10 ft aircrete dome with captions 

Hi, I am going on a trip for a couple of months but you should email me about your project if you want to bounce ideas, my email is juanconhambre@hotmail.com

me too, I wasnt going to use triangles but hexagons, making wood moulds with sloping sides to make it lean in naturally, and have rebates on the sides so they hold together better. also about 30 or 40 feet wide so I can live in it

I was thinking The same thing. I wanted to make smaller components (increased frewuency) in order to make windows easier.

@@palipali4264 you don't need to worry about windows and doors, you just saw out the required size hole later and build flanges to enable regular shaped windows and doors to be fitted, for example look at dormer windows on sloped roofs, the door can be inset a little bit, or have a jutting out bit like on an igloo

@@utubeape Right!! Because it is aircrete and not concrete!!! Wow. I was thinking concrete blocks; but this seems much easier than that!

Hi Gary, yes, dowels will be a part of my next project, better curing time was an expensive learning curve but now that I now it so that is good. I know also to make a starting circle to follow the first row layout. The mortar does add errors that compound so I am trying to figure out a way to bind the triangles together without it, I will look the Dayton Superior coil inserts for sure, they might be what I am looking for, as long as the price isnt prohibitively expensive and also they have to be accesible to any DIY person. I dont use steel for the molds because I want this final product (once I achive my vision) to be able to be done by anyone without having to have specialized tools or any knowledge about building. It is a long way from being done but I am thankfull for everybody that has commented and added some ideas, even if I dont use them they all make me think and add something to this collective project. Thanks for watching

juanconhambre great first attempt. It’s a bit rough but that’s how we learn and get better. I wondered if you have included the thickness of the mortar in your calculations? I agree it would be better to build without mortar and just use flush joints if you can. Some kind of notch / peg system (like Lego) might be helpful to hold the bricks together whilst assembling. Would you use some glue or weatherproof sealant between the joints?

@@pauldean9671 No I did not calculate the mortar I was hoping it would be so minimal that it wouldnt affect the overall assembly I think it did although it might have not been the biggest factor on my errors. Would try to go without it next time with the hopes of building the whole dome in one day so there are not risks of it falling over middway if the weather changes. Still trying to figure out how to dry fit it so it works on an easy way that can be cast on the molds and wont break while fitting them. I am going to use Dome Gaia recomendation and cover the whole dome with a roofing fabric and waterproofing concrete to seal all the joints and also to bind the whole dome together. Thanks for watching

Gary u r a good willing guy 👍

@@juanconhambre Not a bad result considering ;) I would cast some holes in slotted recesses (maybe 4" long x 1.5" wide x 3" deep) at right angles to the edge of the triangles. If you leave a couple of inches of concrete between the end of the recessed slot and the outside of the triangle it should be sturdy enough to allow you to bolt the panels together. I`d recommend using a much thicker, solid timber for the panel molds to ensure they are as accurate as possible. A flat base 3v 5/9 needs 4 types of triangle, i think i would just make an extra triangle mold vs messing around with the base timbers ;)

"geodesic domes work thru compression AND tension. Brick and mortar structures can only do compression - so I don’t know if a geodesic structure is appropriate for masonry". Exactly. The mortar will not take the tensile stresses, unless you make external buttresses, or add traction elements as rings in the 1st third of the height, or excessively increase the thickness of the pieces thus, global buckling will cause the structure to collapse.

Sorry to be offtopic but does anyone know of a way to log back into an instagram account..? I was stupid forgot the login password. I appreciate any help you can offer me!

@Cody Kameron instablaster ;)

@Mateo Cyrus thanks so much for your reply. I got to the site through google and I'm trying it out now. Seems to take quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.

@Mateo Cyrus it worked and I now got access to my account again. I am so happy! Thanks so much you really help me out :D

You must have done a higher frequency dome, a 3V dome which is the one I built only requires 2 size triangles, and the angles change based on the face and size of triangles. What did you use for construction material? Thanks for watching

Nit easy to work in the wintertime concrete must be kept warm and moist , utill first cure in one week and final in about 1 month. Put a tarp and hay over with a set of lights inside to warm. Don't forget rebar 1 foot apart, two directions 90 degrees.

Obrigado Joao, eu sou de Uruguai mais no falo muito portugues. I hope it does help you if you make any improvements let me know. Thanks for watching

Hola Joan, espanol si puedo hablar jijijiji. Este domo es solo de prueba probablemente no lo vaya a usar para mucho porque no es muy grande y tampoco quedo muy prolijo pero lo voy a dejar para investigar como lo afecta el movimiento de la tierra a ver si se rompe o se termina cayendo con los anos. la idea eventualmente es hacer uno el doble de grande para poder vivir en el pero para eso falta bastante investigacion todavia

thanks for watching

Thanks for watching, I dont think I overcame all of them but I sure will keep on trying :)

Thanks David, I do believe that as well, the more I mess with it the easier it gets. have you work or design any interlocking system that I could use for the moulds, that would reduce the errors on the shape for sure.... I am thinking either that or some dowel system havent decided yet

Thanks for the comments, after 2 winters of me finishing it, it still is holding "together" even with a considerable snow load so that is promising. I am glad to hear it has been informative to you. Thanks for watching

@@juanconhambre You are very welcome. One day I'll make a dome of my own as well. One of the RU-vidrs I've been watching the last couple of years is HoneyDoCarpenter he does a LOT of aircrete builds on his channel and you might find some useful ideas there, if you haven't seen his stuff already.

