintenance and insurance requirements. Water tanks pay for themselves by not being replaced periodically. A Ferro cement structure which encloses above 50 cubic meters is economically superior to almost any building material. This figure has not changed since Robert Mailart used it to economic advantage circa 1900.

Applications
Boats, cisterns and swimming pools walls, floors, and roofs for underground structures, underground water tanks, built-in-place well liners, water control devices, canal lining, retaining walls, stairways built over adobe blocks, rain splash protection for adobe and rammed earth structures, wall panelling,pipes and irrigation conduits and components of furniture

ROOFING..
Roofs made of Ferrocement are preffered as they are easily constructable,costeffective,longlasting,dur able,water-proof

WATER TANKS
Water tanks which serve millitary purposes and those at remote areas can utilise ferrocement For eg..a boat building project using old diesel oil barrels for storing water often got rusted and needed further tanks to store waterworkers of tamilnadu joined together,made out oil barrel type design and made a water tank to store water.it was mortared in the same way as in ferrocement boat building This is now a great demand for such tanks locally..

BOATS..

Boat building has publicised in India from last 4 years.. A ferro-cement hull fishing boat would use materials often easier to obtain locally than wood, and be longer lasting than a wooden hull, especially in tropical conditions. It would probably be faster to build, and use less specialized labour. The fact that it resists corrusion also is of important use where water bodies are continously in contact

Miscalleneous applications..

Boats.which are easy to build, use and are longlasting and simultaneously surprisingly cheaper than wood Agricultural uses- as grain and water storage containers Tube well casings and screens which need to withstand compression and tension Housing- major probable use in low and middleincome housing Ferro cement shell roof which is water tight For septic water tanks,floors,sinks,baths,gobar gas cylinders,etc.

FUTURE
The fact that it can be made at a low-cost makes it ideal for poor countries. It can be made by unskilled labourers who need very little training to make it. It is stronger and more energy conservative than RCC making it have a better prospect for the future. Structures made up of Ferro cement can be easily constructed , increase ease of construction in remote areas Rising cost of wood and other materials encourage use of ferrocement,price of which is stable since long time

Limitations..
As everything good lacks somewhere.. Ferro cement too has limitations. It is a thin material that is not good for loadbearing walls, and the best house designs will use it in conjunction with reinforced concrete,brick,wood,etc.