[Cob] Rammed earth in ICF Forms??

[M3]

I haven't been around ICFs, but do you think they're strong enough to 
take the pounding?  Poured concrete can exert a lot of pressure on 
forms, but you don't have to pound it like rammed earth.  Just a 
relatively gentle loading compared to rammed earth.

On 9/20/2011 2:00 PM, coblist-request at deatech.com wrote:
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>     1. Rammed earth in ICF Forms?? (Sky Orndoff)
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> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2011 22:37:02 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Sky Orndoff<skyorndoff at yahoo.com>
> To: "coblist at deatech.com"<coblist at deatech.com>
> Subject: [Cob] Rammed earth in ICF Forms??
> Message-ID:
> 	<1316497022.21982.YahooMailNeo at web161213.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
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> Hey Everyone!
>
> I have been working on a conventional build alongside my cobwood project, and have come to really like Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs) for their speedy, structural assemblage of a nice simple building (google superform).? I also like that they can directly hold plaster, and I like their thermal mass--insulation hybrid.? And I like how accepted they are with building officials.? What I don't like about the ICFs are the styrofoam itself and the concrete and those things' negative effects on the environment.? However, the durable, quite insulative, super-easy-to-construct nature of the forms makes them maybe worth it, especially if we can do away with the concrete.
>
>
> Here in Helena, Montana, it's quite dry, and horribly cold in the winter, and so I was wondering what you all had to say about the idea of filling ICFs with Rammed Earth.? As far as I know, Rammed Earth has approximately the same compressive strength as Concrete and similar (very little) tensile strength.? Its shatter strength is lower, I believe, than Concrete, and it can fail if it gets and stays wet.? Will I be constantly fighting moisture issues? Do you expect failure? Horrible and hideous catastrophic results?? Or did I hit on something smart?
>
>
> What I'd like from you all are ideas on testing/how to monitor moisture levels inside the forms, ideas on how to avoid moisture penetrating and accumulating inside the walls, and possibly ideas on ways to back up rammed-earth's strength.
>
> What do you think?? Am I off my rocker, am I too apologetic to the constructionary-industrial complex, or is this an idea worth exploring?
>
> Thanks a lot for your feedback!
>
> Sky
>
> www.earthartbuild.wordpress.com
>
>
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> End of Coblist Digest, Vol 9, Issue 120
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