I would appreciate any tips or warnings anyone can think of regarding some ideas I am developing.
I am looking to make a block that works a bit differently than the standard building block. And, I am looking for a way that I can make this block and hoping that a CINVA Ram modification can accommodate this.
What I want this block to do is function as the form for making a rammed earth wall where its inside hollow parts will be filled with the rammed earth soil mixture and tamped. And, of course, in this case, the blocks used as the form will become part of the finished wall. In this way there won't be a bunch of complicated forms to put up and tear down.
The block's configuration will be very much like a two-cell construction block but it will be at least 12 inches wide (outside surface) and up to 18 inches wide. So, the block length will be double the width at 24" up to 36" and in order to keep the weight of each individual block down it could be 3 or 4 inches high. I would also like for them to have a divot on each end (lengthwise) so that they interlock somewhat so that they do not shift while being tamped into place.
Thus, depending on the height of the block, you could lay 3 or 4 courses and go up a foot and add in soil for tamping and then lay in 3 or 4 more courses and then do some more infill and tamping and just go around and around raising up each time until you reached the top where you would put in your bond beams, etc.
I realize that blocks of this size and configuration would very easily break if they weren't handled with care, but once they were filled in and the material was tamped this wall would be extremely strong.
Another concern I have is that there would possibly be a different expansion/contraction ratio between the block and the material tamped inside of it if the material wasn't sufficiently consistent. This is why I would like something like a CINVA ram customized for this purpose because then it could be on-site and the blocks could be build from the exact same material that is being tamped inside of them. Are there any other things that could lead to a breakdown of this wall?
Is there anyone else who would have an interest in developing this particular building method with me? I am in south-east Idaho.
Thanks!
Jason
