Interesting, but I don't know if it would be taken to the mountains too easily. Delivered with forklift, unfolded with a vehicle, inflated with an electric fan. It is a nice concept though, wonder if there is an option to add a fireplace?
In the army we were pulling cannons in the hills where vehicles couldn't go with mules and horses...I don't see why this couldn't be taken to the mountains the same way...on a cart with a horse... The fan can be hand-cranked, and fireplace can be made before you soak it...
ok, that's AWESOME. I want one now. It is absolutely perfect. I can see exactly how it could be deployed with a horse and a wagon. The fan part might be tricky, but not impossible. Watering in the field will be tough, but not impossible of located near a river, stream, pond, or lake. You would have to set it up so that you would not get rained on for at least a day maybe two after so it will cure. The longer the better, actually. Very nice idea. http://www.concretecanvas.co.uk/About CCS.html
The hand fan could even be made from old air raid hand cranked horns...those horns can also be transformed into electric generators...you could also take up some batteries on the cart, even an inverter...there's like 1000 possible solutions...you could also bulld manual water pump... darn...possibilities are infinite...I wonder what the price is for that 50 sqm bunker? I just realized...I could even make that concrete canvas myself! Imagine an underground house and this canvas...you could do almost anything! Hmmmmm....I need to do some serious thinking and emailing...and searching for a mountain woods property....or I'll just build one on no-mans land....
Nope. Thought of that...unless you can cover it and keep it dry after it soaks. If it isn't covered (since we can't control the rain) it will never cure and it will become a pile of poop.
Maybe, if you can control the water around the base as well. Plus, the humidity involved with rain will keep it from curing and this might affect overall strength. I don't know. Might be fine. It's a gamble. Since you found this, I think you need to email them and find out what their prices are for base cost, Bane. Then, ask them if it is comparable to throwing some cinder-block and mud down with a tin roof.
The video said it was good for about 10 yrs. If the cost is high it might be better to build using cinder blocks and sheet metal.
What I like about this is the open possibilities...You can do a lot with this all by yourself. Like...dig an underground shelter, spread canvas, cure it into any form you need. Or build a log cabin on the outside, put the canvas inside, and another layer of wood on the inside...sandwich cabin...weatherproof and bulletproof...and for thickness you could stack multiple layers...make any sandwich you want, fast. This is the fastest thing to make. You could dig a hole, put the shelter in, cover it with earth and be done in 2-3 days.
I wonder if you paint the exterior after drying with a cement sealer it will raise its longevity a few more years. Most likely.
Dunno what the supplied concrete mix looks like, but water USUALLY is the best curing agent. Wet, yes. Running off, NO! One the initial set is reached, moisten it, and cover with poly sheet. Then let it rain until the cows come home.
I'm most curious about load it can handle if you bury and cover it. How deep can it be buried without reinforcement? It only looks to be about 1/2 - 5/8 of an inch thick. Byte
Concrete curing is a chemical process and will actually cure quite readily under water. I pour a lot of concrete underwater. It might leech out the cement, if subjected to a diluge, but wet won't hurt it.
Sorry there Bokor. Concrete cures immersed in water. They pour concrete directly into boxes and forms in rivers, lakes, and the ocean for pilings etc. In fact concrete has been made and used since Ancient Eqyptian times. The Romans used it to pour pilings for their sea ports. That being said: it would not turn into a pile of poop in rain. As a matter of fact, many concrete formulations require that the concrete be "ponded" (soaked with water and standing water left on the surface) in order to ensure curing without cracking. In fact setting this kind of building up in the rain will just save you time and possibly back-breaking effort soaking it. Quick little concrete factoids: concrete gets hot, or has an exothermic reaction as it cures. Concrete will cure immersed in water. The longer it takes concrete to cure the harder it gets. Water ponding/cooling of the concrete slows the cure down. The Hoover Dam, poured in the 1930's is *still curing* in fact some estimates place final cure time at nearly 2000 years - that would be the year 3135 A.D. - that is a seriously long time. Some structural engineers went to ancient Roman aqueduct sites and bridges and did a study and found the concrete used in their construction was still curing.
