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Analysis and Design of Ferrocement Panels an Experimental Study

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 International Journal of Inventive Engineering and Sciences (IJIES)
ISSN: 2319–9598, Volume-1, Issue-5, April 2013

Analysis and Design of Ferrocement Panels an

Experimental Study
Nagesh M. Kulkarni, D.G.Gaidhankar

Abstract-Ferrocement is a form of reinforced concrete that Ferrocement is an environment friendly sound technology
differs from conventional reinforced or prestressed concrete and possesses excellent unique properties such as good
primarily by the manner in which the reinforcing elements are tensile strength, improved toughness, water tightness,
dispersed and arranged. It consists of closely spaced, multiple liglitness, fire resistance, resistance to cracking and cost,
layers of mesh or fine rods completely embedded in cement
time and material effective construction technology.
mortar. This paper describes the various experiments conducted
on ferrocement panels in literature review and the conclusions The following definition was adopted by the ACI
and remarks drawn by the authors. The results obtained are Committee: “Ferrocement is a type of thin wall reinforced
going to help in the project work to investigate the behavior of concrete commonly constructed of hydraulic cement mortar
ferrocement panels for various parameters and loading. This is reinforced with closely spaced layers of continuous and
useful to find solutions by searching new design techniques and relatively small size wire mesh. The mesh may be made of
method of constructions. metallic or other suitable materials.”
Keywords:- Cement mortar, Ferrocement, Mesh, Panels A. Durability of Ferrocement
According to the ACI Committee, 'durability' is defined as
I. INTRODUCTION 'ability to resist weathering action, chemical attack,
abrasion, or any other process of deterioration', that is,
Ferrocement is a highly versatile form of reinforced
durable concrete will retain its original form, quality and
concrete made up of wire mesh, sand, water, and cement,
serviceability, when exposed to its environment. The various
which possesses unique qualities of strength and
measures required ensuring 'durability' in conventional
serviceability. It can be constructed with a minimum of
reinforced concrete is also applicable to ferrocement, since,
skilled labor and utilizes readily available materials. There
ferrocement has almost the same type of
are several applications of Ferro cement which include
ingredients/constituents, except, coarse aggregates and the
building industry, irrigation sector, water supply and
use of smaller fine aggregates, than conventional concrete
sanitation areas. Studies indicate that it appears to be an
and a thin cross section. However, other unique factors,
excellent composite in the case of seismic resistant
which affect durability, especially, the susceptibility to
structures.
corrosion of ferrocement are:
Ferrocement is a building material composed of a relatively
1. The cover to the mesh reinforcement is very small;
thin layer of concrete, covering such reinforcing material as
2. The cross sectional area of the mesh reinforcement wires
steel wire mesh. Because the building techniques are simple
is very low;
enough to be done by unskilled labor, ferrocement is an
3. The surface area of the reinforcement is high because of
attractive construction method in areas where labor costs are
small wires being used
low. There is no need for the complicated formwork of
4. Mesh reinforcement are galvanized to prevent corrosion,
reinforced cement concrete (RCC) construction, or for the
but the zinc coating can cause and produce hydrogen gas
welding needed for steel construction, everything can be
bubbles during hydration.
done by hand, and no expensive machinery is needed.
The main difference between ferrocement and reinforced B. History of Ferrocement
concrete is ferrocement is a thin composite made of cement Ferrocement is the name given by Italian Professor Pier
matrix reinforced with closely spaced small diameter wire Luigi Nervi to a thin slab of mortar reinforced with
meshes instead of larger diameter rods and large size superimposed layers of wire mesh and small diameter bars.
aggregates. The thickness of ferrocement generally ranges The result is a product with a high degree of elasticity and
from 25 - 50 mm. The latest ACI Code encourages the use resistance to cracking which can be cast without the use of
of non - metallic reinforcement and fibres. formwork. Nervi successfully proved on many jobs the
remarkable strength and lightness of this method of
construction and its great adaptability to any shape. The end
result of Nervi’s experiments was a medium in which the
thickness of a finished slab was only a very little greater
than that of the assembled layers of mesh, the difference
being only as much as was necessary to provide adequate
cover for the steel. This ferro-cement was found on testing
to have very little in common with normal reinforced
concrete, however, since it possesses the mechanical
characteristics of a completely homogeneous material. ACI
Manuscript received April, 2013.
Nagesh M Kulkarni, Student, M.E.Civil-Structure, Applied Mechanics
Committee 549, Ferrocement and Other Thin Reinforced
Department, Maharashtra Institute Of Technology, Pune, India. Products, was organized in 1974 and was given the mission
Prof.D.G.Gaidhankar, Assistant Professor, Applied Mechanics to study and report on the engineering properties,
Department, Maharashtra Institute Of Technology, Pune, India. construction practices, and practical applications of

