[Cob] Rammed earth in ICF Forms??

[Henry Raduazo]

	It seems to me that earth is rammed with a slight moisture content and part of the strength comes from the drying process. Will Styrofoam forms permit drying? I think the only way you can find out is by doing a test wall.

Ed
On Sep 20, 2011, at 1:37 AM, Sky Orndoff wrote:

> 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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