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Kiko Denzer on Art



[Cob] Cob R Value

otherfish otherfish at comcast.net
Tue Jun 21 13:20:52 CDT 2005


Shannon's reply brings to the fore once agian a critical issue for cob.
Almost all of the info currently used to judge cob is really just

CONJECTURE BASED ON SUPPOSITION

The critical point is that we as cobbers & natural builders have no
comprehensive tested & accepted basic data of cob and it's pyhsical
performance.  Every time we try to convince building permit officials of the
validity of cob we run into this roadblock.  As a result, cob is kept
marginalized & out of use by mainstream construction.

This is an important issue.  "Normal" construction is responsible for at
least 2,000,000 new houses each year in the US.  This is a huge impact on
the planet & if just 1% of new construction was of cob that would be 2,000
new cob buildings every year.  If cob & natural building were accepted by
the Building Codes, this 1% would be possible.  As it is, we as natural
builders, while prehaps solving our own personal shelter needs, are like
gnats on a dinosaur in the impact we have to help change this terrible
mainstream rape of the environment in the name of creating shelter.

This can be changed, but only if there is the will to do so. Please go to:

http://www.deatech.com/natural/cobinfo/cobcode.html

to see the proposal for a cob testing program which I put forth in 1996.
This is critical work that needs to be done.  The project has been stalled
for lack of funding.  If you or someone you know is a funding expert or
angle who sees value in this project, please contact me.  Lets cut the
gordian knot that is holding cob back & set it free for all who want to use
it.

Thanks
john fordice

  



on 6/20/05 9:19 PM, Shannon C. Dealy at dealy at deatech.com wrote:

> On Mon, 20 Jun 2005, otherfish wrote:
> 
> [snip]
>> Robin Clarke wrote:
>> John
>> 
>> I am not familiar with cob technique, except for a quick Google browse that
>> I have just done.  Presumably walls made in this way have a density that is
>> around rammed earth and mud bricks, possible somewhere between the two.  I
>> suspect that the fraction of straw is relatively small and that there is
>> some "ramming" of each layer.
> [snip]
> 
> Just thought I should note here that while I think his general approach
> and premises are correct, at 10+% straw, I would consider the level of
> straw to be significant (though not overwhelmingly so), and the density
> of cob (due to this level of straw content) is definitely lower than mud
> brick, in addition, I don't think that the conventional method of
> manually "knitting" the layers together would really qualify as "ramming"
> in the sense that I suspect he meant.  Overall, this would result in cob
> having a moderately higher R-value then his estimate.
> 
> FWIW.
> 
> Shannon C. Dealy      |               DeaTech Research Inc.
> dealy at deatech.com     |          - Custom Software Development -
> |    Embedded Systems, Real-time, Device Drivers
> Phone: (800) 467-5820 | Networking, Scientific & Engineering Applications
> or: (541) 929-4089 |                  www.deatech.com
>