Reinforce existing basement wall in Leca
For various reasons, I want to reinforce a basement wall built with 20 cm Leca. It is 6x2.4 and will experience increased ground pressure.
I plan to drill down 6 mm rebar into the slab every 20 cm and cast a base with horizontal reinforcement. It will probably be 4 cm thick and 10 cm high. I plan to plaster the wall and simultaneously embed vertical steel reinforcement every 20 cm. The end of the steel bars will be cast into the base.
Does anyone have an idea of what this provides in terms of strength? The same strength as if I had originally built with 25 cm Leca? It should create some type of sandwich effect with a very "tensile strong" layer on the Leca...
Are there better ways to do this?
For various reasons, I want to reinforce a basement wall built with 20 cm Leca. It is 6x2.4 and will experience increased ground pressure.
I plan to drill down 6 mm rebar into the slab every 20 cm and cast a base with horizontal reinforcement. It will probably be 4 cm thick and 10 cm high. I plan to plaster the wall and simultaneously embed vertical steel reinforcement every 20 cm. The end of the steel bars will be cast into the base.
Does anyone have an idea of what this provides in terms of strength? The same strength as if I had originally built with 25 cm Leca? It should create some type of sandwich effect with a very "tensile strong" layer on the Leca...
Are there better ways to do this?
I am not a designer, but I looked into this a bit in connection with a construction project a few years ago.
It's hardly the case that the entire wall moves, but the ground pressure can lead to cracks in the middle of the wall, so it's important to counteract this.
Reinforcement bars lying flat against the wall probably don't have much effect, they should be mounted in thin slits in the Leca and cast in place. The easiest way to do this is in the horizontal joints. Then you can supplement with vertical embedded ribbed bars. I doubt the plaster is strong enough to hold the reinforcement in place, so cement is probably necessary.
So far my amateurish speculations. There are some good dimensioning tips here.
It's hardly the case that the entire wall moves, but the ground pressure can lead to cracks in the middle of the wall, so it's important to counteract this.
Reinforcement bars lying flat against the wall probably don't have much effect, they should be mounted in thin slits in the Leca and cast in place. The easiest way to do this is in the horizontal joints. Then you can supplement with vertical embedded ribbed bars. I doubt the plaster is strong enough to hold the reinforcement in place, so cement is probably necessary.
So far my amateurish speculations. There are some good dimensioning tips here.
Thanks for the tip,
Of course, it must be better to place the reinforcement in slots perpendicular to the load. I'm also considering using lightweight expanded clay aggregate (LECA in bulk) as filling to reduce the weight of the backfill material. How does it work if I pave and want to drive a car on top? Does anyone know?
Of course, it must be better to place the reinforcement in slots perpendicular to the load. I'm also considering using lightweight expanded clay aggregate (LECA in bulk) as filling to reduce the weight of the backfill material. How does it work if I pave and want to drive a car on top? Does anyone know?