codyg1985’s Think Tank

Soon one will be able to carry a bag of cement to a site and create a tent. The concept of a concrete canvas will allow an inflatable form to be cast quickly from scratch. Some facts from the website:

• Delivered, folded, and sealed in a plastic bag weighing 230kg, Concrete Canvas is light enough to be transported in the back of a pick-up truck, light aircraft, or an 8-man lift.
• Once in position the sack is filled with water. The volume of the sack controls the water:cement ratio, eliminating the need for water measurement. The bag is left for 15 minutes while the cement hydrates. The fibre matrix adds hydration by wicking water into the cement. It also provides tensile reinforcement once the cement is set.
• Once hydrated, the sack is cut along the seams and unfolded, strengthening the ground sheet. Deployment is done at dusk to avoid over drying the cement.
• The structure is unfolded to form the shelter’s footprint. It is then inflated by activating a small chemical pack. This released a controlled volume of gas into the plastic inner and inflates the structure.
• The concrete cloth cures in the shape of the inflated inner and twelve hours later the structure is ready for use. Doors and ventilation holes are left with no concrete cloth bounded to the plastic skin and allow access points to be cut from the inner once the cement has dried

I still believe that setting up tents would be faster than waiting around for concrete to cure. Moreover, it would be difficult to dispose of the concrete structures once their use has been fulfilled; after all, they will more than likely be temporary structures. Nonetheless, the idea is a really ingenious one.