[Cob] Earth Bag Construction

[Shody Ryon]

I do not know where to find this information. I know that straight walls are avoided by some that build with this system. It is a heavy system and a lot weaker than concrete, so if it falls it could injure or kill. Imagine building a wall of sand bags, long straight, narrow and tall. On the surface it doesn't sound like a good idea. If I were to undertake such a task, I would make it very thick compared with how high it was, thus sheer specs would be radically different than thin walls. You are probably asking for numbers ... I think a house is being built to code in BC canada, you could search for that here, as well as for new zeland on this list which may have contacts for numbers for cob. I guess that will be different than for earth bag.
Shody


--- On Tue, 1/27/09, Shane Earp <shaneearp at msn.com> wrote:

> From: Shane Earp <shaneearp at msn.com>
> Subject: [Cob] Earth Bag Construction
> To: Coblist at deatech.com
> Date: Tuesday, January 27, 2009, 6:21 PM
> Thanks to all that have responded to my questions concerning
> earth bag construction. 
> 
> From my research I have found there to be a lot of
> information on the gravity load capacity of earth bag
> construction but was unable to find any information on the
> out of plane or in-plane shear capacity of the wall system.
> This information is critical for lateral (earth quake)
> design. 
> 
> There has been tests on earth bag dome structures but
> nothing that I can find for earth bag bearing wall systems.
> Does anyone have any idea where that information can be
> found if it exists. 
> 
> Thanks
> Shane Earp, P.E.
> Structural Integrity, LLC
> 724 Main St., Suite 211
> Klamath Falls, OR 97601
> 541.884.1081 phone/fax
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