Abstract
Background
This project was included in Lonny Grafman's Practivistas summer program through Humboldt State University. It took place from May 22-July 4, 2015 in the small community, Las Malvinas, located in the outskirts of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The Las Malvinas destacamento 2014 began in 2014 and is expected to be finished in 2015. The team of six dug trenches to allow a place for the foundation as well as laid several blocks and rebar to create what is now a 4 foot tall perimeter with an overgrown inner area. This team hopes to complete the wall construction of the destacamento using eco friendly blocks. The decision of which blocks to be used will be made by testing several different recipes researched with the help of the block making factory owned by Vasquez, located in Las Malvinas.
Objective
The objective of this project is to construct the destacamento in Las Malvinas in the least carbon intensive way that utilizes as many waste resources as possible while providing education about resources used and creating a perfected recipe for the hullcrete ecoblocks that can then be commercially manufactured to boost the Las Malvinas economy.
Criteria
English
Below, a table of the criteria the hullkrete group decided upon is shown, each weighted with a value of importance: 10 being highest. The criteria is based off of the general consensus that the quantity of recipes for the blocks tested upon was of lesser importance than testing few known recipes and perfecting them so that they could be 1. commercially sold and produced and 2. could be used to build Las Malvina's destacamento.
Criteria and Description | |||||
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Criteria | Weight | Description | |||
Safety | 10 | The structure must provide security for those using it as well as trust in the structure. It is also important that the materials used to create the structure cause no harm to the public, or less harm than the standard, given that necessary safety precautions are taken. | |||
Durability | 9 | The lifespan is suitable for the consumer given that the money needed to fix or replace the structure can be saved by the time the structure is in need. The structure is also able to withstand the extremes of average weather conditions. | |||
Environmental Impact | 9 | To have a less negative affect on the world than the standard that's commonly used. | |||
Aesthetics | 7 | Build a finished looking, smooth and trustworthy structure. | |||
Time | 6 | The importance of spending all of the constrained amount of time on a given project. | |||
Cost | 5 | The importance of spending all of the constrained amount of money on a given project. | |||
Accesibility of Materials | 5 | The time it takes to obtain a material must be within the constrained amount. As well the ability to transport the material should be taken into consideration for whether it can be carried or delivered in that set amount of time. | |||
Educational Value |
Literature Review
See Las Malvinas hullkrete 2015/Literature Review for the research done on this project.
Construction
Making Blocks
Below is a gallery displaying the steps taken to make blocks at Vasquez's factory.
Steps to Make Blocks
Initially the workers were adding the rice husks first because it was the most abundant material and the basis of our blocks. However, after about 2 batches they noticed that too much of the batch was getting stuck to the bottom of the machine and not being properly mixed and so the order was changed.
How to Mix Materials into Block Machine | |||||
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Steps | Description | ||||
1 Measure | Measure out materials and have ready to put into machines. This has to be done in a group of at least 4. As soon as one wheel barrel is emptied it must be filled up ASAP because the workers work really fast. | ||||
2 Gravel | Its the material with the widest radius and therefore should go in first. | ||||
3 Sand & Caliche | Mix in the sand next because it has the 2nd largest radius. Because our recipe called for 1/2 a wheel barrel of sand and 1/2 wheel barrel of gravel, we put them in the same wheel barrel and poured them in together. However when we did separate wheel barrels, the sand and caliche alternated between going 2nd and 3rd. | ||||
4 Rice husks | The rice husks are very light and are used for tensile strength and should go after all the sediment. | ||||
5 Powders | This order varied depending on what was physically closest to the machine. What's important is that the cement and wood ash get poured in at the same time since the reason for using the ash is that it serves the same purpose as the concrete in the mix, acting as a pozzolan. | ||||
6 Cement & Wood Ash | You want to mix these in together and they should be at the top of the batch because if they are poured in too early they will just stick to the bottom of the machine and be wasted. | ||||
7 Lime | The lime was normally pour in last or before the other powders, but just needs to be on top because it's a fine powder. Make sure to wear googles and a mask because your lungs will hurt. |
Testing Blocks
If not given the opportunity to formally test blocks, a manual test can be done to see how easily the blocks can be broke, chipped or cracked.