1
 Analysis and Design of Ferrocement Panels an Experimental Study

ferrocement and to develop guidelines for ferrocement from the mold so it has been excluded for the test results.
construction. The panels are constructed using the conventional
ferrocement materials, which is composed of cement mortar
II. LITERATURE REVIEW and square wire meshes.
A. FERROCEMENT FLOOR AND ROOF SYSTEM FOR
BUILDINGS By Dr.T.S.Thandavamoorty and S.Durairaj
Professor at Adhiparasakti Engineering college
Melmaaruvathur
A hollow cored ferrocement floor panel of size 900 mm X
600 mm was precast with cement mortar 1:2 and cured for 7
days. Then it was arranged in a loading frame and tested
under gradually increasing static loading till failure. The
ultimate load sustained by the panel was 85 kN.
Experimental Program
A welded mesh was prepared with two layers of chicken
mesh. The specimen was casted with cement mortar 1:2 and
reinforcement mesh as prescribed. The finished specimen
was cured for 7 days. The specimen was arranged on a
loading frame. Load was applied in increment and dial
reading for each in increment was recorded. Load was
increased till failure of the panel.
Results
The ultimate load observed was 85 kN. This load was
distributed on the panel with the intensity of 78.7 kN/m2. As Wire mesh:
per IS 875 part 2 the live load recommended on floor is only The wire mesh used in the work is mild steel galvanized
2 kN/m2. Going by this consideration ferrocement floor welded wires of square grid having wire spacing equal to
panel is suitable, realistic and feasible. 12.5mm with a wire diameter equal to (0.65mm). Several
wires were tested under tension The average values of yield
B. FLEXURAL BEHAVIOR OF FLAT AND FOLDED
stress (fy), ultimate stress and modulus of elasticity are
FERROCEMENT PANELS by Mohamad Mahmood Civil
given in Table (2). The yield stress is determined
Engineering department Mosul University Iraq
corresponding to a 0.2% offset according to ASTM standard
The paper describes the results of testing folded and flat
A370.
ferrocement panels reinforced with different number of wire
mesh layers. The main objective of these experimental tests
is to study the effect of using different numbers of wire
mesh layers on the flexural strength of folded and flat
ferrocement panels and to compare the effect of varying the
number of wire mesh layers on the ductility and the ultimate
strength of these types of
ferrocement structure. Seven ferrocement elements were
constructed and tested each having (600x380mm) horizontal
projection and 20mm thick, consisting of four flat panels
and three folded panels. The used number of wire mesh
layers is one, two and three layers. The experimental results
show that flexural strength of the folded panels increased by Preparation and testing:
37% and 90% for panels having 2 and 3 wire mesh layers A simple rectangular mold having 20mm depth with
respectively, compared with that having single layer, while 600x380mm dimensions is made for the flat panels; while a
for flat panel the increase in flexural strength compared with special mold for the folded panels is made to match the
panel of plan mortar is 4.5%, 65% and 68% for panels required geometry of the folded panel shown in Fig. (1).
having 1, 2 and 3 wire mesh layers respectively. The Each sample is molded after fixing the required wire mesh
strength capacity of the folded panels, having the particular (or meshes) in its proper position through the thickness of
geometry used in the present study, is in the order of 3.5 to 5 the sample. Although it is not easy, particularly for the
times that of the corresponding flat panels having the same folded panels, special care and effort has been taken to
number of wire mesh layers. maintain a uniform distribution of the wire meshes
Experimental Program throughout the thickness of the panels, this was achieved by
Geometry of the specimens: using small stone spacer. For the panels with single wire
The tested ferrocement elements consist of three folded mesh, the mesh was placed at mid depth of the panels. The
panels and four flat panels. The dimensions of the folded samples are removed from the mold 24 hours after casting
and flat panels are shown in Fig. (1) which depicts that the and the elements are cured in water for 28 days at
horizontal projection of the folded panel is equal to temperature ranges 20° - 25°C. Six samples of standard
(380x600mm) which is equal to the dimensions of the flat cubes (50x50x50mm) as per the ASTM C 109 specification,
panel. The thickness of all the elements is equal to 20mm. are molded to determine the compressive strength of the
The number and designation of the tested elements are given mortar, three are tested at the age of 7 days and 3 at the age
in Table (1). In handling the folded panel without wire of 28 days. Also three standard prisms for testing the
mesh, it failed along the longitudinal folds after removing it modulus of rupture of the mortar, as per the ASTM C348-02
[12] specification, are also prepared to measure the modulus

