I have worked with concrete for 40 years, and we have always refered to the drying process as "SET" or "SET UP, as the concrete has set up now we can trowel it" I am quite aware that papercrete dries and it dries Extremely slowly, because it contains so much water, the process I will do will only involve about a gallon of water as steam. Portland Cement will set (or dry) if you just dig a hole in the ground and pour it in, it needs no additional water to make it set up. I don't think I made my discreption of my process very clear, I'm not much good with words. I am going to make a small SIP panel 20" wide by 40" tall that would be the same relation as a 48"wide by 96" tall SIP, with 10" repesenting center as 24" would repesent center in a 48" wide sheet. This will serve as my test panel to see if it will work. It is my belief that once cellulose and portland cement are blended 50/50 and activated with steam inside a cavity (packed hard by the insulation machine) they will harden just like wet papercrete. I have never tried this so I'm just guessing but if it works I can forsee building a house about very short time. I have blown cellulose insulation into a cavity like I described and I know the insulation machine packs it in very tight and fills every void.
The panel walls will be attached to the slab or wood floor which ever is desired, by a sole plate that would be bolted to a slab and glued and nailed to a wood floor. The SIP's would be splined together and would have a top plate to support trusses which would be tied to the top plate with hurricane straps for added security. If desired the trusses would only have to be placed on 48" centers and SIP's could be laid and filled after they are all place and anchored to the trusses, with the long special SIP screws that reach completely through and hold the SIP's to the trusses. Thanks for your input all suggestions are welcomed, that is how we learn.
Bob
In papercreters@yahoogroups.com, "Nick Boersema" <picknick@...> wrote:
Papercrete dries it does not set therefore I think you will find this won't
work. I don't see the advantage of this over other alternatives such as
slip forming in particular for walls. For a roof or ceiling maybe a sip
would be justified but I still have my doubts. What about sandwiching
papercrete between two layers of pegboard then when it dries adhering OSB to
the pegboard?
Nick
From: papercreters@yahoogroups.com [mailto:papercreters@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of Bob
Sent: Monday, February 23, 2009 10:07 PM
To: papercreters@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [papercreters] Re: Structural Insulated Panels
I know this is going to sound crazy and it probably will not work but I'm
going to try this method as soon as our weather here in Oklahoma warms up.
My idea is to place two sheets of OSB board one on top of the other, then
drill about 9 holes for screws, three across the bottom, three across the
middle and three across the top. I will then coat the inside of both sheets
with a mixture of 50% Latex paint and 50% water and enough cement to make
the mixture to the texture of a soupy paste. Once this is dryed if another
coat is needed I will apply a second coat to insure the OSB boards are water
proof.
I will them place small 2x4 or 2x6 blocks probably cut exactly square
either size, over the holes on the bottom sheet, and then screw them all in
place from the bottom. After all are screwed in place I will build a 3 1/2
or 5 1/2 frame on three sides (top and long sides) of the bottom sheet,
flush with the outside edge on top and one long side will be set back 1 1/2"
from the edge, the other side will have a filler strip (3"xwhat ever the
blocks are on the inside 3 1/2 or 5 1/2) that will attach to the next pair
of OSB boards. After this is complete I intend to set the pair astradle of a
base plate of the same size as the block used inside and screw them to the
base plate. I will then bore a hole about the size of a quarter at the
bottom just above the base plate in the middle of one sheet and another in
the middle at the top just under the top form. I will then use a 50/50
mixture of cellouse blown in insulation and either portland cement or
Hydraulic cement. I will blow this mixture into the bottom hole with my
insulation machine and steam at the same time. When the cavity gets filled
up to the top hole, I will plug the bottom hole and top off the cavity from
the top hole all the while blowing steam with the blown in insulation and
cement, after the cavity is completely full I will plug the top hole as I
did the bottom hole. This mixture should set up rather quickly and reach
full strength in 28 days. But the drying time really doesn't matter because
as soon as I complete the first sheet I will be able to start on the second
pair and so on and so on until the entire outside wall of the house is
complete. I know this sounds nuts but I've got to try it.
Bob
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