After a very rainy neckdown week, the Thermal Mass and Buoyancy Ventilation Research Project team is back and pouring concrete panels.
First, the team had to make molds for 18″ x 18″ panels to test for the Habitable Structure, 12″ x 12″ panels for the Desktop Experiment, and concrete samples for material thermal conductivity testing. They used melamine covered OSB, which is reusable, for the panel formwork and PVC pipe siliconed onto rigid insulation for the sample molds. The samples or “biscuits” are small cylinders of the three different concrete types they are considering; fiber-reinforced, high finish, and pure cement. These samples will be taken to Auburn University’s engineering lab to test their thermal properties. This information will help sharpen scientific experiments!
formwork for panels 
molds for samples 
PVC pipe are cast in to leave holes for future attachment
When the formwork was done, the team was ready to pour their panels and samples. However, due to the extremely low temperatures this week the team got to work in the Plug-in House! Don’t worry though, they taped down tarps and the Plug-in is staying clean. You can read all about the Plug-in House and what it’s doing underneath the Rural Studio Fabrication Pavillion here: http://ruralstudioblogs.org/2019/09/18/the-plugin-house/
PAO’s Plug-in House at Rural Studio 
The TMBVRP team prepped the panels by taping and oiling them. Vegetable oil helps prevents the concrete from sticking in the mold. Next, the team mixed the concrete with shovels in a wheelbarrow adding small amounts of water at a time. They think, for next pour, they will use a hand mixer attachment for a drill and a bucket to mix the concrete. Part of this process was figuring out a better way to complete this process.
Finally, the pour! The team used trowels and a bladeless reciprocating saw to smooth and vibrate the panels. It is important that concrete is vibrated to remove air trapped within. The panels and samples will stay in their forms for three days until they are cured. Next, the team will test its panel attachment system and work on their Desktop Experiment mock-up.
You will have to check in next week to see how our concrete turned out and maybe you’ll get a sneak peek into the testing at Auburn University’s engineering lab!