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 International Journal of Inventive Engineering and Sciences (IJIES)
ISSN: 2319–9598, Volume-1, Issue-5, April 2013
of rupture of the used mortar. Properties of the mortar and building/housing. By using the unique properties of
wire mesh are summarized in Table (2). All the panels are ferrocement with a relatively low Amount of reinforcement,
tested under two line loads located at the third points of the be composite floor and wall panels can assembled into an
500mm supported span. The setup of the tested folded and effective multi-purpose panel system. The major advantages
flat panels is shown in Fig. (2). Load is applied in small of this system over current construction methods are mainly
increments and simultaneously the deflection at the center of due to the reduction in structural dead load and the use of
the panel was recorded during the loading process up to fewer building elements, which are much easier to handle.
failure. The deflection at midspan is measured by a dial gage In the present investigation, four ferrocement plates are cast
having accuracy equal to 0.01mm. Cracking was carefully and tested due to flexural loading. The Structural behavior
checked throughout the loading process and the was monitored by reading the deflection and by observing
corresponding cracking load is also noted. the crack Patterns. The measured values of deflections and
the observations made indicated that ferrocement can be
used in construction of buildings.
Experimental work: -
Slab specimens S1 to S4, are square having overall
dimensions of 500x500 mm. Specimens S1 and S2 are 20
mm thick, whereas S3 and S4 are 30 mm thick. Specimens
S1 and S3 have two mesh layers while specimens S2 and S4
have four mesh layers. Hexagonal wire mesh with diameter
of 0.7mm is used for both slab specimens and beam models.
The moulds of slab specimens consists of a flat steel plate of
which angle iron pieces having out-standing leg of 20 mm
or 30 mm have been bolted to get square inside dimensions
Concluding Remarks of 500x500 mm. Ink markings have been made all-round the
Based upon the experimental test results of the folded and inside periphery of the mould to indicate location of the
flat panels the following can be stated: mesh layers. The top surface has been leveled off by a
The cracking load was not significantly affected by the trowel.
number of the wire mesh particularly for the folded panels. Ordinary Portland cement and sand passing through BS
The flexural strength of the folded panel increased by 37 Sieve No.7 and conforming to Building Code
and 90 percent for panels having 2 and 3 wire mesh layers Recommendations for ferrocement (IFS 10-01)1 were used
compared with that of single layer; while for the flat panel throughout. The mix proportion of sand: cement used in
the percentage increase in the flexural strength using 2 and 3 casting the ferrocement slab specimens and beam models
layers is 65% and 68% compared with that of plain mortar was 2:1 by weight with water: cement ratio of 0.45. All the
panel. The gain in the flexural strength of the flat panel with materials required were weighed carefully, and then mixed
single layer, located at mid depth of the section, compared in a mechanical mixer. Sand and cement were first mixed
with that of plain mortar is only marginal. But using single for 1 min, then water was added and mixed for 2 min. The
layer helps in increasing the ductility of the flat panel. mortar was forced into the mesh reinforcement with trowels.
The experimental and numerical results show the superiority No mechanical vibrators have been used during casting. The
of the folded to the flat panel in terms of ultimate strength slab specimens and beam models have been air dried for 24
and initiation of cracking. hours, then in a water tank 28 days at room temperature of
Finally increasing the number of layers of wire mesh from 1 about 30oC and finally taken out of the water tank and kept
to 3 layers significantly increases the ductility and capability in the open at room temperature before testing them.
to absorb energy of both types of the panel. Testing program
Test program was carried out by applying central patch
C. STRUCTURAL BEHAVIOR OF FERROCEMENT loads to the ferrocement slab specimens. Each slab specimen
SYSTEM FOR ROOFING By Wail N. Al-Rifaie and has been tested with its two edges simply supported over a
Muyasser M. Joma’ah span of 300 mm as shown in Figure 2. Ferrocement beams
(1) University of Nottingham, U.K. and Professor which are rotated by 180 degrees are used as simply
Emeritus, University of Tikrit supports. The load from a universal testing machine has
(2) Civil Engineering Dept, Eng. College, University of been applied over patch load of square size 100 mm. The
Tikrit central dial gauge was fixed and the initial reading of dial
gauge was recorded at the beginning of the test. The load
It has become necessary to seek for structural building was applied in increment of 10 N and central slab
elements, which have the structural phenomena of deflections were measured. The applying load was
prefabricated elements in terms of ease of handling, light, continued until failure occurred.
minimum Maintenance and low cost. It is with these in
mind, elements of a structural system are made from
ferrocement. Ferrocement has been developed mainly during
the past twenty five years and yet has reached a very
advanced stage in technique and design. A considerable
amount of laboratory testing research and prototype
constructions have been completed at the Building and
Construction Engineering Department of University of
Technology, Iraq for the production of ferrocement
members that would be used in the roof /floor/wall of Fig.(5):The crack pattern (S2).

