The future is now, right here.

Just passed:

The climate change bill would reset drastically the way the U.S. government approaches the issue of regulating pollution. Instituting a cap and trade system, the bill aims to cut America's production of greenhouse gases by 17 percent by 2020, and 83 percent by 2050. The legislation also includes provisions to create alternative energy sources and cleaner technologies, as well as more efficient building standards.

. When I entered David Miller's rammed earth house in Greeley, Colorado, the sensation was captivating. The smoothness, evenness, totality of immersion into a megamass radiant field is so enlivening. It's like the richness of fine component stereo music compared to a commercial on a transistor radio.

A - Precast lightweight concrete wall piece, 2" thick, weight 14 pounds per square foot.

Strength of 32,000 pounds per horizontal lineal foot using inexpensive cinders aggregate

Strength increases to 64,000 pounds per lineal foot using expanded pumice aggregate, about triple the cost of cinders aggregate ($45 per yard expanded pumice / $15 yard, 1/4" minus cinders)

Standard wall piece height = 16", lengths of 12, 24, and 36 inches

B - 2" thick rigid polyisocyanurate insulation, may be foil faced for vapor barrier, R-6.8 per inch, 4" total for both sides for net R of 27.2. Actual performance much greater.

C - Expanded steel embedded wall coupler embedded 1-3/4" during casting. Embedded portion dipped in nanotech pipe insulating paint to prevent thermal bridging.

D - Area of overlapping expanded steels, allowing the wall faces to be secured to each other, creating a rigid cavity wall.

E - Fender washer (front and back) which spreads the compression of the nut and bolt to maximum surface contact with the expanded steel making a very strong union.

F - 3/8" diameter 1" long bolt with nut to connect the overlapping expanded steels. A pneumatic ratchet with a 9/16" socket instantly tightens it down.

G - For exterior wall faces, the pieces come with beveled edges around the perimeter for a "cut stone" aesthetic. The glass smooth finish of the face is perfect for creating myriad effects with decorative concrete products, particularly penetrating acid stains. Once completed, the surface can be sealed or left breatheable, depending on the application and environment.

H - The center 4" of the wall cavity is ready for filling with a more inexpensive lower strength concrete to create a finished sandwich wall of unprecedented strength, performance, and economy. In climates without temperature extremes and in third world countries, the entire cavity (without the insulation) can be filled with any local bulk material, from dirt to sand. By packing (ramming) soil into the cavity, the wall can be stabilized against settling and locked into position for greatest economy.

I - For interior walls that are preferred to be a continuous flat surface like standard dry wall, a sharp, clean right angled joint is used. One installed, only a fine application of joint compound to the seam will prepare the wall for any textured drywall surfacing technique.

For every unit volume of wall, two units of contained bulk material may be added.

Wall faces, 2" thick, times two faces = 4" of wall thickness. In between, 8" of open cavity area is created. 8" open inside cavity divided by 4" of containment = 2 times the wall volume.

And, those wall faces are a glass smooth aesthetic surface amenable to the cornucopia of available concrete stains and surface treatments.

Or, nothing at all.

With the least expensive aggregate, one foot of wall length supports 32,000 pounds before crushing.

That is the equivalent of a D7 bulldozer compacted to a one foot width being supported on one wall face.

Counting both sides of the wall, that's two D7 bulldozers being supported on each foot of wall length.

Then comes the creativity of how to best use the 8" interior wall cavity. That makes possible a versatilitly tailored to virtually any imagineable application and environment.

A very simple idea yields a very powerful result. Insert an expanded steel into a precast lightweight concrete wall panel while casting. A strong embedded versatile connector results.

Add another piece on the opposite side and like magic, a stable strong cavity wall is born. A simple bolting at the overlap does the job.

There's still one more simple idea to add to this. Slot the perimeter faces so the pieces spline together with polycarbonate strip.

One need not fill the entire cavity with concrete. Where severe weather is a lesser concern, the cavity can be filled with sand, lightweight insulating aggregate, or dirt. By not going to the top, a spandrel beam may be cast on top of the panel fill, strongly tieing the wall together and of course using less concrete. Columns are simply formed within the cavity wherever necessary.

This isn't rocket science but when contemplated on a little, the possibilities are right up there with rocket science. This cavity wall, or container wall if you wish, is a one two process for creating an aesthetic finished wall faster and more inexpensively than ever before. The challenge then becomes how to best use this open cavity space. The solution is to use it in myriad ways depending on the ultimate performance potential given all the differenent environments it may be deployed in.

For example, for interior winter warmth in cold climates, make it very insulative.

An exterior wall shown would have (from left to right), two inches insulating lightweight concrete, 2" rigid polyisocyanurate insulating board (bonded monolithically to wall by embedding in cement paste brought to the top during vibration while casting, 4" lightweight insulating bulk cinders fill, another 2" polyiso board, and finally the interior 2" lightweight concrete wall panel.

Using standard calculating values, this is about an R 32 wall, but when coupled with the effects of sandwiching in mass between the insulation, the performance is much greater.

Alternative exterior wall for hurricane and tornado areas

One can utilize the wall cavity to place insulation and cast in place concrete however the situation dictates. A fireproof lightweight concrete enclosure is always maintained.

In milder climates, the full cavity can be simply and inexpensively filled with dirt. That mass addition creates a more constant interior temperature, cooler during the day and warmer at night.

Geometry

By having panel lengths of one, two, and three feet, simple designs can maintain symmetry and yet be very versatile. Heights of 16" and 8" work easily within the normal 48" x 96" standard sizes.

Greenness

Granted portland cement alone is an energy intensive product. However, when combined with extremely low energy volcanic cinders (heating done by the interior earth) in a ratio one part cement to 4.2 parts cinders, it's energy content is greatly reduced.

As the cavity wall system then allows two units of low energy bulk fill for each unit volume of wall, the "green" content goes way beyond any other method.

Then add the durability of virtually infinite maintenance free service life, along with being 100% fireproof and able to withstand hurricanes and tornados, the benefit to the owner becomes overwhelming.

Economy

Large labor and material savings come from the elimination of framing, sheathing, siding, and drywall hanging, taping, and mudding. Large savings can be realized on insurance and may even make it superfluous.

The main intent of this system besides durability is to be naturally cool in the summer and warm in the winter without ANY fuel requirements. That is a tremendous statement to make which can be easily scoffed, but the combination of mass, insulation, air tightness, solar gain, and natural ventilation makes it true.

No other system can create these properties as efficiently and inexpensively as this. This is why now, all other systems are obsolete.

The main resource is volcanic cinders. That's why my launching location is in Capulin, NM, only seven miles from a cinders distribution point, in the shadow of the Capulin Volcano National Monument.

Products

Phone: 303 919 2931
info@cavitywall.net