Earthquake-resistant rammed earth structure

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an earthquake-resistant rammed earth structure. The earthquake-resistant rammed earth structure includes an armed scaffold located inside a rammed earth wall. The armed scaffold includes a foundation at the bottom, a bond beam at the top, two concrete columns at two respective corners extending from the foundation to the bond beam, a mesh network with a zigzag arrangement continuously extending from the foundation to the bond beam, a strand of barbed wire perpendicularly woven into the mesh network, a plurality of parallel vertical rebars extending from the foundation to the bond beam, a plurality of parallel horizontal rebars extending between the two concrete columns, a plurality of U-shaped fasteners fastening the plurality of vertical rebars, the plurality of horizontal rebars, and the mesh network together, and a plurality of transverse connectors transversely interlocking the rammed earth wall and the armed scaffold.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An earthquake-resistant rammed earth structure, comprising an armed scaffold located inside a rammed earth wall, the armed scaffold comprising:
 a foundation located at the bottom of the armed scaffold, the foundation comprising a first concrete beam comprising a plurality of holes, each respective hole of the plurality of holes receiving a bottom end of a vertical rebar of a plurality of vertical rebars and filled with rammed earth there around, a thickness of the foundation being at least equal to a distance between two outer surfaces of rammed earth wall defining a thickness of the armed scaffold;   a bond beam located at the top of the armed scaffold, the bond beam comprising a second concrete beam comprising a plurality of protruded parts correspondingly located opposite to the plurality of holes, each respective protruded part of the plurality of protruded parts receiving a respective top end of the vertical rebar of the plurality of vertical rebars and being surrounded by rammed earth, a distance from the foundation to the bond beam defining a height of the armed scaffold;   two concrete columns located at two respective corners of the armed scaffold extending along the height of the armed scaffold, a distance between the two concrete columns defining a width of the armed scaffold, each respective concrete column comprising a protruded part along the height of the armed scaffold, the protruded part defining a shear key along the respective concrete column, the rammed earth wall interconnected to the two concrete columns through the respective protruded part;   a mesh network continuously extended from the foundation to the bond beam, the mesh network comprising a transverse section and a longitudinal section repeated every other along the height of the armed scaffold from the foundation to the bond beam;   a strand of barbed wire perpendicularly woven into the mesh network, the strand of barbed wire comprising a plurality of sharped edges protruded from two sides of the mesh network and anchored into the rammed earth wall tightening the mesh network to the rammed earth wall;   the plurality of vertical rebars extended parallel with each other along the height of the armed scaffold from the foundation to the bond beam;   a plurality of horizontal rebars extended parallel with each other between the two concrete columns;   a plurality of U-shaped fasteners fastening the plurality of vertical rebars, the plurality of horizontal rebars, and the mesh network together, each respective U-shaped fastener enclosing a respective transverse section of the mesh network along with a pair of vertical rebars of the plurality of vertical rebars and a pair of horizontal rebars of the plurality of horizontal rebars located at both sides of the respective transverse section at a corner of the armed scaffold; and   a plurality of transverse connectors extending along the thickness of the armed scaffold passing transversely through the rammed earth wall and the armed scaffold, the plurality of transverse connectors interlocking the rammed earth wall and the armed scaffold together.   
     
     
         2 . The earthquake-resistant rammed earth structure of  claim 1 , wherein:
 each respective hole of the plurality of holes comprises a hole with a height in a range of 5 cm to 15 cm; and   each protruded part of the plurality of protruded parts comprises a height in a range of 5 cm to 15 cm.   
     
     
         3 . The earthquake-resistant rammed earth structure of  claim 1 , wherein the mesh network comprises a wire grid network made of at least one of a metal, a metal alloy, a geosynthetic material, and combinations thereof, the wire grid network comprising a plurality of openings, each opening with an area in a range of 1 cm 2  to 10 cm 2 . 
     
     
         4 . The earthquake-resistant rammed earth structure of  claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal section of the mesh network has a height in a range of 30 cm to 70 cm. 
     
     
         5 . The earthquake-resistant rammed earth structure of  claim 1 , wherein each sharp edge of the plurality of sharped edges of the strand of barbed wire has a length in a range of 0.5 cm to 1 cm. 
     
     
         6 . The earthquake-resistant rammed earth structure of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of vertical rebars comprises parallel pairs of vertical rebars arranged at equal distances in a range of 50 cm to 150 cm apart from each other along the width of the armed scaffold between the two concrete columns. 
     
     
         7 . The earthquake-resistant rammed earth structure of  claim 6 , wherein each pair of vertical rebars of the plurality of vertical rebars comprises a first vertical rebar and a second vertical rebar located opposite to each other along the thickness of the armed scaffold with a distance in a range of 10 cm to 30 cm from each other. 
     
     
         8 . The earthquake-resistant rammed earth structure of  claim 7 , wherein each two consecutive longitudinal sections of the mesh network comprise:
 a first longitudinal section fastened by a first plurality of wires to a row of the first vertical rebars located along the width of the armed scaffold; and   a second longitudinal section fastened by a second plurality of wires to a row of the second vertical rebars located along the width of the armed scaffold opposite to the first vertical rebars.   
     
     
         9 . The earthquake-resistant rammed earth structure of  claim 6 , wherein each vertical rebar is located at a distance of at least  7  cm from an outer edge of the rammed earth wall. 
     
     
         10 . The earthquake-resistant rammed earth structure of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of horizontal rebars comprises pairs of horizontal rebars, each respective pair of horizontal rebars located and fastened onto a respective transverse section of the mesh network. 
     
     
         11 . The earthquake-resistant rammed earth structure of  claim 10 , wherein each two consecutive pairs of horizontal rebars spaced from each other by a vertical distance in a range of 30 cm to 70 cm. 
     