3
 Analysis and Design of Ferrocement Panels an Experimental Study

precast product, they also increase speed of construction and

can be used in bad weather conditions.
Comparison of Design
On the basis of costs for all the three options it is found that
the flat slab option and the ferrocement box section option
are costlier and cheaper than the beam-slab construction by
17.7% and 15.6% respectively. It also shows the dead
weight of the three options. A comparison of weights shows
the relative values are to be 100%, 101.1% and 43.8% for
the beam-slab option, flat slab and ferrocement box sections
option respectively. A comparison also shows the depth of
the beam-slab and ferrocement box section options have
comparable floor depths (910mm), while the flat slab option
is thinner than the previous two options (380mm). In beam-
slab type construction and flat slab type option, the cost of
formwork varies from 12 to 18 percent of the material cost
while very nominal formwork is required for ferrocement
precast box sections. Also repeated use of the formwork
reduces the cost of the formwork. The small cost of
formwork, makes the adoption of ferrocement box sections a
financially attractive option. This has been included in the
cost comparison. In conventional reinforced concrete
construction, the dead weight of a floor varies from 80 to
100% of the live loads on the floors. In case of ferrocement
box sections the weight varies from 35 to 50% of the
conventional floor weight. Hence the use of ferrocement box
sections lead to an economy in the supporting structures
also.
Cracking of the RCC and ferrocement elements is necessary
for effective use of the reinforcement provided. The
RESULTS cracking depends on the distribution of the reinforcement in
For slab specimens, in general, all slabs were cracked at the the tension zone. Closer placement of reinforcement reduces
middle along the width (one way action): the distance between the cracks. Cracking is also related
Slab specimen having 20 mm thick with 4 layers of wire with the cover provided to the reinforcement. An increase in
mesh (S2), the failure occurred on the slab specimen with a the cover thickness leads to an increase in the spacing of the
total load of 30 N. The crack pattern is shown in Figure 5. It cracks and also the crack-widths. In case of cyclic and
was noticed before testing, cracks were exist for slab S1 (20 sustained loading, the time effect further increases the crack-
mm thick, with two layers of wire mesh), So that, the test widths but does not change the spacing between the cracks.
was neglected. Slab specimen S3, the ultimate load was 20 The time dependent deformations are mainly due to creep
N. The crack pattern is shown in Figure 6. Slab specimen 30 and to a much smaller extent shrinkage. At service loads, the
mm thick with 4 layers of wire mesh (S4), the failure ferrocement products display a higher number of cracks of
occurred on the beams along the span (beam action). The smaller crack-width compared to few wider cracks in
failure load was 64 N with fine cracks at slab specimen as reinforced concrete construction. Ferrocement box sections
shown in Figure 7. are precast products and have a better finish and quality.
Conclusion Also the material is used efficiently and economically.
This investigation has shown that, for low cost housing, the Mostly, the material is used in the flanges to resist the
proposed ferrocement flooring and roofing system can be bending stresses, making the product efficient. Precast
satisfactorily used as housing components. products save money and time. Prefabrication technology is
better than cast-in-situ option at places with adverse climatic
D. FERROCEMENT BOX SECTIONS-VIABLE OPTION and weather conditions like sub-zero temperatures,
FOR FLOORS AND ROOF OF MULTI-STOREYED inclement weather in rainy season and hot and dry condition
BUILDINGS By A. Kumar Structural Engineering Division, as obtained in the deserts.
Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee Conclusion
1. The ferrocement box sections supported on R.C.C.
A 5m x 9m size interior panel of a framed structure has been beams are found to be 15.6% cheaper than the beam
designed as beam-slab construction, flat slab construction and slab construction, while the flat slab option is
and using ferrocement box sections for 5 kN/m2 live load. 17.7% costlier.
The self-weight, floor/ roof height and cost of these options 2. The ferrocement box section is found to be 56.2%
have been compared. It is found that the flat slab option is lighter than the beam and slab construction, while the
comparable in weight to the beam-slab option, about 58.2% two reinforced concrete options are comparable in
less in floor height and 17.7% costlier than the conventional weight. The use of ferrocement box sections will
beam and slab construction. The ferrocement box section economize on the supporting structure also due to their
alternative is found to be 56.2% less in weight, comparable lower self weight.
in floor height and 15.6% cheaper than the beam - slab 3. The ferrocement box sections supported on R.C.C.
construction. The ferrocement box sections being light in beams and the beam – slab construction have
weight need less strong supporting structures. Being a

