A Spinning Arch Technique?
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Hey, have you realized that a dome is just a spinning arch. Like a spinning coin looks like a sphere. Maybe this could serve as a new building technique. You could lay the bricks on the arch, let them solidify, then rotate the arch around the pole in the center.
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@KnowItAllTeen Yes, I have considered this. I saw a video on YouTube where a guy laid bricks this way. He only showed a form and stacked the dry brick in the arch and removed the form. I was thinking to make blocks of two sizes such that you could "fit in" the carved blocks as you cycle the form. So you get the half overlapping as in standard construction. I realy think this is a thing.
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Thinking of the dome build this way fits with my idea of making the Quadripass
Glad you asked (!!LOL!!)...
You drive in a specific post/pipe at the center of the dome. In this pipe sets another post so that the Quadripass
can slide up or down to whatever height that you want the dome center to be. I like it at waste level... You may like it better at cabinet level... You can decide with this system. You can make it ground level if you want.
The Quadripass is designed to be used with hopefully common building materials. It utilizes standard 2x4's for the compass arms. There are 4 arms at 90 degrees to one another. So the arms can be standard 8', 10', 12' or whatever length you want. The 8' 2x4's will give you a 16' dome. These arms can rotate at the pivot point, which can slide up or down to whatever Height you want, so the forms can be moved to any position and still maintain the dome curvature. I love curves
At the end of each arm is where the form attaches. Each form has to be specific to the length of 2x4 that's used, because the curvature of the dome changes with diameter. This is the main reason to keep the 2 x4's at standardized lengths. ... so the form can be used and reused. Building the form is the hard part. It has to attach to a 2 x4 and maintain its perfect position wherever it is moved in the dome. There will need to be 1 vertical support probably, to support the weight of the aircrete pour and form support. As you arrive at the top of the dome, 2 vertical supports might be needed??
These vertical support beam 2x4's need to be specific to the pivot point height discussed earlier, to support the form as it moves up the wall.
The good thing about this idea is you can work on 4 aircrete molds at a time. Thats alot of aircrete in 1 day!! Then you have to rest and let the mold cure a bit before you move the form around the dome for the next pour.
Aircrete is a pretty energy intensive process. You have to take a rest in between steps !! Especially when you're well aged like me LOL -
@upwinger Great idea. I hope to own land some day do I can build a home and not be homeless
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And if you line 2 or more in a straight row, you can build an aircrete Quonset hut.
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I would like to see a diagram or pictures of this. More clarity. I have had several such ideas and do believe there is a workable design in this thought process.
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@anthonydjones I will do that eventually. The idea is evolving as I work with aircrete and get some more experience.
If I make this, I would bring it to a sponsored build for a community build. True community research and development.
Building a complete dome is a daunting task... the more hands on deck, the better.
The tool I am trying to describe would simplify the build process, but still requires lots of manpower. Working with aircrete is a labor intensive, energy intensive process. Its absolutely community dependent !!
But THAT is part of the beauty of it!! -
Another thought that comes to mind is that it makes sense to use this system to build 3 domes at once...
Let me explain....
While dome #1 's aircrete pour is curing in the forms for a few days, you can pour dome #2 on day 2, pour dome #3 on day 3,
pour dome #1's second set of blocks on day 4, etc
You need to give the blocks some time to cure before you remove the form.
But even pouring 4 blocks per day, you can see that it would take a few months to build 3 domes. Thats alot of aircrete.
Thats alot of man hours!!I recently tested the idea of preskinning the blocks and it was a success. This can speed up the build process.
I would design the block size to fit the width of the weed or roof clothe. That would simplify cutting the length of the pre skin.
Cut it with a few inches of overlap to glue the blocks as you spiral around to the top of the dome. I laid the wet clothe onto the form, then buttered it with sticky mortar mix with a rubber trowel.... nice and smooth thin layer for the aircrete to bond with.
Use the sticky mortar mix to glue the skin flap to the prior block and finish the prior block with a layer of sticky stucco mix. Work your way up the ladder. I think gluing the preskin flaps to the prior blocks will also help prevent blow out leaks when you pour the aircrete into the form.
By the time you get to the top, the interior and exterior should be mostly finished. -
@upwinger Yeah, almost like a bunch of prefab blocks. There is so much potential here. Thank you so much Upwinger! Going back to air forms, Is it possible to just pour the aircrete over the air form and let it solidify? I know you guys at domegaia did that with arches for a while. Why did you change?
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@KnowItAllTeen Aircrete Harry is perfecting that method and has built many domes with this technique.
Its expensive and needs a big concrete pump to fill the form, but its fast .
The hard part about filling forms is preventing blow out leaks at the bottom and sides.
I'm trying to think of solutions to clamp the outside of the form to the inside. Maybe a removable piece of flat Aluminum that bolts to the forms so that they can be pulled together tightly. Then just unbolt and hammer it out to remove it. The sides have to be independently removable also, for adding a pour next to an existing block. -
@upwinger What if you had a bunch of pex pipes extending from the focal point of the dome to the edge of the foundation. The pipes could be attached to a sort of alligator clamps at the edge. After the all of the bricks are laid on the pipes and solidified to the rest of dome, the pipes can be detached from the foundation and pulled through the hole at the top of the dome.
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@KnowItAllTeen
Were you thinking something like this?:
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@upwinger Not exactly, I'll have to sketch it out later.
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@KnowItAllTeen Pex is a flexible plumbing pipe, and that is not the geometry I was thinking of.