Ferro-cement is a construction material. Ferro-cement is also called Ferro-concrete. It is generally composed of wire meshes and cement mortar. Ferro-cement is the form of reinforced cement concrete but it is different from the conventional type of reinforced concrete in which wire meshes are very closely spaced, and multi-layer of wire meshes or fine rods surrounded by rich mortar mix.
Ferro-cement is an innovation in cement concrete, is removed all the difficulties that occurred in RCC. In RCC the members are heavy, brittle and cannot be satisfactorily repaired if damaged.
The thickness of the Ferro-cement member is much thinner than the reinforced concrete and the wire mesh can be formed in any shape without a conventional form, and then plastered.
The diameter of wire mesh normally varies from 0.5mm to 1mm and the spacing between them normally varies from 5mm to 10mm and the ratio of cement mortar is generally used as 1:2 to 1:3 i.e. 1 part of cement and 2 part of fine aggregate.
The volume of reinforcement used in Ferro-cement normally varies from 8 to 10%. The water-cement ratio is used as 0.4 to 0.45. The thickness of the Ferro-cement member generally varies from 2cm to 3cm and 2mm to 3mm external cover to the wire mesh.
The fine aggregate i.e. sand required the maximum size of 2.36mm and 1.18mm. The steel content used in Ferro-cement varies between 300kg to 500kg per cubic meter of mortar.
The quality assurance of Ferro-cement component are good because they are manufactured on machinery hence the execution time at site work is less. The maintenance cost of construction is low. The Ferro-cement is mostly used in the U.S., U.K. and New Zealand for the construction of the boat.
Ingredients of Ferro-cement
Following are the ingredients of Ferro-cement
Properties of Ferro-cement
- It is light in weight.
- Due to its small thickness, the dead weight of the element is less.
- It has high tensile strength.
- It has non-corrosive.
- The distribution of reinforcement is uniformly throughout.
- It can be easily repaired.
- It has a high modulus of rupture.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Ferro-cement
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| The Ferro-cement required basic material like cement and steel it is easily available in most of the countries. | Corrosion of reinforcement is occurring due to incomplete coverage of metal by mortar. |
| It is most suitable for the precast product. | In large quantity, labors are required. |
| It is highly suitable for a special structure like roofs, shells, silos, water tank, etc. | The cost of high skilled and semi-skilled labors is high. |
| It is environment-friendly construction material. | Tying of rods and mesh each other is especially difficult and time-consuming. |
| It can be easily moulded to any required shape. | Excessive shrinkage occurs due to higher cement content. |
| It has less crack width as compared to conventional concrete. | Labor cost is high. It is uneconomical. |
Table1: Advantages and Disadvantages of Ferro-cement.
Uses of Ferro-cement
- Ferro-cement is used for casting overhead water tanks.
- Ferro-cement is used to make silos.
- It is mostly suitable for the construction of a boat.
- It is used to make the manhole.
- It can be used for prefabricated channel units for roof construction.
- It is the best suitable material for the construction of pressure pipes, benches in parks or garden and open-air cinema theatre for seating purpose.
Application of Ferro-cement
- Ferro-cement component is used in rural areas for low-cost housing.
- Ferro-cement is used in the construction of boxes for water and electric meters.
- Recently Ferro-cement is used in the construction of residential and industrial buildings.
- Used in making boats, Sewage manhole covers.
- Used in the construction of water tanks, sedimentation tanks, swimming pool linings, well casings, septic tanks, etc.
- It is also used in the construction of mobile homes, kiosks, wind tunnel, silos and bins.
Flowchart for the Process of Ferro-cement Construction are
Methods of Construction of Ferro-cement
Following are the various methods used for the construction of the Ferro-cement section:
- Skeleton armature method.
- Closed mould method.
- Integral mould method.
- Open mould method
Skeleton Armature System
The skeleton armature system is a framework of tied reinforcing bars in which layers of reinforcing mesh are attached on either side. In this process, mortar is applied from one side and the mesh layer is forced towards the other side and any shape of skeletal steel is assumed. The diameter of the steel bar depends on the size of the structure. The size of bar 6mm or less is used and lap lengths 230mm to 300 mm may be sufficient. The number of layers of mesh required for the tightness of each side of the skeletal steel frame.
Closed Mould System
In a closed mould system, the mortar is applied on one side of the several layers of mesh and rod combination that have been stapled against the surface of a mould. The mould is a permanent part of the finished Ferro-cement structure. In this system, plastering is required only one side.
Integral Mould System
In this system firstly we constructed a semi-rigid framework with a minimum number of mesh layers by the application of mortar from one or two sides of the framework. After the setting of mortar, a rigid but low-quality Ferro-cement mould onto which further layer of reinforcing mesh and mortar shall be applied on both sides. Finally, the integral mould may be formed using rigid insulation materials, such as polystyrene or polyurethane as the core.
Open Mould System
In this system mortar is applied from one side through layers of mesh and rods are attached to an open mould. This system is similar to a closed mould system in which mortar is applied from one side, at least until the mould can be removed.
3D Modeling Software
Ferro-cement is used in a special type of structures such as water tanks, boats, shelves in the housing project, domes, shells, manholes, etc. The construction of this type of structure is difficult. Manually Designing the mould then fabricating the skeletal system and applying the rods and meshes on this system and then plastering and curing is a lengthy procedure. Hence to overcome this difficulty we used 3D modeling software.
In recent years, 3D modelling and printing Ferro-cement structures have been undergoing development. 3D modelling software is the software in which all types of skeletal size and shapes are designed. All you need to do is to decide on the size of the mould and then use the program to design it according to site conditions.
After you’ve designed the mould based on your requirements, you can then use the slicing software to prepare it for 3D printing and generate the file format that you can send to the 3D printer for 3D printing purposes. After you have done this, you can then fabricate the skeletal system and apply the rods and meshes accordingly.
3D modeling makes it easier to easily and quickly manipulate vertices and edges based on your requirements. The entire object or mould can be seen in 2D and 3D and any changes can easily be applied with ease and you can customize it as per your requirements.
The entire design and analysis process can be done on the 3D modeling software. Complex objects and shapes can be created also which would have taken a lot of time and resources to do in the traditional methods.
3D modelling software can also be used to create wall panels, slab and other important structures at a low-cost and later be 3D printed. This is important especially in the rural areas where facilities are scarce. Ferro-cement underground construction such as sedimentation tank, water tank, swimming pool lining, well casings, septic tank etc can also be 3D designed and 3D printed using the modern large 3D printers.
3D modeling gives the better result in less time and it’s cheaper at the same time though it can’t be used to produce designs in masses.
Most of the available 3D modelling software are usually difficult to get started with and one usually takes a lot of time even to learn the basics. But with programs like SelfCAD, with just a few weeks of learning, you will be able to create really complex models.
SelfCAD is a 3D modelling with 3D printing features in which you can design any 3D models and even prepare it for 3D printing without switching to another program. It has a set of integrated features each with its own tutorial to help improve your skill in drawing, design and 3D printing.
SelfCAD is also an ideal program because
- 3D modelling is simpler and less laborious than another method.
- Tensile and compressive strength of object or moulds is also checked on this software.
- The process of analysis and designing can be done in 3D modelling.
- SelfCAD is easy to understand and use.
- Any normal skill person can operate this software no extra knowledge is required.
From beginners to professionals, SelfCAD has 3D modelling software designed to meet your needs. With 3D modelling, you can save greater accuracy, efficiency, and reduced resource cost.
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