4
 International Journal of Inventive Engineering and Sciences (IJIES)
ISSN: 2319–9598, Volume-1, Issue-5, April 2013
comparable floor depths (910mm), while the flat slab square wire mesh of 0.9 mm diameter and 12 mm openings.
option is smallest in floor depth (380mm). The tensile strength of the mesh was found 321 N/mm².
4. At service loads, ferrocement shows a large number of
cracks of smaller crack-width compared to few wide
cracks in reinforced concrete.
5. Being a precast product, use of ferrocement box section
will increase the speed of construction and also make
the construction of buildings feasible in bad weather
conditions.
6. The use of ferrocement box sections with higher
ductility will make the structure less prone to seismic
damage.

E. EFFECT OF WIRE MESH ORIENTATION ON

FERROCEMENT ELEMENT by Dr. S.K. Kaushik Professor
and Head, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute
of Technology, Roorkee

The experiment investigated the efficiency of mesh overlaps

of ferrocement elements by varying the length of overlap in
square woven meshes with different wire diameter and mesh
openings. The number of mesh layers has also been varied
and tested under flexure. Cement-sand mortar mixes of 1:
1.5 and 1:2 were used for the above investigations. They
developed an analytical expression for the lap length (Lp)
based on the concept that the mesh overlap must be suficient
to develop full bond strength around the surface w that there
is no slippage while taking the stress allowed to it. They cast
350 test specimens having 400x200 mm dimensions, with 5
mm cover on all the four sides, with w/c-0.4. All the
specimens were tested under central point loading on a
simply supported span of 300 mm. Based on the above, they
concluded that (i) the mortar strength, diameter of
reinforcing wire and mesh opening influence the overlap
length; (ii) bond failure occurs due to slippage at overlap.
when length of mesh overlap is insufficient, with the
cracking load much lower than that of a continuous mesh
reinforcement; (iii) a minimum overlap of 100 mm to be
provided.

