to understand the stress contour of a force applied on a surface, imagine to press with a pen on your skin: the “pain contour” you will feel is the equivalent of the “stress contour”. It’s the same thing – V. Rangarao, Structural Engineer
The fist test: piling up 3 modules in the formation that will define one corner – it was very successful. The flexion of and the bending are very little, you can sit on it and nothing happens…but tomorrow seems we will meet our structural engineer, Prof. Rangarao, and we will try a “stress-test” to check the resistance of the object…really old style!
In the while today the door was casted: a complete ferrocement door with 3,5 cm thickness that goes decreasing to 1cm to reduce the weight: we are really bringing to the limit the thickness!
In the afternoon we paid a visit to a structure our engineer did here in auroville: a ferrocement Dome for the Auroville RSC, the Scientific Research Center. The ribbed dome, that recalls the ferrocement structures by Nervi in Italy, was really impressive, even more for the “unfinished” status, that gives somehow the impression that it could be an endless monument….
After the visit we have finally met our structural engineer: Venkata Rangarao, an expert in ferrocement. With the attitude of a consumed showman, this amazing master explained us several principles to increase the structural performances of the concrete elements we have been designing. From the shear moment to the superficial slide of the material, in the end everyone was delighted by the simplicity but effectiveness of the explanation. In the end we all went home with some homeworks to do….
Affordable Habitat - the blog 