Applying Blocks
Filling Blocks
Timeline
The following is a list of the tasks assigned and achieved as well as the dates.
Timeline | |||||
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Date | Tasks | ||||
28 May 2015 | Community meeting at Las Malvinas II | ||||
29 May 2015 | Meeting with Eddie at Las Malvinas II
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06 June 2015 | UNIBE Architecture camping day | ||||
11 June 2015 | Distillery is no longer powered by rice hull, and now uses wood. Will be collecting wood ash tomorrow | ||||
12 June 2015 | Accompanied Enrique to the distillery and filled a wheelbarrow with wood ash | ||||
13 June 2015 |
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15 June 2015 | Accompanied Antonio and Jose to a rice factory approximately an hour away to obtain rice hulls | ||||
17 June 2015 | Returned to factory to get more rice hulls | ||||
18 June 2015 | Began making blocks; executed 6 different recipes, making a total of 188 blocks | ||||
19 June 2015 |
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20 June 2015 | Beach day, required relaxation | ||||
21 June 2015 |
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22 June 2015 |
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23 June 2015 |
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25 June 2015 |
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27 June 2015 |
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28 June 2015 |
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30 June 2015 |
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Costs
Below is a table of the costs associated with this hullkrete project.
Cost of materials | |||||
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Material | Source | Quantity | Costo (RD$) | Cost ($) | |
Saco de Paja de Arroz | Molino La Estrella | 30 | 300 | 6.68 | |
Transportación para Paja de Arroz | Molino La Estrella | 1 | 500 | 11.14 | |
Spray Paint | Ferreteria La Formula | 1 | 100 | 2.23 | |
Trabajadores para 4 horas | Ferreteria Vasquez Martes | 1 | 3000 | 67.13 | |
Metero Cúbico de Arena | Ferreteria Vasquez Martes | 1 | 800 | 17.83 | |
Carretilla de Caliche | Ferreteria Vasquez Martes | 3 | 270 | 6.02 | |
Carretilla de Gravilla | Ferreteria Vasquez Martes | 3 | 270 | 6.02 | |
Carretilla de Arena | Ferreteria Vasquez Martes | 3 | 270 | 6.02 | |
Fundas de Cemento | Ferreteria Vasquez Martes | 12 | 2760 | 61.76 | |
Trabajadores para 600 bloques | Ferreteria Vasquez Martes | 1 | 6500 | 144.75 | |
Fundas de Cemento | Ferreteria Vasquez Martes | 17 | 3740 | 83.29 | |
Carretilla de Arena | Ferreteria Vasquez Martes | 8 | 1000 | 22.27 | |
Carretilla de Caliche | Ferreteria Vasquez Martes | 15 | 1200 | 26.72 | |
Carretilla de Gravilla | Ferreteria Vasquez Martes | 8 | 720 | 16.03 | |
Spray de Pintura | Ferreteria Suazo | 1 | 75 | 1.67 | |
10lb Funda de Cal | Ferreteria Suazo | 2 | 120 | 2.67 | |
Funda de Cal | Ferreteria y Fab. de Block el Progreso | 10 | 550 | 12.25 | |
Compresión Pruebas para los Bloques | P&R Ingeniería | 9 | 5400 | 120.19 | |
Total | 27575 | 614.67 |
Recreation Cost Recipe 6
The following table describes the cost to make 11 batches of recipe number 6 which yielded 340 blocks.
Costo de Receta Bloque 6 (11 lotes) | |||||
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Material | Costo Total(RD$) | Costo por Bloque(RD$) | |||
Cáscara de Arroz | 300 | 0.88 | |||
Caliche | 880 | 2.59 | |||
Arena y Tabo | 688 | 2.02 | |||
Gravilla | 995 | 2.93 | |||
Cal | 605 | 1.78 | |||
Cemento Portland | 2420 | 7.12 | |||
Ceniza de Madera | 0 | 0 | |||
Total | 5888 | 17.32 |
Recreation Cost Recipe 9
The following table describes the cost to make 11 batches of recipe number 9 which yielded 152 blocks.