F. PERFORMANCE OF PRECAST FERROCEMENT

PANEL FOR COMPOSITE MASONRY SLAB SYSTEM BY
Y. Yardim, Universiti Putra Malaysia

This study investigates the performance of inverted two-way

ribs precast ferrocement thin panel. The two-way inverted This study introduces a new invert ribbed precast
ribs in the ferrocement panel enhanced its flexural stiffness, ferrocement slab system for composite slab. Tests were
as well as providing link between the precast layer and the complied for precast layer of composite slab system and
in situ elements. Flexural behaviors of two precast panels composite slab system under two line loads and uniformly
and two composite slabs are investigated under two line load distributed loads. System shows excellent connection
and distributed load. Test results indicate that the thin panel between two layers of slab until ultimate load. Integrity of
with suitable ribs layout and support distance can be used as structure was sustained until ultimate load and no separation
permanent formwork. Typical load from construction observed. The results show that integrity of slab is well
worker and in situ elements could be sustained by the panel. established with interlocking mechanism. Precast layer
The panel also acts as good composite component with in achieves its required tasks which are working as formwork,
situ brick and concrete. Composite full slab can sustain forming interlocking connection and carrying temporary
typical design loads for residential buildings and until loads such as toping and construction loads. System was
ultimate load and no separation or any horizontal cracks carried out the load which was more then theoretical
between the layers were observed. estimation. Test results shows that the precast layer is able
Test Setup to carry temporary loads and light enough to handle with
Ordinary Portland cement and natural sand were used for simple crane. Ferrocement layer creates high modulus of
concrete in the ratio 1:3 with water/cement ratio of 0.5. The rupture so that first crack load was observed at 40% of
mortar mix was designed to give 28-day cube strength of 30 ultimate loading, provides strong protection against spalling
N/mm². The ferrocement reinforcement used in all slabs and most of others surface distress and Eliminate cost of
consisted of high tensile steel bars and galvanized welded formwork.

5
 Analysis and Design of Ferrocement Panels an Experimental Study

G. APPLICATIONS OF FERROCEMENT IN height of the specimens. Strain gage (or gages) was attached
STRENGTHENING OF UNREINFORCED MASONRY in a direction parallel to loading as shown in Fig. 2.
COLUMNS BY Abid A. Shah

The load carrying capacity, ductility and serviceability of

unreinforced masonry columns can substantially be
improved if encased by ferrocement. The parameters such as
cement mortar thickness, gage-wire spacing and bond at the
interface of ferrocement and brick columns have effects on
overall behavior. In the present experimental study, it was
found that the first crack load and ultimate load of a
ferrocement encased masonry column was increased by
119% and 121% respectively. Cracks developed in
ferrocement encased column were finer and well distributed
as compared to plain specimen. However, premature failure
is possible when bond at the interface of brick masonry
column and ferrocement is poor. At higher reinforcement
ratio, severe spalling and delamination is expected.
Brick masonry columns are commonly used in rural and
urban areas. Because of improper structural design and no
maintenance over a period of time, they have lost a major
portion of strength and stiffness. Many masonry columns
require strengthening due to increase in their share of This experimental study was made on burnt clay brick
building loads. Severe cracks due to repeated earthquakes column specimens. Locally available burnt clay bricks of
are also very common in these masonry elements. These 221 mm x 110 mm x 55 mm were used. Ordinary Portland
factors make brick masonry columns unsafe and they cement and alkaline free sand were mixed together to cast
require economical, safe and easy remedial measures. cement mortar joint of 4.6 mm. In addition, locally available
Experimental study was made on burnt clay brick column 24 gage steel wire having tensile strength of 276 MPa was
specimens. Locally available burnt clay bricks of 221 mm x used in the ferrocement. Masonry columns of 221 mm x 221
110 mm x 55 mm were used. Ordinary Portland cement and mm x 784 mm, were prepared. The test results analysis led
alkaline free sand were mixed together to cast cement to the following conclusions.
mortar joint of 4.6 mm. In addition, locally available 24 1. Encasement of unreinforced brick masonry columns by
gage steel wire having tensile strength of 276 MPa was used ferrocement doubles the failure load.
in the ferrocement. Masonry columns of 221 mm x 221 mm 2. Average crack spacing reduces with reduction in
x 784 mm, were prepared (see Fig. 1). spacing of wire.
3. Premature failure is possible if mesh is not properly
wrapped and plaster does not fully penetrate into it.
4. Mortar strength has comparatively smaller influence on
failure load.