     
         12 . The earthquake-resistant rammed earth structure of  claim 10 , wherein a normal distance between each two horizontal rebars of a pair of horizontal rebars of the plurality of horizontal rebars is in a range of 10 cm to 30 cm. 
     
     
         13 . The earthquake-resistant rammed earth structure of  claim 1 , wherein each transverse connector of the plurality of transverse connectors comprises at least one of a rebar, a bolt, a strip anchor, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         14 . The earthquake-resistant rammed earth structure of  claim 1 , wherein each rebar of each of the plurality of vertical rebars and the plurality of horizontal rebars comprises a rebar made of at least one of a metal, a metal alloy, fiberglass, an epoxy, a composite, bamboo culms, and combinations thereof with a diameter in a range of 8 mm to 20 mm. 
     
     
         15 . The earthquake-resistant rammed earth structure of  claim 1 , further comprising an insulator layer with a thickness in a range of 2 mm to 10 cm located inside the earthquake-resistant rammed earth structure within a distance of at least 5 cm from an outer surface of the rammed earth wall, the insulator layer having a width equal to the width of the armed scaffold and a height equal to the height of the armed scaffold. 
     
     
         16 . The earthquake-resistant rammed earth structure of  claim 15 , wherein the insulator layer comprises a layer of at least one of polycarbonate, extruded polystyrene (XPS), closed-cell spray foam, mineral wool, polyurethane foam, fiberglass with a vapor barrier, a thermal-insulating foam, a moisture-proof foam, a moisture-proof polymer, polyisocyanurate (Polyiso), phenolic foam, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         17 . The earthquake-resistant rammed earth structure of  claim 1 , wherein the rammed earth wall comprises a soil mixture compacted at both sides and alongside the armed scaffold. 
     
     
         18 . The earthquake-resistant rammed earth structure of  claim 17 , wherein a thickness of the soil mixture at each side of the armed scaffold is at least 7 cm. 
     
     
         19 . The earthquake-resistant rammed earth structure of  claim 17 , wherein the soil mixture comprises a mixture of at least one of clay, silt, sand, gravels, a stabilizer, and combinations thereof,
 wherein the stabilizer comprises at least one of cement, lime, bitumen, factory slag, ash, asphalt, plant fibers, and combinations thereof with a weight percent in a range of  5 % to  15 % relative to a total weight of the soil mixture.   
     
     
         20 . An armed scaffold located inside a construction wall, the armed scaffold comprising:
 a foundation located at the bottom of the armed scaffold, the foundation comprising a first concrete beam comprising a plurality of holes, each respective hole of the plurality of holes receiving a bottom end of a vertical rebar of a plurality of vertical rebars and filled with at least one of concrete, rammed earth, and combinations thereof there around, a thickness of the foundation being at least equal to a distance between two outer surfaces of the construction wall defining a thickness of the armed scaffold;   a bond beam located at the top of the armed scaffold, the bond beam comprising a second concrete beam comprising a plurality of protruded parts correspondingly located opposite to the plurality of holes, each respective protruded part of the plurality of protruded parts receiving a respective top end of the vertical rebar of the plurality of vertical rebars and being surrounded by at least one of concrete, rammed earth, and combinations thereof, a distance from the foundation to the bond beam defining a height of the armed scaffold;   two concrete columns located at two respective corners of the armed scaffold extending along the height of the armed scaffold, a distance between the two concrete columns defining a width of the armed scaffold, each respective concrete column comprising a protruded part along the height of the armed scaffold, the protruded part defining a shear key along the respective concrete column, the construction wall interconnected to the two concrete columns through the respective protruded part;   a mesh network continuously extended from the foundation to the bond beam with a zigzag arrangement, the mesh network comprising a transverse section and a longitudinal section repeated every other along the height of the armed scaffold from the foundation to the bond beam;   a strand of barbed wire perpendicularly woven into the mesh network, the strand of barbed wire comprising a plurality of sharped edges protruded from two sides of the mesh network and anchored into the construction wall tightening the mesh network to the construction wall;   the plurality of vertical rebars extended parallel with each other along the height of the armed scaffold from the foundation to the bond beam, the plurality of vertical rebars comprising a plurality of pairs of vertical rebars, a respective top end pair of each respective pair of vertical rebars being confined inside a respective protruded part of the plurality of protruded parts and a respective bottom end pair of each respective pair of vertical rebars being confined inside a respective hole of the plurality of holes;   a plurality of horizontal rebars extended parallel with each other between the two concrete columns, the plurality of horizontal rebars comprising a plurality of pairs of horizontal rebars, each respective pair of horizontal rebars located and fastened onto two sides of a respective transverse section of the mesh network;   a plurality of U-shaped fasteners fastening the plurality of vertical rebars, the plurality of horizontal rebars, and the mesh network together, each respective U-shaped fastener enclosing a respective transverse section of the mesh network along with a pair of vertical rebars of the plurality of vertical rebars and a pair of horizontal rebars of the plurality of horizontal rebars located at both sides of the respective transverse section at a corner of the armed scaffold;   an insulator layer with a thickness in a range of  2  mm to  10  cm located along the height of the armed scaffold in parallel with the longitudinal section of the mesh network, the insulator layer having a width equal to the width of the armed scaffold and a height equal to the height of the armed scaffold; and   a plurality of transverse connectors extending along the thickness of the armed scaffold passing transversely through the construction wall, the insulator layer, the mesh network, and the barbed wire, the plurality of transverse connectors interlocking the construction wall, the insulator layer, the mesh network, and the barbed wire together,   wherein the construction wall comprises at least one of a concrete wall, a rammed earth wall, and combinations thereof.