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Technical & Practical |
TECHNICAL SECTION
Structural
Tradical® Hemcrete® has a typical compressive
strength of around 1N/mm2 and consequently
is not normally used in load bearing
applications. Although it may be possible to
use thick Hemcrete® walls (particularly when
tamped into place) in load bearing a situation
for low-rise buildings, we recommend that
Tradical® Hemcrete® is used in combination
with a timber (or steel or concrete) frame. In
this way the frame supports the vertical loads
of the roof and upper fl oors. The Tradical®
Hemcrete® may be used to provide part, or all,
of the racking strength of the frame subject to
the particular building and design application.
Because of the use of a structural frame, the
height of the building is dictated by the frame
and not the Tradical® Hemcrete®. In France
several multi storey buildings have been
constructed for clients including the Ministry of
the Environment and Housing, using Tradical®
Hemcrete® and a concrete frame.
In the UK, the existing steel frame of a typical
business park unit has been augmented by
a secondary timber frame and the Tradical®
Hemcrete® spray applied onto permanent
internal formwork to create 500mm thick
super-insulating monolithic walls that will
allow the building running costs to be slashed.
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