H. UTILIZATION OF FERROCEMENT AS FLEXURAL

BUILDING MEMBER (Applied as a Hollow Box Joist) By R
Abasolo, C Bandivs, Civil Engineering department College
of Engineering Xavier University-Philippines

This study focuses on the fabrication and the Maximum

Moment Capacity of a Ferrocement beam. There were three
batches with 3 specimens each. The beams were casted
vertically by plastering. This study used a cement to sand
ratio of 1:3 by volume, and a water to cement ratio of 0.5:1
by weight. It also used two layers of # 16 gage wire mesh
After a period of one week of wet curing, steel wire was kept constant on each batch. Tension bars of 8 mm dia. were
manually wrapped around column in both directions. used, the number of which increases by one on each batch.
Cement mortar was then applied and cured for minimum of Nine specimens of 200mm x 200mm x 3000mm hollow box
10 days before testing in compression. The type of mortar beam with a 25 mm thickness were casted. The Standards
for brick masonry joint was same for all specimens. and Procedure for each of the beams were based on the
Specimens without ferrocement application were also ASTM Standards and on the article by J.P. Hartog. The
constructed for comparison. All specimens were tested testing of the beam was done after the 28th curing day
under axial compression using a Structural Testing Frame at period, and was conducted to failure in order to determine
the structural concrete laboratory End conditions for each of the Actual Moment Capacity of the design beam. The results
the test specimen were kept similar. For the uniform show that Maximum Moment Capacity or Flexural Strength
distribution of load, rubber pads of 245 mm x 245 mm x of the fabricated Ferrocement beams did not go below the
6.125 mm in size were placed at both ends of specimen and calculated ultimate moment capacity for office occupancy of
were covered with steel plates of dimensions 392 mm x 392 5.3792 KN-m. This means that the beams are safe for use as
mm x 6.125 mm. Ferrocement encased specimen was floor joist beams in residential and commercial structures.
instrumented with electrical resistance strain gages at mid

6
 International Journal of Inventive Engineering and Sciences (IJIES)
ISSN: 2319–9598, Volume-1, Issue-5, April 2013
Beam Set up it’s dial reading available is 500 pounds per tread. Such
A. For Calibration machine error may affect the reading of the actual moment
1. Set the beam as simply supported beam. capacity or flexural strength of the Ferrocement beam.
2. Measure the unsupported length and set the dial gauge However, the researchers can check the accuracy of the
at its midspan for deflection reading. machine through calibration using the point loading at the
3. Prepare sand bags weighing 25 kg/bag. midspan with the corresponding deflection of the
4. Gradually load the bags into the beam at 50 kg per Ferrocement beam.
batch at 5 batches.
5. Record reading to compare result with UTM Reading. I. DESIGN OF COLLEGE BUILDING WITH
B. Data collecting procedure FERROCEMENT ELEMENTS By Arun Purandare,
1. Record time of testing. Structural Consultant, Pune
2. Set and install the dial gauge on innovative compression
machine. A simple system of precasting with ferrocement elements
3. Set the beam into the compression testing machine to be was developed for the construction of Engineering college at
loaded at the midspan. Talegaon. Three elements namely column boxes, channel
4. Gradually load the beam at every 1mm deflection and beams, and a deck slab were used for the entire section. The
record gauge reading. aim was to crate light weight elements for lifting, eliminate
5. Check for micro cracks and record gauge reading. formwork totally and reduce member propping during
6. Continue loading until complete failure is achieved. construction to an absolute minimum. All the three aims
7. Record the force and its corresponding deflection have been fulfilled.
8. Record finishing/ending time of testing An engineering college building was under construction for
9. Set another sample beam for another deflection testing. D.Y. Patil Engineering college at Ambi village, Talegaon.
The G+4 structure has been constructed by the conventional
method of in situ R.C. construction. The column spacing are
7m X 7.5 m. Each floor is about 3000 sq.m. built up area.
The foundation and columns were designed for G+8 upper
floor building. At this stage of construction it was decided to
add the balance 4 floors with member element made with
Ferrocement.The structural frame had to be the same as that
used on lower floor. The principal idea was to eliminate
formwork and the slab and beam units shall be able to carry
all dead loads. The slab and beam had to span between
supports without propping. The members therefore
eliminated formwork and propping at site. The design of
members was also done with ease of construction and lifting
to its position as primary consideration. Slab elements span
between channel beams. The panels are 3m X 1m wide. The
design of panels is done as suggested by ACI.
The project has been saving in material cost and significant
saving in time. The main advantages seen in the system are:-
The study was successful in fabricating and determining the
1. No formwork and minimal scaffolding.
flexural strength of the Ferrocement box beam. Even though
2. Elements casted on ground at site or yard
the Ferrocement beam was supposedly designed for
3. Very fast erection and reduction in time of construction.
sustainable housing, the results showed that the calculated
4. Saving in overall cost compared to R.C. system.
actual moment of the Ferrocement Beams is good for use as
floor joist beams for residential, office and commercial
occupancy. The Ferrocement box joist can be applied on III. EXPERIMENTAL STUDY
residential and commercial occupancy with a one meter After studying the literatures the various results and
spacing base on the minimum live load for residential and conclusions obtained are going to help in the project work to
commercial occupancy as stated in the National Structural investigate the behavior of ferrocement panels for various
Building Code of the Philippines.The Ferrocement box joist parameters and loading. The study is primarily aimed at
has an average of 11 kgs, which is lighter compared to the investigating experimentally and analytically
designed reinforced concrete beam. The strength to weight 1. The behavior of ferrocement panels under flexure with
ratio of the Ferrocement box joist is greater compared to that following parameters.
of the conventional beam. - Change in wire mesh size
Based on the material cost comparison between the - Change in wire mesh orientation
Ferrocement box joist and the designed conventional beam, - Change in panel size
the Ferrocement is less expensive. Its use can save on gravel - Providing ribs
and scaffolding costs. Using Ferrocement materials adds an 2. The yield line pattern for ferrocement panels.
economic advantage in saving general costs in construction. The results obtained will aid the designer and manufacturer
Its light weight feature would mean an increase in the design procedure, method of construction for slabs that
workability and transportation, resulting in a fast-paced is consistent with the level of risk specified or intended.
construction. The researchers acknowledge the possibility of As newer applications of ferrocement are introduced in
incurring errors such as machine errors since the machine market, many interesting problems will be posed so we will
used for testing has not been calibrated for a long time and

