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[Cob] could cob be masonry?Lance Collins lcollins.au at gmail.comFri Feb 26 13:35:47 CST 2010
Damon wrote, >Straw doesn't rot away inside cob (now why, I don't know). Years ago I found an explanation for this but unfortunately I didn't keep the reference. It seems all materials have a natural level of moisture content and clay is one of the lowest such that dry clay has too little moisture level to support rotting of straw. What the conditions are to achieve a 'natural' moisture contents I can't remember. Intuitively I would expect the moisture content to be the average of the relative humidity of the surrounding air but it seems this isn't so. As someone with engineering training I find it frustrating to give such a vague explanation but I have never been able to find that reference again. Lance Victoria, AU p.s. I saw a documentary recently on the building of the Alhambra(?) in Grenada, Spain. The walls are cob (well, poured earth at least) and protected by a lime and clay render.
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