Humanity throughout the practice of construction used different natural materials. For a long time, the most popular was ordinary clay, which has become widely used in the creation of various types of buildings. Adobe, or adobe, buildings today are becoming popular not only because of the love of antiquity, but also for practical reasons - a house made of adobe in a difficult economic and environmental situation is the best way to show its relevance.
Stuff without time
Adobe, which is the precursor of fired clay, is a composite type material, it consists of water, straw, sand, clay and earth.
Raw brick made from clay with the addition of crushed straw has been used for more than one millennium. Both ordinary houses and majestic buildings were built from it, which confirms the use of adobe in the construction of pyramids in Peru and Egypt, the creation of the Great Wall of China. Outbuildings and houses made of this material are found in Moldova, Turkey, Iran and other countries withhot climatic conditions, as well as in the Kuban and Stavropol.
Not so long ago, adobe building material became popular again: architects embody the ideas of experimental buildings with the concept of the unity of civilization and nature, and ordinary citizens successfully build eco-houses on their own. Their results differ mainly only in design, since the technology has not changed for several millennia.
Block building
The production of adobe today is carried out, as it was many years ago, using clay, sand, water and organic fillers (linen fire, straw cutting). In this case, the average amount of clay in the mixture is from 4 to 20% (with a decrease in clay, the shrinkage of the walls decreases). In the block version of construction, sand, clay and straw are mixed to a homogeneous consistency, then the blocks are formed in a wooden mold. Its inner surface should be planed and have some “margin” to simplify the removal of bricks.
Since the products are not fired, but dried in the sun (for 7-11 days, depending on weather conditions), their molding begins in the spring so that the required amount of material has time to dry over the summer. Finished bricks do not lose strength when hammering nails, they are easily chopped and hewn with a well-sharpened ax.
Casting material connection
The foundry method of construction is characterized by the hand laying of lightly set adobe mass on the foundation using shovels or pitchforks. The new layer is left ona few days to dry, then the next is formed. The walls, as they dry, are cleaned and leveled on the sides. A characteristic feature is that all layers superimposed on each other are fastened together, in addition to gluing, by interlacing straw fibers. To do this, the plane of each layer is deliberately left uneven, with protruding fibers and holes.
Construction Features
It is possible to use steel panels and formwork during construction. In this case, the adobe brick is fed into the formwork box, standing in the design position, slightly wetted with water and compacted in small layers using wooden rammers. Clay is in formwork for about 3-4 days in cloudy weather or 2 days in sunny weather. After it moves higher and the next part of the walls is made. In each method, window and door openings are formed during construction, on top of which a steel or wooden lintel is mounted.
A house made of adobe can have any wall height. There are historical examples of buildings with several floors, which are not only in excellent condition, but are still in operation. Such structures, unlike the earth-fighting variants whose walls are held together by gravity, are based on a three-dimensional structure of intertwined straw fibers, the overall strength is provided by a large number of individual stems. At the same time, most of the houses made of adobe have no more than one or three floors. Such a house, like any other building, requires a solid foundation and a solid roof to protect it from the damaging effects of water. The walls are covered with a traditional rain-proof coating in the form of cement mortar or lime plaster.
Dignity
Construction with adobe is the safest of all methods using natural materials. It is made from renewable resources and is non-toxic to humans, which is especially important in the current situation of severe pollution and resource depletion.
Due to plastic abilities, it is possible to create architectural organic forms with the formation of niches, arches, curved walls - this is how a builder works with a house, like with a sculpture.
Ado brick has a minimal cost compared to other materials. For the construction of buildings there is no need to use expensive specialized equipment and labor, respectively, there is no high energy consumption.
Water resistance and heat insulation performance
The material is able to withstand extended periods of rain and is not subject to weathering. For example, in Great Britain, which is characterized by high rainfall, there are a huge number of adobe comfort houses, many of which are over 500 years old. And in the nine-story medieval houses built with partial use of adobe, which can be found in Yemen, people have been living for almost 900 years. The special design and composition of the material can also provide sufficient seismic resistance.
Saman is differentgreater thermal insulation properties compared to brick, stone or concrete, therefore, such houses do not need increased heating in winter and coolness in summer. It is a fireproof building material that is used to form chimneys and stoves, which is why it is ideal for homes in regions with a high fire risk.
The adobe buildings are undoubtedly unique, as well as the fact that their performance and economic qualities deserve the attention of every person who is not indifferent to the ecological future of the Earth.
Flaws
For adobe, the most difficult test is freezing - the main reason for the destruction and cracking of houses from the ground. But application in cold regions is possible subject to special technology and external wall insulation.
Ado brick has not the best decorative characteristics, while it is characterized by low water resistance. Such buildings without proper treatment in a damp climate absorb moisture, begin to deform and crumble. To prevent such changes, the walls from the outside are finished with burnt ordinary bricks, and from the inside they are protected with a vapor barrier. A house made of homemade blocks in this case will last much longer.
Important aspects
Blocks for building a house are placed on a solution of sand and clay in proportions drawn up for the manufacture of the blocks themselves, without the use of straw. For the first row, it is necessary to separate from the foundation with the help of waterproofing. Reinforcingthe mesh will strengthen the joints of the walls and corners. Point loads are destructive to the material, so slabs and beams are formed with an equal distribution of loads on the walls. Such a house, subject to all the rules, will delight its owners for many years.
Composition
Ado brick, as noted above, consists of the following components: water, straw, sand and clay. In construction, the proportions of all components are determined by sampling and mainly depend on the quality characteristics of clay. It does not occur in its pure form in nature and always contains some impurities, most often sand. The total weight of the addition of river screened sand is determined by the degree of fat content of the clay.
It can be found in those places where it is mined by builders and stove-makers. It is possible to use the soil excavated from the foundation pit if the site has a clay type of soil. The clay from which the blocks for building the house will be prepared must be free of stones, debris and impurities. When harvesting a large amount of material, it can be placed under the film and left to age - its quality will only increase due to this.
Used in the manufacture of coarse sand, the optimal grain size is at least 1 mm. Cob blocks cannot be formed from dust variants. Roots, debris and foreign matter are removed from the sand, then it is sifted and dried.
Straw of any type is suitable: barley, rye or wheat, the main thing is that itwas completely dry and showed no signs of spoilage. Fresh straw is best.
Water is the last ingredient in the mix, but not the least. The strength of a brick is affected by its purity, since water containing acidic s alts contributes to rapid destruction. The best option is water from a well or well, without the presence of chemicals.
How to make adobe: determining proportions
To find out the proportions of the components, you need to take one part of sand and clay, add water, mix thoroughly and knead the solution, which resembles a hard dough in consistency. Then a ball, equal in diameter to a tennis ball, is rolled out of the solution and left in the sun for an hour. Then it must be dropped from a height of about one and a half meters onto a flat plane. The ideal ratio of sand and clay will preserve the shape of the ball. If it crumbles, then a decrease in the amount of sand is required, if the ball becomes flat without cracking, it is necessary to increase its part accordingly.
Shaping
The adobe brick is formed in plastic, metal and wooden forms in the form of a box without a bottom with several cells of a certain type. In self-production, the easiest forms are made of wood, knocked down from planed boards with a thickness of about 30 mm.
After determining the required size of the blocks, a drawing for the form is drawn up, according to which the boards are subsequently cut. They must be connected at all joints in several places with self-tapping screws. Quantity at the same timethe resulting brick can be anything, it all depends on its size, but it should be borne in mind that the shape should not have too much weight. Can be equipped with handles on the edges for ease of movement.