7
 Analysis and Design of Ferrocement Panels an Experimental Study

have to find solutions to these problems by searching new

design techniques and method of constructions.

IV. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I hereby acknowledge the extensive help provided by Prof.
D.G.Gaidhankar (Assistant Professor, Applied Mechanics
Dept. MIT, Pune) for his support and timely advice to
complete the Project work.

REFERENCES
[1] Ferrocement floor and roof system for buildings By
Dr.T.S.Thandavamoorty Adhiparasakti Engineering college
Melmaaruvathur
[2] Flexural Behavior of Flat and Folded Ferrocement Panels by
Mohamad Mahmood Civil Engineering department Mosul University
Iraq
[3] Structural behavior of ferrocement system for roofing By Wail N. Al-
Rifaie University of Nottingham
[4] Research Needs in Ferrocement Technology by Dr.P.N.Divekar,
President, Ferrocement society, Pune
[5] Effect Of Wire Mesh Orientation On Ferrocement element by Dr.
S.K. Kaushik Professor and Head, Department of Civil Engineering,
Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee
[6] Performance of Precast Ferrocement Panel for Composite Masonry
Slab System by Y. Yardim, Universiti Putra Malaysia
[7] Applications of Ferrocement in Strengthening of Unreinforced
Masonry Columns By Abid A. Shah
[8] Utilization of Ferrocement as Flexural Building Member (Applied as
a Hollow Box Joist)By R Abasolo, C Bandivs, Civil Engineering
department College of Engineering Xavier University-Philippines
[9] Design of College Building with Ferrocement Element By Arun
Purandare, Structural Consultant, Pune
[10] ACI Committee 549, “State-of-the-art report on
ferrocement”, ACI549-R97, in Manual of Concrete Practice, ACI,
Detroit, 1997, 26 pp
[11] ACI committee 549-1R-88, “Guide for design construction and repair
of ferrocement,” ACI 549-1R-88 and 1R-93, in Manual of Concrete
Practice, ACI, Detroit, 1993, 27 pp.
[12]. Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines,Inc. (2001).
National structural code of the Philippines (NSCP) 2001,
Volume1.Structural Concrete. Philippines.

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