07-07-07 Making the Tiles

Attach:D038_TileSandProtoFlatteningSand.jpg Δ | Flattening sand to be a base for the tiles

• To make a flat and straight base for the tiles we tried to make a flat base with sand that was a little wet.

Attach:D038_TileSandProtoMoldOverview.jpg Δ | Overview of the mold for four tiles

• To separate the sand from the concrete both the paper and the plastic of a cement bag was used.
• The plastic is semi crystalline. This matt and crunchy plastic foil that is more willing to be straight than the shiny amorphe plastic that they sell in the hardware stores.
• Nevertheless, the plastic is perforated.
• The wooden beams are just laying on top of the plastic and paper.

Attach:D038_TileSandProtoCutWires.jpg Δ | Tile reinforcement of car tire wire

• The clean cut care tire wire had been put in fire of a normal cooking stove for an hour.
• The wire however didn't glow red, and thus hadn't been softened well enough.
• The stubborn wire was hard to bend in the shape of the spaken
• The wire was cut in smaller pieces and pre bent to the several squares and rectangles. Then put over the spaken.

Attach:D038_TileSandProtoArmourDetail.jpg Δ | Split up and square bend reinforcement

• This set up had been used in two tiles. One on plastic and one on paper.

Attach:D038_TileSandProtoStarting.jpg Δ | Wetting the molds before casting

• The candle wax/mud rings were positioned in the center using eye sight.
• Before casting the concrete the molde were wetted with water.
• Both paper and plastic.

Attach:D038_TileSandProtoFilling.jpg Δ | Filling the tile mold with 1 to 3 concrete

• The moldes were filled with a mixture of 1 cement on 3 sand and was not so wet.

Attach:D038_TileSandProtoFinishing.jpg Δ | Finishing the tile

• Air bubbles were removed
• The concrete was put up to the upper part of the candle wax ring
• After that the U-shaped connection reinforcement wires were put in the wet concrete. This is not visible on the photo.

Attach:D038_TileProtoFiberReinforcement.jpg Δ | Detail of mixed-in fiber reinforcement

• The other two tiles were made with mixed-in fiber reinforcement.
• About 8 meters of car tire wire was cut into pieces of 4 centimeters and mixed into the 1 to 3 concrete mixture.
• This is about 0,5 volume percentage, and should be sufficient.
• One part of car tire wire is 4,60 meters. An instruction could be: mix one cut up car tire wire into the concrete of 1 tile.
• There are 16 tiles to be made. This could equal exactly 2 car tires.
• Target is to leave out possible problems with glowing the car tire wire.
• It also simplifies instructions, though more wire and labour is needed

07-07-09 Result

Attach: D038_070708_TileResultPaper2.jpg Δ Δ | Click to see result with spokes

• The paper sticks to the concrete
• And it was bubbled because of the moist

Attach: D038_070708_TileResultPlastic1.jpg Δ Δ | Click to see result with spokes

• Plastic looked better
• Although the sand had deformed because of pushing the spokes into the sand. This causes bumps.
• Generally this semi crystalline appears easier to flatten than the amorphic plastic sheets.