CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL

FERROCEMENT
FERROCEMENT
Ferro-cement is a relatively new construction material consists of wire meshes and cement
mortar. It was developed by P.L.Nervi, an Italian architect in 1940. Ferro cement is widely used
due to the low self weight, lack of skilled workers, no need of framework etc. Quality of ferrocement works are assured because the components are manufactured on machinery set up and
execution time at work site is less. Maintenance cost of ferro-cement is low. Ferro-cement
construction has come into widespread use only in the last two decades.
Ferro cement also known as ferrocemento, ferrozement, literally means much steel rather than
much concrete. It is a strong, versatile, low-cost, long-lasting building material made from a wire
reinforced mixture of sand, water, and cement.
What is Ferro-cement?
Highly versatile form of reinforced concrete.
Its a type of thin reinforced concrete construction, in which large amount of small

diameter wire meshes uniformly through out the cross section.

Mesh may be metal or suitable material.
Instead of concrete Portland cement mortar is used.
Strength depends on two factors quality of sand/cement mortar mix and quantity of

reinforcing materials used.

It is a type of thin wall reinforced concrete commonly constructed of hydraulic cement mortar,
reinforced with closely spaced layers of continuous and relatively small size wire mesh. The

mesh may be made of metallic or other suitable material.

Typical cross section of a ferrocement structure

PROPERTIES OF FERROCEMENT

The well distributed and aligned reinforcement has made the ferrocement to behave like
steel plates.
Ferrocement exhibits a very easy mould-ability characteristic, that it can be used to
produce any desired shape of structure.
Besides that due to the superior tensile behavior and water tightness, the material is
widely used for lightweight construction and water-tight structure as well as for portable
structures.

Some of other successful applications of ferrocement include boat, sampan, pipes, shell
roofs, wind tunnel, modular housing, sandwich panel, swimming pools, permanent forms
for concrete structures, and etc.
It is cheap, durable and versatile material.
It undergoes less shrinkage and has low weight.
High tensile strength and stiffness.
Undergo large deformation before cracking or deflection.

MATERIALS USED IN FERRO CEMENT

CEMENT MORTAR MIX

SKELETOL STEEL
STEEL MESH REINFORCEMENT

CEMENT MORTAR MIX

Ordinary Portland cement is used and fine aggregate matrix is used

The matrix constitutes of 95% of cement mortar and 5% of wire mesh.
Fine aggregate occupies 60-75% of the volume of the mortar.
Admixtures are also used for enhancing the properties of the ferrocement.
The cement to use is usually ordinary Portland. However, a rapid hardening Portland
cement may be used in cold climates. Sometimes a sulphate resistant Portland cement
is used, either wholly or in part mixed with ordinary Portland against sulphate attack,
although as most vessels are protected by marine paints and antifouling, its use is hardly
necessary.

Sand should be free from any kind of impurities as presence of any impurity will affect the
strength of the mixture. Also water use should be free from any salts or any organic material.
The ph value of the water should be equal to 7.
SKELETOL STEEL

It supports the wire mesh.

3 to 8 mm dia bars are used in reinforcement
Generally mild steel (fe 415 or fe 500) is used.

Skeletal steel is used to impart appropriate strength to the structure.

Reinforcement should be free from dust, rust or any other impurity.

STEEL MESH

Consists of galvanized steel wires of dia 0.5 to 1.5 mm spaced at 6 to 20 mm from

centre to centre
Welded wire mesh has rectangular or hexagonal openings.

STEPS INVOLVED IN BUILDING FERROCEMENT STRUCTURES

There are five steps in making a ferrocement structure.
Step-1
An outline of the structure is made from thin mild steel / iron rods.

Step-2
Weld Mesh / Bar mesh attached to this out line

Step-3
A chicken wire mesh layer is attached to this outline.

Step-4
Tie Jute cloth inside the structure with wire / trait

Step-5
Together they are plastered over with a rich cement mortar (mixture of cement, sand and
water).

CASTING TECHNIQUES IF FERROCEMENT:

There are four methods of casting ferrocemnt

Hand plastering

Semi-mechanised process

Centrifuging

Guniting

ADVANTAGES OF FERRO-CEMENT:
Basic raw materials are readily available in most countries.
Fabricated into any desired shape.
Low labour skill required.
Ease of construction, low weight and long lifetime.
Low construction material cost.
Better resistance against earthquake.
Suitability for precasting.

 Flexibility in cutting, jointing and drilling.

Good fire resistance
Low maintenance cost.
Light structures, reduction in self weight.
Highly waterproof
Higher strength than rcc.

DISADVANTAGES OF FERRO-CEMENT:
Structures made of it can be punctured by collision with pointed objects.
Corrosion of the reinforcing materials due to the incomplete coverage of metal by mortar.
It is difficult to fasten to Ferro-cement with bolts, screws, welding and nail etc.
Large no of labors required.
Cost of semi-skilled and unskilled labors is high.
Tying rods and mesh together is especially tedious and time consuming.
Low shear strength
Low ductility

APPLICATION OF FERROCEMENT
Marine Application of Ferro-Cement:

Boats, fishing vessels, cargo tugs, flotation buoys

Applications in Residential and Public Buildings:

Ferro-Cement in Agricultural Structures:

Miscellaneous uses:

Mobile homes
Kiosks
Wind tunnels
Pedestrian bridges
Precast ferro cement structures

PSC or PRESTRESSED CONCRETE: Prestressing

is the application of permanent forces to a member

or structure to counteract the effects of subsequent

loading. In prestressed concrete compressive stress
is imposed before loading the member by applying a
compressive force on the concrete member. This
initially imposed compressive stress is known as
prestress and it compensates the tensile stress
produced in concrete after loading the member and
prevents cracks in the concrete. The amount of
prestress used generally is sufficient to prevent
cracking or sometimes to avoid tension entirely,
under service loads. As a result, the whole concrete
cross section is available to resist tension and
bending, whereas in reinforced-concrete
construction, concrete in tension is considered
ineffective. Hence, it is particularly advantageous
with prestressed concrete to use high-strength
concrete.

High-strength steel is required for prestressing

concrete to make the stress loss due to creep and
shrinkage of concrete. Tendons should have specific
characteristics in addition to high strength to meet
the requirements of prestressed concrete. They
should elongate uniformly up to initial tension for
accuracy in applying the prestressing force. After the
yield strength has been reached, the steel should

continue to stretch as stress increases, before

failure occurs. Furthermore, the tendons should
exhibit little or no creep, or relaxation, at the high
stresses used.
For pretensioning, where the steel is tensioned
before the concrete is cast, wires usually are used
individually, as is common for reinforced concrete.
For post-tensioning, where the tendons are
tensioned and anchored to the concrete after it has
attained sufficient strength, the wires generally are
placed parallel to each other in groups or cables,
sheathed or ducted to prevent bond with the
concrete.