Abstract:
Earthquakes negatively affect many low-cost houses of low-income people due to poor material choice and construction techniques, especially in non-formal settlements and housing development. In the remote village areas of high mountains such as the Himalayas and the Andes the introduction of cement and steel reinforcement bars for reinforced concrete constructions is very costly and often not affordable for the local villagers. Galvanised Wire Reinforcement (GWR) is an earthquake reinforcement for thick, nonengineered dressed and semi-dressed stone walls, adobe, soil block and rammed earth building constructions. In remote mountain areas masonry with cement mortar is only marginally done due to the high cost of cement, sand and aggregates. The 2.3 mm and cross-welded or knotted GWR provides lengthwise and crosswise reinforcement within the wall thickness and vertically along the borders of all openings such as doors windows and wall endings. The special advantage of the Hot Dip Galvanised Wire is that it does not require a high concentration of cement in the concrete or cement mortar to prevent corrosion of the wires. Villagers can apply the reinforcement throughout the wall construction applying only low-cement mixtures, thus keeping the construction cost low. L-shaped and U-shaped cement blocks provide hollow space for the vertical reinforcement consisting of folded up GWR strips, facilitating construction and providing an aesthetic architectural design. The cement blocks can be cast on site with a simple operated mould and hand compacting, also allowing low cost production techniques. The GWR strips or ladders can equally be used in adobe wall constructions either made with blocks or rammed earth. In addition it is an adequate reinforcement for solid cement block walls. Practically speaking the GWR strips can be applied in every alternating course or stone or block masonry, thus creating adequate stress reinforcement throughout the wall structure and having contact with all stones or blocks.
