Hello Jen,
Welcome to the group. This may be the best location on the web for
you to ask these kinds of questions.
There is a great deal of information in our message archives
discussing many of the same issues you are asking about. I encourage
you to use the search function. We have a lot of members with a
multitude of very useful practical subjective knowledge, but we don't
have a lot of scientific data. Your project could be a fantastic
contribution, and I'm certain that many in this group, including
myself, will be happy to share our knowledge.
I have a rather lengthy list of thoughts. I'll try to present them
to you in an organized manner. I hope it makes sense.
1. Papercrete is a very unusual material that a large majority of
people cannot fully appreciate until they've actually handeled a
small sample. I STRONGLY encourage you to begin your very initial
investigations by simply mixing up a small sample, forming it into a
simple form, and allowing it to dry for a few weeks. Don't stress
too much about performing fancy tests on this first batch. This
simple batch need not use any fancy equipment. Use whatever you have
on hand. Your initial goal for this first batch is to gain
experience with the material. It will help you establish an
appropriate hypothesis for your later experiments.
The experience and understanding you will gain by trying a batch will
be more important to you than any explanation I could offer you about
any property the material might have. My first batch of papercrete
came from a household kitchen blender, (the worst possible method to
make papercrete, and I do NOT encourage others to try it). It
resulted in a 3 cubic inch sample. It is one of the worst examples
of papercrete I've ever seen. I used a cardboard toilet paper tube
as a form, but the cardbard fell apart once it got wet. I mixed the
cement in manually, but didn't get it distributed in the mix
properly. It took forever to dry. The sample was horrific, but I
started to understand the possibilities. That first ugly sample
inspired me to learn more about it.
I suggest that until you've gone through the process and witnessed
what happens to a sample as it is mixed and set out to dry for a few
weeks, you won't be able to design the best quality of experiment
that your abilities and tools allow you to. Please mix a batch
before you design your experiments.
2. "Can papercrete be compared to wood products?"
Many times I have posted that Papercrete is a WOOD product and should
be thought of in those terms. I often state this because papercrete
in it's final form tends to perform more like wood than like
concrete. To be scientifically more precise, it must be defined as a
composite. It shares characteristics of wood and cementicious
materials. The methods of mixing and pouring resemble concrete,
while the final dried product performs much like wood, but not
exactly.
3. Testing has been much discussed previously. I have been one of
the most vocal advocates of testing. Ideally, I'd like to see two
classes of testing.
I. "Professional" testing would be performed by experts at
universities or industry in labs using precision instruments and
highly controlled conditions.
II. "Informal" testing would be tests that could be easily performed
by average people that are actively using and experimenting with
papercrete. Common items that most people have laying around would
be used to build simplistic test equipment. The results of these
test can easily be shared in an internet database. (Papercreters is
sponsoring such an online database under development.)
I believe both classes of tests have advantages and disadvantages.
Informal testing has the capacity to investigate a much broader range
of samples and techniques at a very low cost, but with less precision
and control. Professional testing would be far more accurate, more
reliable, appropriate for submition to government and legal
authorities, but much more expensive and not practical for
investigating every possible different papercrete mixture or
application. The the data from both classes of tests is shared
openly, both professionals and amateurs will be able to optimize
their efforts more quickly.
4. "Is the test for wood the same with that of a papercrete?"
Maybe. It depends upon what test(s) you are referring to.
Many basic materials tests are fairly uniform for any building
material. For example, a compression test for wood is essentially
the same test as is used for concrete, but with a different
sensitivity range of values.
It is VERY important to realize that papercrete is a unique
material. It has more elasticity than most building materials. For
example, papercrete (depending upon the mixture used) can deform as
it is compressed. This need not be harmful to the test sample. The
papercrete can spring back after the load is removed without damage.
This property can be very useful and benefitial, or it can be a
problem. It all depends upon how the material is being used in a
structure.
This deformation can also affect a compression test by making it much
less obvious what the failure point might be.
Papercrete also has a very broad range of mixtures and uses.
Papercrete can be mixed with an extremely high mineral content and
have strength approaching that of concrete. It also can be mixed
with a very small mineral content and be an amazing insulator. The
wet slurry can be simply formed and dried, or the wet slurry can be
compressed into the form. This wet compression can drastically alter
the performance of the final product. It can be mixed with other
materials, like lime and latex, to form plasters and coatings.
Clearly the tests for insulation are different than the typical tests
for wood. The tests for plasters and stuccos are radically different
from the typical tests for concrete, wood, or insulation. Different
types of paper can produce different results. Cardboard acts
differently than newspaper. Glossy magazine paper has a higher clay
content that produces different results. Papercrete, can be
formulated to perform any one of these functions, and often multiple
functions at the same time.
5. What school are you attending? Can you describe your philosphical
personal goals for project? Will you be sharing your data and
documentation freely? Will your testing have any certifications?
Are you attempting to assist the average person that would like to
use this material, but needs to show official documentation before
they can get governamental approval? Are you attempting to help a
commercial entity bring a new product to market?
I hope you find my responses helpful in spite of my lengthy text.
I wish you well with your project.
I encourage you to post frequently and in great detail about your
progress.
--- In papercreters@yahoogroups.com, "jenabenojar" <jenabenojar@...>
wrote:
>
> hi guys. . . i'm jen and i'm from the philippines
> I am a student and currently having a research study on papercrete
or
> fibercement
>
> this is really something new to me and never heard of it
>
> I've been browsing the net, the library and other resources to
gather
> information and so I have found this e-groups with members having
the
> experience of using and building their projects with papercrete
>
> I am hoping that I could ask some help here while doing the
research.
> I'm online everynight (I mostly stayed up from 11 pm until 3 or 5
am)
> and was wondering if I could have some few chats regarding this
matter.
>
> Though I'd still be visiting the group to post the progress of my
> research and some questions....
>
>
> -------------HERE ARE SOME OF MY QUESTIONS:
> Is the test for wood the same with that of a papercrete?
> Can papercrete be compared to wood products?
> (If not, how do the testing differ?)
>
> What mixture for a papercrete that is water resistant and highly
> insulative?
>
>
>
>
> thanks for you support. . . .til' then
>
>
> NOTE: my questions are also subjected for testing,
> to some i might have idea of an answer, but it would be
> helpful to have your comments and discussions on this matter
>
> again thank you. . .
>
------------------------------------
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