Re: SB: Rubble Trench Foundation

[Rob Tom <ArchiLogic@yahoo.ca>]

10/9/2002 8:18:50 AM, a salo <asalo00@yahoo.com> wrote:

> NorthEast US ...the ground freezes and thaws many 
>times over during the winter.  Is that a
>factor against using the rubble trench (RTF)?

>I am wondering how well strawbale building would be 
>able to create a smaller version of a Queen Anne style home.  
>Can it make turrets?  

Anna ;

RTF (if constructed properly of course) are actually better suited than 
are "conventional" foundations to freeze-thaw conditions.

When water freezes, it expands with a force sufficient to crack and/or 
heave house foundations. Frost action on a foundation is similar to 
what happens when you squeeze on a bar of soap.

With RTF, the interstitial voids between the rubble allow room for any 
residual water** to harmlessly freeze & expand, and the fact that it is 
not a monolithic mass allows it to dissipate any lateral forces 
imparted by adjacent frost-susceptible soil.

** A properly constructed RTF will be systematically drained so that 
residual water in the trench would be minimal to non-existent.
			--- * ---
Assuming a climate in which wind-driven rain is not uncommon, the 
lower level SB walls of a Queen Anne would be protected by 
porches, so they'd be fine. The upper level SB walls (and turrets 
especially) should be protected by a ventilated rainscreen cladding, 
since they are not fully protected by porches.

        ~~~ * ~~~
         Rob Tom
  Kanata, Ontario, Canada
<ArchiLogic@CHAFFyahoo.ca>
(winnow the "chaff" from my edress in your reply)

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