Self-Sustainability is dedicated to the interests of Maximus & Florence.How to build a lasting self-sustainable home?V-RodOne of Most Remarkable Evolutions since the Beginning of Reinforced Concrete. V-Rod: A Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer reinforcing bar that replaces black, galvanized and stainless steel rebar in concrete that demand durability. V-Rod rod will never rust or corrode and offers 150 to 200 years guaranteed life in your concrete structure, peace of mind for engineers and asset owners alike. One of the biggest issue faced today by asset owners is how to fund the repairs of structures that have decayed to due corrosion of rusting steel rebar, be it once galvanized or not. With this in mind, the question has to be asked, if we can’t afford to rehabilitate the current decay assets be it public or private, we would we then continue to build with the same methodologies for future generation to repair when there is a solution at hand? V-Rod is a fully engineered system that is backed by research and more than 15 years in the field in structural applications. The V-ROD products offer the following features / benefits when compared to steel rebar:
NYCONNYCON REINFORCING FIBRES HELP YOU BUILD BETTER AND SMARTER BY CONTROLLING SHRINKAGE CRACKING IN CONCRETE. Cracks and crack Control and Nylon RC as an aid in prevention. Cracking can occur in concrete for a variety of reason. Some cracking is inevitable because concrete moves with changes in temperature and its moisturecontent. Specifically, it shrinks as it loses moisture. NYLON RC fibres inhibit the formation of plastic shrinkage and plastic settlement cracking by internally providing a support system for the concrete matrix. Fibres help concrete through the period when it most vulnerable to cracking. That is when the concrete is beginning to harden and shrink due to volume changes and loss of water. NYLON RC fibres discourage plastic shrinkage at the source and share the loads of shrinkage across the entire surface of the concrete. This includes internally throughout the concrete matrix as well. Concrete cracks in two categories.
Nylon Micro fibres reduces Plastic Shrinkage by up to 86%
Concrete reinforced with NyconRC fibres has twice as much impact resistance and more than three times the resistance of unreinforced concrete. Plastic Settlement Cracking. This is caused when concrete settles under its own weight, often because of inadequate compaction. It occurs over reinforcement, in deep section beams and steps in form work. Cracking in hardening mass occurs over restraints and may leave voids under reinforcing bars. Prevention: As well as adding NYCON RC fibres to every cubic meter of concrete in the slab.
Drying Shrinkage Cracks. These are caused by concrete shrinking: The result of moisture loss. This is not a major problem if the concrete is free to move, but if restrained; tensile stresses in the concrete can develop and cause it to crack. The water content of the mix is the major factor influencing drying shrinkage. Shrinkage however is not the only cause. Restraints, detailing geometry and construction practices may also affect the probability of cracking in hardened concrete. Prevention.
 ICFInsulating concrete forms (ICFs) are proprietary modular units in the form of interlocking blocks or panels, made from polystyrene or polyurethane foam and filled with concrete. Insulating concrete form construction suits building designs with strong, simple lines. ICFs create predictable high performance walls in which substantial thermal mass and structural support is contained in easily stacked and joined insulation. The sealed nature of the construction and the high levels of insulation make this method particularly suited to projects seeking to achieve the very high levels of performance benchmarked by programs like the increasingly influential ‘passive house’. Passive house design The design of a passive house aims to achieve ultra-low energy use with near zero emissions. The basic concept is to create an economical, tightly sealed, highly insulated building envelope through which all energy and airflows can be closely controlled to create continuous comfort for the building’s occupants using sustainable energy. Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery is commonly used. Conceived in 1988, the passive house concept is not copyrighted or controlled. Working with the services of an architect or design professional, anyone can seek to make their home project achieve passive house performance level. However, take care to recognise that in many Australian climate conditions the biggest problem of any highly insulated, well-sealed building is its propensity to overheat. Performance summaryInsulated Concrete Forms Benefits (ICF)Appearance The appearance of finished ICF structures is determined by the render or facing materials used to cover the foam plastic formwork. Structural capability Typical ICF construction consists of fire-retardant polystyrene foam plastic blocks or wall panels that are interlocking and self-supporting and act as formwork for poured concrete. Some systems simply interlock blocks on corners, like traditional bricks, while others provide purpose-made corner blocks. ICF’s self-supporting blocks lock together to create a structure strong enough to hold poured concrete. When the self-supporting blocks lock together they create a structure strong enough to withstand the pressure of poured concrete. The concrete, once it sets, provides the loadbearing structural capacity of the system. Reinforcement is placed within the formwork as