Costo de Receta Bloque 9 (4 lotes) | |||||
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Material | Costo Total(RD$) | Costo por Bloque(RD$) | |||
Cáscara de Arroz | 110 | 0.72 | |||
Caliche | 320 | 2.10 | |||
Arena y Tabo | 500 | 3.29 | |||
Gravilla | 360 | 2.38 | |||
Cal | 220 | 1.45 | |||
Cemento Portland | 440 | 2.89 | |||
Total | 1950 | 12.83 |
Tests
Recipe 6
Using the following recipe for 11 batches, 340 blocks were made
Block Recipe 6 | |||||
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Quantity | Type | Description | Material | Prep time | Cost($) |
1 | Wheelbarrow | Filled to brim | Ricehull | 3hr total drive time to obtain | 0 |
1 | Wheelbarrow | Overly full | Caliche | 0 | 1.78 |
1/2 | Wheelbarrow | Overly full | Sand | 0 | 1.39 |
1/2 | Wheelbarrow | Overly full | Gravel | 0 | 1.00 |
1 | 5kg Bag | Oxidized | Lime | 40 minute maximum car ride | 1.22 |
1 | 94lb Bag | Portland Cement | 0 | 4.90 | |
1 | 5gal Bucket | Most poured initially, less than 25% saved for the end of the batch | Wood Ash | 5hr total time to walk with wheelbarrow and double sift (enough for 11 batches) | 0 |
Recipe 9
Using the following recipe for 4 batches, 152 blocks were made
Block Recipe 9 | |||||
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Quantity | Type | Description | Material | Prep time | Cost($) |
1 | Wheelbarrow | Filled to brim | Ricehull | 3hr total drive time to obtain | 0 |
1 | Wheelbarrow | Overly full | Caliche | 0 | 1.78 |
1 | Wheelbarrow | Overly full | Sand | 0 | 1.39 |
1 | Wheelbarrow | Overly full | Gravel | 0 | 1.00 |
1 | 5kg Bag | Oxidized | Lime | 40 minute maximum car ride | 1.22 |
1/2 | 94lb Bag | Portland Cement | 0 | 4.90 |
Testing results
Below, are the recipes used for the Eco Blocks and their results from the compression test performed on them.
How to Plaster a Wall | ||||||||||
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Material | Type of Measurement | Recipe 1 Block 1 | Recipe 1 Block 2 | Recipe 2 Block 1 | Recipe 3 Block 1 | Recipe 3 Block 2 | Recipe 4 Block 1 | Recipe 5 Block 1 | Recipe 5 Block 2 | Recipe 6 Block 1 |
Ricehull | Wheelbarrow | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty |
Caliche | Wheelbarrow | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty |
Sand | Wheelbarrow | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty |
Gravel | Wheelbarrow | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty |
Lime | 5kg Bag | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty |
Cement | 94lb Bag | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty |
Wood Ash | 5gal Bucket | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty | qty |
Weight (kg) | 5.52 | 5.49 | 7.13 | 8.68 | 8.66 | 8.83 | 10.15 | 11.36 | 6.45 | |
Surface Area (cm2) | 576.00 | 580.65 | 557.20 | 568.80 | 578.16 | 588.00 | 574.20 | 575.65 | 578.16 | |
Breaking Load (kg) | 2680.00 | 2520.00 | 4700.00 | 6060.00 | 6180.00 | 10080.00 | 12320.00 | 12920.00 | 4580.00 | |
Breaking Stress (kg/cm2) | 4.65 | 4.34 | 8.44 | 10.65 | 10.69 | 17.14 | 21.46 | 22.44 | 7.92 |
Maintenance
Maintenance for the destacamento and building blocks include different requirements based upon if the destacamento is going to be built in the near future. It would be best not to keep the eco blocks outside in the weather: sun and rain, day after day if the destacamento is going to be finished being built later on. Also, if the destacamento is going to be delayed being finished, the now somewhat leveled earth floors need to be upkept in that people need to refrain from throwing their basura, trash, into the building- otherwise, the ground will start to build up trash mounds again. However, if the destacamento is going to be built sooner rather than later, plastering should occur as soon as the walls are put up to protect the eco blocks from being at all degraded by the weather and surroundings.
