XPost: talk.politics.misc, alt.politics.usa, alt.construction
MASS quantities of waste plastics - mostly polyethylene
and PET - are accumulating. Most 'recycling' efforts are
mostly BS ... the mountains of plastic get ever larger.
However ... there MAY be a convenient USE for all this
trash that's economically effective.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2022/8305670
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2022/8305670
Plastic + sand = bricks. As noted in the first link,
the compressive strength really is NOT bad for the
plastic bricks ... about 30% less than medium-density
concrete bricks. They also resist water/rot/bugs even
better than concrete.
The first link is for polyethylene ... "milk bottles"
and the like. A 1:4 plastic/sand ratio is the strongest.
PET - "water bottles" - is a somewhat stiffer plastic
but I've found no good links quantifying how PET, or
PET/PE, bricks perform. There may also be the option
of adding x-percent fiberglas to the mix for even
more tensile strength.
Bricks, or even pre-fab large panels, could easily be
made using a continuous-process hot mixer.
Now lets get real. This stuff is NOT quite strong
enough to make skyscrapers out of. HOWEVER, for
one/two story HOUSES and such ... that's a different
story. Such materials would do splendidly.
Individual BRICKS could be molded kind of on the
Lego design - inherently interlocking. However for
larger-scale construction prefab PANELS are maybe
the better way to go. They may, or may not, be
molded with channels for reinforcing bar/wire,
depending on use and needs.
Panels with grooves can be just slid together,
each reinforcing the next and not as brittle as
concrete. A puzzle box of prefabs and you can
VERY quickly assemble a large variety of houses -
like in a DAY. Envision 4-6"" panels with 2"
ribs (through which you can insert pipes and
electric). Such build panels are commonly seen
done in pure concrete ... but they don't HAVE
to be concrete.
So ... a 12x8 wall panel with interlock grooves ...
MUCH cheaper than concrete. Alas, while very
strong, concrete is VERY energy-intensive. Using
plastic+sand most of the energy has already been
put in ... you're just re-molding ... and sand
is, well, dirt cheap.
The proposed 12x8 means a 12-foot high wall,
room for a 10' ceiling + A/C ducts and such.
8' wide is "convenient". Insert prefab window
and door panels as needed.
I make this post to alert makers/constructors
that there IS a fair alternative material out
there - SO plentiful and annoying that it will
be almost FREE.
Just gotta TAKE ADVANTAGE.
Today's "waste plastic" can easily become
tomorrows suburbs - structures good for
maybe 100 years even in foul conditions.
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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