CSEB Technology for Disaster Resistance
Eligibility:
Engineers, architects, technicians, supervisors, masons, and students.
Duration:
One or two-week course
Laptop with AutoCAD is highly recommended. Otherwise, participants will be provided with drawing materials.
Course content:
The two first days are more theoretical with lectures, presentations and practical exercises:
– Auroville Earth Institute presentation
– Building with earth in Auroville
– Sustainability and environmental friendliness
– Resource management
– Basic data on CSEB
– Raw material and soil identification
– Soil stabilisation (Stabilisers, Principles, Calculation and exercises)
– Products & equipment
– Blockyard organisation & Production line
– Quality control principles
– Improving and stabilising soils
– Mortar quality
– Block-laying & design guidelines
– Cost analysis & Economic feasibility study
The four following days are practical in nature, with demonstrations and hands-on sessions:
– Handling, adjustments and maintenance of the presses
– Safety demonstration
– Testing typical soils with a press
– Sites visit by trainees
– Production of blocks: acquisition of know how
– Production of various interlocking blocks (sizes 245, 295, D300, D250)
– Production of special blocks (U, pipe inserts, chamfer, flashing, coping, tile, etc.)
– Production of blocks: optimisation of production = 100 Blocks per hour
– Quality control with the field block tester
The week is predominantly hands-on, with demonstrations and student work on the following topics:
– Stabilised earth technologies
– Tests for mortar – Mortar quality
– Bond patterns for walls
– Stabilised rammed earth foundations
– Building a basement
– Building a plinth beam with U-blocks
– Casting a RCC plinth beam in U-blocks
– Steel preparation for lintels and columns
– Pre-casting various composite lintels
– Building two composite columns of 24 cm diameter
– Building two composite columns of 29 cm diameter
– Ramming stabilised rammed earth walls and building a CSEB wall
– Building a CSEB wall with hollow interlocking blocks and stabilised earth plaster
– Building arches
– Building a free spanning vault & dome
– Evaluation of mortar test samples