Instructions
This is how to use and maintain it. The step by step how to template {{How to}} is most likely best for this part.
How To | |||||
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Image | Steps for completion | ||||
Backpack frame bike trailer |1 |Do something. | Aleiha's parabolic solar cooker |2 |Do something really complicated but made simple, etc. |
Conclusion
Testing results
Recipe 5 preformed the best in our compression tests, this, we believe is due to xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Discussion
After our first set of test blocks were made, we were able to conduct physical tests with our feet to determine the strength and what patterns we could find involving rice hull content and strength. Since we were unable to conduct professional tests on our initial test blocks before making more, we used what we learned from our feet tests to decide the recipe to use next. Our second and final time at the block factory we made blocks with a new recipe which was an iteration based on our recipe 5 which preformed the best. We also used the information we learned about the previous recipes to make the iteration. After these blocks were made, we were able to test our initial set of six recipes and were able to officially deduce that recipe 5 was the strongest and was approximately 30% as strong as the Dominican Republic's government requires blocks to be.
Lessons learned
There are a plethora of lessons learned from this project. One crucial lesson learned was to plan better. Many times trying to coordinate making eco blocks at Vasquez's factory failed because of a miscommunication of when his space and workers were accessible, and also due to not having all of the necessary supplies. It would have been way more efficient to have the entire group sit down and choose a known recipe to start with and then start making variations of recipes with lists of materials and how many blocks were desired to make in the day and quantities of materials needed to do so. Vasquez's factory is open Monday-Saturday, morning until mid to late afternoon, so the only available times the group was able to work was either full-day Sundays or part-days in the afternoons after the factory closes. The workers hired to help the team make the blocks needed to be notified and asked to stay for pay, and they expected all of the eco block materials to be at the factory and ready to go the day before. Some of the key ingredients to this year's blocks were rice hulls and wood ash. The rice hulls were located an hour away from the community, so a driver with a truck was needed, and the wood ash was off and on available at the local distillery in Las Malvinas- but needed to be sifted twice, which could take several hours depending on how much was needed. These mistakes should be read by future Practivistas students wanting to do more exploring with the blocks.
With the destacamento, it is important to have someone- generally a community member- who knowns what he/she is doing. Someone who excels at building is crucial because there are a lot of aspects to be considered: such as leveling the blocks before adding all of the mortar, or where to add rebar, or how full to pour the mortar down the block holes. This was a lesson learned when two group members showed up at the destacamento ready to finish some layers of wall and soon realized they didn't know quite what they were doing at all. It is important to learn and listen to community members who are experts in the fields of work.
Next steps
So now that the building and planning and experimenting is done for the team, what are the next steps? For the community or future Practivistas students, this means more experimenting with making blocks with different variations of materials as well as finish building the destacamento. Building the destacamento with the eco blocks made is important because it makes the building more "green" and locally resourced. If a recipe is found for the eco blocks that is exceptionally efficient, maybe the community and beyond can grow to be more locally resourced and environmental.
Troubleshooting
This is only how to troubleshoot basic operation. For complex issues, the solution might just say contact ________. It should be a table in this format:
Troubleshooting | |||||
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Problem | Suggestion | ||||
Example issue | Example solution or suggestion | ||||
Does not turn on | Make sure it is plugged in | ||||
Another issue | Et cetera |
Currenty State
The Natural Building team succeeded their goal in an ecological friendly block recipe. The recipe reduces the normal cement content thus cutting costs of manufacture. The blocks were set through compression tests; ones that passed the compression tests were used to continue construction of the Destacamento.
Team
The Las Malvinas natural building team, Practivistas 2015: