WALL PRODUCTION: POST 01

With all Material research and sourcing complete we began the wall production on Monday the 21st of April. The Following is a image-time sequence of the First Stage of Production:

Image 1:

We begin by building a timber frame to support the bottles and mud

binding as they dry. This is done using recycled timber and timber

sheeting. The frame will be removed once the wall has dried

Image 2:

The timber frame nearing completion. The size of the frame is 

determined by measuring adequate spacings for each bottle.

Image 3:

Recycled timber boards were cut to be fixed gradually on the

front of the timber frame as the bottle and mud layers were 

built up.

Image 4:

The completed timber frame is ready for the wall production

to begin.

Image 5:

The mud is prepared by mixing a bucket of Soil with a bucket of
manure, slowly adding a bucket of water until the mixture was
moist and smooth.

Image 6:

1/2 bucket of Lime was next added to the mixture, to help the soil
and manure bond, and slow the drying process to ensure the wall
cured to maximum strength. Water was added until the mixture was
moist and consistant.

Image 7:

This image shows how the water was added to the centre of the mixture
before being worked into the mud, manure and lime.

Image 8:

Hay was worked next evenly into the mixture, to help bind the wall
together and increase the overall strength of the wall.

Image 9:

The mixture is mixed through one final time, with water added if
necessary and declared ready to bind the bottles.

Image 10:

The initial layer of mud is shovelled into the frame work. This base layer is
levelled and compacted lightly ready for the bottles to be inserted. The mud
will then be compacted and tightened around the bottles to maximise the
integrity and strenght of the wall.


Post 02: will explain the next Stage of Wall Production
 with images and annotations.

The Benefits of Recycled Glass

Efficient
Much of the glass used today to produce containers and bottles is recycled. A typical glass container is made of as much as 70% recycled glass. The industry also estimates that 80% of all recycled glass is used for glass containers. This conserves a great deal of energy and natural resources as manufacturing materials the second time around is much cleaner and less energy intensive than when using raw materials.

Conserves Natural Resources

1 ton of glass that is recycled saves more than a ton of raw material, 590 kg of sand and 172 kg of limestone.

Saves Energy  

Recycling means that the glass does not have to go through the process of making it from new. A process which includes the heating of sand and other substances to a temperature of over 1400 degrees. This requires a lot of energy. In comparison, the recycling process consists of crushing glass to create a product called “cullet”. This consumes 40 percent less energy.     

The Glass Recycling Process

http://environment.about.com/od/recycling/a/benefits_of_glass_recycling.htm

http://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/publications-and-research/research/recycling-in-victoria/the-environmental-benefits-of-recycling 

http://valorlux.lu/en/glass

http://hottytoddy.com/2012/11/05/oxford-pours-cash-into-landfill/

Final Material Collection

Here are the rest of the materials we collected ready for use taken on Monday the 21st:

Hydrated Lime - Hay - Soil (with clay content) - Cow Manure

Timber Palet

Hay - Timber Boards - Screws

All The Gathered Materials as we prepare the site

The properties production & benefits of hydrated lime

Firstly, the term 'Lime' refers to products derived from heating limestone.

Limestone is a naturally occurring and abundant sedimentary rock consisting of high levels of calcium and/or magnesium carbonate, and/or dolomite, along with minerals. 

The general Production process of lime is shown below:

Adding Hydrated Lime helps the mud to achieve a strong Flexural bond strength when it dries. This is the strength of the mud that helps hold the bottles in place. Lime provides high water retention that allows for maximum early curing of the mud further cementing the tensile bond strength.

Lime also helps to minimise the potential for water penetration through: Low air content, a fine particle size, high plasticity and water retention contribute to excellent extent of bond for cement lime mortars. This eliminates easy migration paths for water penetration. 

Hydrated lime also contributes to the Durability of the mud by increasing the flexibility and elasticity of it, which, subsequently enhanced the ability of the assemblage to accommodate stresses caused by building movement and cyclical changes without excessive cracking. Lime also adds the property of Autogenous Healing which acts to seal any hairline cracks that appear in the mud surface as the hydrated lime reacts with the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and produces limestone which seals the crack. 

Furthermore Hydrated lime is highly uniform and provides consistent consistent performance characteristics in the field.

'Hydrated lime'

'Hydrated Lime' packaged in 20 kg bags

http://www.graymont.com/applications_benefits_cement_lime.shtml

http://www.graymont.com/what_is_lime.shtml

http://www.lime.org/lime_basics/faq.asp

http://i00.i.aliimg.com/photo/v0/104707592/Hydrated_Lime.jpg

Preliminary design sketch

This is the initial design concept for the wall. It sits on and is supported by a timber pallet, creating a level surface to build on. The mud mixture surrounds the glass bottles which are placed evenly around the central timber window. Reclaimed roof sheeting will be fixed to the top of the wall acting as the roof.  

 

Properties of a mud (adobe) wall that make it suitable for wall construction

The mud wall is a mixture of soil, water, lime, hay and cow manure. Mud walls that are air dried have an approximate life span of 30 years before they crumble and require repair/replacement. Cow manure is added to the mud wall mixture for added strength and waterproofing. It is important to use a soil mixture that has few rocks and to compact the mixture as it is built up to remove air bubbles. Rocks and air bubbles will cause the mud wall to crack and break. The thermal mass created by a mud brick wall absorbs solar energy during the day and release it slowly at night. Ideally, mud bricks that have been kiln dried would be used to increase the longevity of the built wall.

(http://www.build.com.au/mud-brick-and-adobe)

Mud (adobe) walls have a low embodied energy with most energy involved in their formation coming from physical labour and the sun (air dried). The components in mud walls are also returned to the earth over years of exposure to rain. Mud walls have good fire resistance and sound insulation but are not good thermal insulators. They lack good thermal insulation properties because they are so densely packed so they do not trap air within the walls, thereby not restricting the transfer of heat between the external and internal environments.

(http://www.yourhome.gov.au/materials/mud-brick)

The collected bottles and hard rubbish success

Hi guys

I picked up the bottles on the weekend so we should be sorted with bottles now.

This week is hard rubbish collection in my neighbourhood so I had a look and found some things thrown out so they're all a good use of reclaimed materials. The window will probably be too big for our wall but we could cut the bottom or top off to make it half the size. The roof sheeting is a last resort.