needed. With some systems (e.g. Formcraft) reinforcement is laid on connectors that link the outer and inner skins of foam sheeting; in others (e.g. Thermacell) it is laid on the cross-linking elements of expanded polystyrene blockwork. One typical variant of ICF construction consists of foam panels, sized to suit standard window head and floor heights, joined across a cavity with regular banks of connectors. ICF flooring can reportedly weigh up to 40% less than conventional concrete flooring. It can be laid as independent decking or designed to form a continuous reinforced structure with the walls. The same approach can be used for constructing roof decks. Thermal mass The thermal mass in the ICF system is contained by insulation. The effect of this mass is to provide a stable core temperature to the ICF structure. Insulation The level of insulation provided by ICF construction depends on the type of ICF units used and the thickness of insulation in those units but it is often greater than R3. One of the German ICF products distributed in North America is available in insulation ratings ranging from R6 to R15. In Australia the insulation levels achieved in ICF construction tend to be in the range of R3 to R6 (see Insulation). Sound insulation The combination of rigid foam insulation with the mass of concrete and generally airtight construction makes ICF a good sound insulator with typical 300mm walls delivering a sound transmission class (STC) rating of around 48 (see Noise control). Fire resistance Polystyrene and polyurethane foam do not burn and support flame or fuel fire, but they do melt and release toxic fumes — reportedly no worse than the toxins released by burning wood. However, they are located behind layers of plasterboard or render or similar high density finishes that protect the foam from immediate heat. In addition, it is usual for manufacturers to add flame retardant to the expanded polystyrene, making it virtually self-extinguishing. The concrete structure within the forms is non-combustible and protected by the insulated forms. Altogether, the fire resistance is very good, with tests demonstrating that ICF foam does not support the spread of flame nearly as well as wood. For ICF construction to achieve an acceptable fire rating, it must be lined with fire-rated plasterboard or similar material. Vermin resistance The foam insulation offers no food value to rodents or insects and tends not to attract or harbour infestation; however, as polystyrene foam insulation can provide easy passage for insects, some manufacturers treat blocks with insecticide to counter this problem. Durability and moisture resistance The materials that make up ICF construction will normally suffer little or no degradation over the life of a building and ICF’s estimated durability is excellent. The iconic image of a single house left standing after Hurricane Katrina was of an ICF home. The inorganic nature of the materials means that they do not support mould growth. In a properly detailed and constructed ICF building there should be no points of entry for moisture to the structural elements and the foam insulation is impervious to moisture. Houses constructed with ICF have a proven resistance to earthquakes, cyclones, fires and other natural hazards — the iconic image of a single house left standing after Hurricane Katrina was of an ICF home. Toxicity and breathability There may be some toxic outputs in the manufacture of the polystyrene or polyurethane foam but the materials in ICF are non-toxic in its manufactured and completed state. The plastic foam is non-breathable and does not allow moisture or air penetration. Because there are no cavities or other voids in ICF construction, there is almost no potential for moisture penetration or condensation in any structural elements. Environmental impacts ICF uses concrete (the manufacture of which is one of the largest single contributors to climate change), plastic derived from oil (the production of which is peaking and for which costs are bound to rise) and steel. However, all building construction uses these materials to a greater or lesser extent and their use in ICF is, arguably, a highly responsible way of using limited resources for long-life, energy efficient structures. As ICF has a very long life, the energy investment is recouped over many decades. Industry sources report that the energy saving attributable to ICF means that, compared with conventional construction methods such as brick veneer, ICF effectively recoups its own energy cost of manufacture within 12 months. Buildability, availability and cost A typical polystyrene block is 300mm high, 200–300mm wide and 1200mm long. It is very light and easy to handle and needs no gluing to join with its neighbour. Once the forms have been stacked and reinforcement is in place, a concrete pump is needed to pour a consistent and continuous flow of concrete into the forms. The buildability of ICF is a consequence of its modular, kit-of-parts construction and use of well-proven construction machinery. With little need for on-site adjustment and change, construction is generally faster than most other building methods. There are manufacturers across Australia and the products are widely available. Costs depend on the type of system used and, in particular, the wall thickness specified. Things to watch out for The lack of industry standardisation means that although the basic principles of ICF construction are the same, every ICF system is different.
Insulated Concrete Forms Installation Training Video
 
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