Papercreters: [papercreters] Re: Heat curing papercrete appears to improve tensile strength.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

[papercreters] Re: Heat curing papercrete appears to improve tensile strength.

Just like a wood shingle or clapboard, it would need to be well sealed with paint or some other waterproofing substance. Also, the mix used to make shingles or clapboards would not be a typical mix. I'd guess it would need to be extremely high in mineral content. Perhaps as high 4-1, maybe 6-1, of cement/clay/sand to paper, by weight. Again, I'm just guessing.

A lot of experimentation would be needed to figure out what the optimal mix might be for such an application. Other additives could possibly be greatly benefitial.

--- In papercreters@yahoogroups.com, "donald1miller" <donald1miller@...> wrote:
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> Given the water absorbency of PC, how will you be able to use them as shingles or siding? Not being sarcastic, just playing devil's advocate. I also think from my use of heavy cardboard for pulp that it may have more tensile strength than PC made with newsprint. Do you have a simple home based method of testing the compressive and tensile strength of blocks? I think you mentioned using a big fish scale. I haven't done any testing so any help here would be appreciated.
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> --- In papercreters@yahoogroups.com, "slurryguy" <slurryguy@> wrote:
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> > With your arid location, I don't see a practical benefit in trying to pour a slipform wall of papercrete and heat cure it. You won't be needing the papercrete to have a lot of tensile strength the way you are using it.
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> > If my initial discovery is confirmed by further testing, I think the concept has applicatons in other areas. For example:
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> > Fibercement Shingles
> > Fibercement Clapboards
> > Fibercement Window Trim
> > Fibercement Mouldings
> > Papecrete Panels
> > Papercrete Structural Inslating Panels
> > Perhaps even fibercement wallboard
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> > Stuff like that. Those items require a certain amount of tensile stregth or they don't work well.
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> > Take shingles. I can imagine compressing damp slurry into shingles in a device constructed similarly to a Tortilla Press, but more rectangular, and then curing them in a solar oven.
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> > I can imagine creating something like an oversized Pasta Roller that could roll-compress a long flat board as a clapboard. A layer of slurry could be spread evenly on a long piece of window screen and compressed through the roller. The press might also have a wood grain texture in the top roller to give the clapboard an attractive surface texture. Heat curing them in a large solar wood kiln type structure might work well.
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> > Of course... more experimentation is needed to confirm my suspicions about improved tensile strength. Even if there is improvement by heat curing, will it be enough additional strength to perform well in any of the above applications?
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> > I don't know. I'm just questioning aloud at this point.
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> > --- In papercreters@yahoogroups.com, JUDITH WILLIAMS <williams_judith@> wrote:
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> > > That's very interesting. I'm already wondering........"How can I pour my slurry into a mold that is actually a solar oven?" Then they would be dry in no time, and stronger as well. What about a slip form wall with some sort of solar reflector and good ventilation?
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> > > As far as what I learned over the weekend? It's OK to lounge on a sofa bed outdoors under a large beach umbrella and watch other people work.
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> > > Sincerely, Judith
> > > Visit my new website at http://www.papercretebyjudith.com
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> > > More info at www.judith-l-williams.com
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