I think the most eco thing Cody could do would be bricks made from the clay he's already digging up for the base.
Pretty sure he's also building some kind of kiln with all the fire brick he has.
I don't think most of the futuristic materials people are talking about building with are any good or we would already be building with them.
thanks.. take a sec to checkout aircrete. it has some awesome properties.. ive looked at earthbags, but they are heavy and no where near insulative as a foam. youd be forever heating the ground basically. concrete as a foam only uses 1/10th the energy. lastly, I dont know how to say this politely, but thats kind of a status quo argument.. it leads directly to saying: why didnt I think of that.. cheers
oh, also, the clay could be made into eco-aircrete, especially if created with a renewable source. many researchers are looking at doing this for regular concrete.
Aircrete has been around for quite awhile. Now an easy cheap DIY method of producing it (especially on Mars) would have great value. Otherwise it is just another interesting concept.
For illustration purposes consider Metal Foams & Aerogels. Amazing propertys & extremely cool. However expensive & need to be transported as no bulk DIY options exist as far as I know.
This the whole Mars simulation thing is a major point to consider (I don't get the feeling Cody is homeless).
Putting aside the Mars simulation, if it was a homeless, poor but not landless situation:
Straw bale that has been rendered is much more DIY friendly with great insulation values.
Another cheap construction method, not accounting labour, is wood frame, rapped in insulation paper then chicken wire mesh, then rendered. Internaly dry wall and insulation as normal. Cheep and looks like a 'normal' house.
Using mud bricks & old tyres is also great. 'Earthships' or something like that. I believe it all falls under 'sustainable architecture' umbrella. Worth checking out.
Anothet option: Rammed earth? IDK maybe? Can it be DIY? Probably. On Mars? Who knows.
Inflatable structures filled with polyurethane spray foam? Probably more inkeeping with the Mars base thing. Possibly DIY with enough cans of spray foam if you stretch the DIY definition. Probably a reasonable option on Mars, at least until you can dig in.
Edit: Given the understandable abandoning of the rock chainsaw & the redacted energetic compound option the tunnelling/ mining seems to be shelved for now. Here is a video of someone using hand power tools like a a Diamond Core Bit to excavate a liveable space.
https://youtu.be/YC2t-_tsi0U
Yes, straw bale is better than earthships or rammed earth (both have much lower R values). However, aircrete blocks are much lighter and not quite as prone to mold. Actually, treating straw with lime makes it pretty resistant, and many old Scandinavian houses are still standing with straw insulation between wood frames with lime exterior. (That is best in a dry climate).
Part of an experiment would be to test the R value per energy input of strawbale vs aircrete. Aircrete can be made by heating earth materials. Straw takes time to grow, and the right conditions, requiring a large bubble on mars, unless there was an extreme adapted variety. I would bet if optimized, the aircrete could use less total energy because it is mostly air. PolyU foams can't be mad DIY afaik. But maybe there is some natural polymer like latex that could be foamed that is the best solution. The challenge with latex foams is they need to be baked in a large oven. The aircrete basically has the heat stored in it's chemical form. Maybe some combination might outperform both.
I wonder if anyone has tried using carbon fiber as an additive for further strength.
Edit: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248542016_Influence_of_fibrous_additives_on_properties_of_aerated_autoclaved_concrete_forming_mixtures_and_strength_characteristics_of_products
I think the most eco thing Cody could do would be bricks made from the clay he's already digging up for the base. Pretty sure he's also building some kind of kiln with all the fire brick he has. I don't think most of the futuristic materials people are talking about building with are any good or we would already be building with them.
thanks.. take a sec to checkout aircrete. it has some awesome properties.. ive looked at earthbags, but they are heavy and no where near insulative as a foam. youd be forever heating the ground basically. concrete as a foam only uses 1/10th the energy. lastly, I dont know how to say this politely, but thats kind of a status quo argument.. it leads directly to saying: why didnt I think of that.. cheers oh, also, the clay could be made into eco-aircrete, especially if created with a renewable source. many researchers are looking at doing this for regular concrete.
Aircrete has been around for quite awhile. Now an easy cheap DIY method of producing it (especially on Mars) would have great value. Otherwise it is just another interesting concept. For illustration purposes consider Metal Foams & Aerogels. Amazing propertys & extremely cool. However expensive & need to be transported as no bulk DIY options exist as far as I know. This the whole Mars simulation thing is a major point to consider (I don't get the feeling Cody is homeless). Putting aside the Mars simulation, if it was a homeless, poor but not landless situation: Straw bale that has been rendered is much more DIY friendly with great insulation values. Another cheap construction method, not accounting labour, is wood frame, rapped in insulation paper then chicken wire mesh, then rendered. Internaly dry wall and insulation as normal. Cheep and looks like a 'normal' house. Using mud bricks & old tyres is also great. 'Earthships' or something like that. I believe it all falls under 'sustainable architecture' umbrella. Worth checking out. Anothet option: Rammed earth? IDK maybe? Can it be DIY? Probably. On Mars? Who knows. Inflatable structures filled with polyurethane spray foam? Probably more inkeeping with the Mars base thing. Possibly DIY with enough cans of spray foam if you stretch the DIY definition. Probably a reasonable option on Mars, at least until you can dig in. Edit: Given the understandable abandoning of the rock chainsaw & the redacted energetic compound option the tunnelling/ mining seems to be shelved for now. Here is a video of someone using hand power tools like a a Diamond Core Bit to excavate a liveable space. https://youtu.be/YC2t-_tsi0U
Yes, straw bale is better than earthships or rammed earth (both have much lower R values). However, aircrete blocks are much lighter and not quite as prone to mold. Actually, treating straw with lime makes it pretty resistant, and many old Scandinavian houses are still standing with straw insulation between wood frames with lime exterior. (That is best in a dry climate). Part of an experiment would be to test the R value per energy input of strawbale vs aircrete. Aircrete can be made by heating earth materials. Straw takes time to grow, and the right conditions, requiring a large bubble on mars, unless there was an extreme adapted variety. I would bet if optimized, the aircrete could use less total energy because it is mostly air. PolyU foams can't be mad DIY afaik. But maybe there is some natural polymer like latex that could be foamed that is the best solution. The challenge with latex foams is they need to be baked in a large oven. The aircrete basically has the heat stored in it's chemical form. Maybe some combination might outperform both.
I wonder if anyone has tried using carbon fiber as an additive for further strength. Edit: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248542016_Influence_of_fibrous_additives_on_properties_of_aerated_autoclaved_concrete_forming_mixtures_and_strength_characteristics_of_products