| The supply line of a contingency base constitutes its greatest vulnerability. The reliance of a base on supply line can be reduced through maximum use of locally available construction materials and resources. The objective of this work is to make efficient use of indigenous materials should still provide adequate force protection, safety under relevant loads, quality of life, sustainability, energy-efficiency, economy and durability. Seismic, blast, impact and wind resistance are among the considerations in development of these building systems. A sandwich composite is devised as the primary module for development of the building system. The indigenous reinforcement systems selected for use in ferrocement sheets were two jute burlaps with different yarn spacing, and chicken mesh. These fabrics were characterized through performance of tension tests. Their failure modes and tensile load-deflection behavior were investigated. The tensile strength, stiffness and ductility of jute burlaps were found to compare favorably with those of chicken mesh, which is a viable reinforcement for use in ferrocement.;The flexure and compression test specimens were 1,200 mm long, 300 mm wide and 100 mm thick. The sandwich composite thickness comprised an 80 mm thick indigenous aerated concrete core and two 10 mm thick indigenous ferrocement skins with jute fabric reinforcement. The in-plane shear (diagonal compression) test components were 500 mm square with thickness and cross-sectional designs similar to those of flexure and compression test specimens. |
