Cob RE: cob codes

[Doug Patterson]

Thought people might be interested in what Jan Sturmann is doing at Sirius
Community in Amherst, MA. Jan has offered cob courses the past two years as
he builds his own house at Sirius. He is in discussion with both the local
and state building inspectors and has recently send Oak Ridge Labs samples
of cob for R-value testing. In addition, Univ Mass at Amherst is doing
structural stress testing for him. It seems that Jan could be a key figure
in the cob code discussion and an inspiration for doing some of the code
leg work yourself if you have a friendly university dept nearby.

Doug Patterson

>-a thorough laboratory level testing of cob ( in as many itterations as is
>possible - this is a key component to the issue you raise ) will reveal its
>actual physical properties....
>ie: ability to withstand applied loads ( compression, tension. shear)
>-this can be used to predict performance to the types of loads that will occur
>in a building
>-these predictions can then be tested
>-this is basic scientific method & will bing us to a clearer understanding of
>the actual physical limits of cob than we now have
>-one of the goals of the research will be to develope a simple set of field
>tests that can be performed at low or no cost & use to establish the limits of
>a specific co mixture/situation.
>-combining this with a set of realistic standards ie: if your cob is strong
>enough - no matter what its components, mixing variables are -then you will be
>able to build to the limits that that strength has been tested to withstand.
>
>seems pretty straight forward to me
>
>it will be a challenge to do this & write a realistic code that allows max
>variation & freedom - but it is a worthwhile goal
>
>it really does need to be done if cob is to reach into the world of thr great
>unmuddied !!!
>
>hope this helps
>
>what are your thoughts on this?
>regards
>cob on
>
>john fordice
>TCCP
>otherfish at aol.com


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