@@MrChris20912 I have watched a few of his videos, another one to watch is aircrete harry if you are interested in domes and aircrete.

I have seen the hinged system in use before and it is a great system, but my goal is to take all that extra work away by building the perfect bricks, like I said in the video I am working on a tool to make sure the angles are set to the right degrees on the moulds, if I can do that then the angles of the bricks will keep everything equidistant to the center, and if you build a knee wall (which I plan to do) you dont have to be messing with extra poles to work the hinges at the right height. I am not saying that using that system wouldnt help, in hindsight it would have been a good idea on this first dome to avoid a lot of mistakes before placing bricks, but again my main goal is to make it super simple to build a dome that is insulated for anybody regardless of their background. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, it is nice to get input for sure

@@juanconhambre I rather expect you'll find you need to use something like that even with well made bricks: there's just enough inaccuracy you can get from how they're mortared together that over time (several bricks high), you'll be out enough as you were here, creating a gap... The good news is that even a string from a center point can give you accuracy, so it doesn't have to be complex. Here in Florida, we have a dome home builder (AI Dome Homes) which puts up an internal support frame first, then lays in each premade section, similar to your method. Something like that would let you lay up all the blocks to a predefined shape guaranteeing symmetry. Since the Air Crete blocks are so light, an inexpensive support frame like that could easily be made to support their weight, and disassembled from the inside afterwards. Lastly, I know that Domegaia uses a form to pour their window openings, so wondering when someone will just build a reusable form for an entire reasonably sized dome, that way you just pour a foot of height into it each day so that it can set up before the next pour, and in a few days you'd have a perfectly shaped, "continuous" pour (no noticeable seams) dome. How do you plan to seal it, something like liquid glass???

@@brianmi40 , I thought about building a frame but that again makes more work that I want, like you said a string from a center point can verify my accuracy easy enough. And what you said about Domegaia mould was pursued by Aircreteharry, dont know if he ever got around building anydome but he bought the forms and was trying to do it that way, my problem with that is that it would only be viable to build many domes not for a person that wants to get one dome build and you will also be stuck to one size. My hopes is that with accurate moulds and a still to be developed system of dowels anybody should be able to build an aircrete dome. To seal it my plan is to use domegaias approach and cover the exterior with some fabric soaked in concrete with an latex bonding agent, the fabric would keep the structure togheter and at the same time can make the dome waterproof, they are using a roofing fabric that is waterproof already and using additives in their concrete to also make it waterproof.

Wow how many have you built

Thanks for watching, I will use a compass for placement next time :)

Thanks for watching, i dont know if I would impress Bucky but hopefully he would be happy his domes are still going...

Thank you for watching

It is mostly attitude LOL, thanks for watching

those were my thoughts exactly, thanks for watching and hopefully it helps you

Hope this helps, I would love to see yours when you are done :). Thanks for watching

Hi James, I have the same idea just testing the aircrete idea to combine the polystyrene and concrete in one step basically. How did you join the triangles with treaded rods? did you put nuts in them or how. I would love to see some pictures of your dome is you have them. Reach out to me at juanconhambre@hotmail.com. Thanks for watching

thanks for watching

Will do, thanks

thanks for the encouragment. and thanks for watching

I dont know think aircrete will do more than 6 inches high without collapsing the bubbles to much. I saw someone doing a slip form construction dome but the was working with normal concrete, also there was aircrete harry doing a monolithic pour idea which is close to a slip form but wihouth the slip part :). I think rebar is going to help for sure but I am trying to incorportate it to the dome to work like dowels, the good thing of domes is that the geometry keeps them stable and doesnt need inside supports once is fully build, Also the rebar could be added on the shell covering to prevent it from cracking. Thanks for the ideas it is always nice to hear other ideas

Thanks :)

I sure hope so, my biogas system still isnt running but it is just a matter of time. I will post updates as things happen

Ha ha ha, I should have try to do a domino effect with them, Thanks for watching

Ideally I dont want to be cutting the bricks, but it is a good thing that they can be, the people at Dome Gaia do it that way, they make square bricks and using a pole system they shave the blocks to fit in place as they go up they adapt the angles. My plan is to avoid that step to save on man power and time to build. The data main idea of using airecrete for the domes comes from them, but since they usually build in warmer climates their aproach is different. I know the domes to good for hot climates and to be strong structures against strong winds and even earthquakes, but people are stubborn and when you talk about living in a Dome only a selected few think is a good idea.... lets see if after many years with enough data a few more join the group

That is the reason I posted this video, I have learned lots from other ppl taking their time to share their knowledge so I thought the least I could do was to share my experience. thanks for watching

@@juanconhambre I think this is what globalisation should be about ;-) FREE flow of information and knowledge!!! Thanks again from Sweden ;-)

thanks for watching

thanks for watching

If you do I would like to see a video of your experience. Thanks for watching

We are a Chinese manufacturer and have our own factory. If you are interested, you can add my whatsapp, 008615336457919 or send tha message to my email: Lisa@abcn.group, I will send you detailed pictures and video introduction

I have seen some of his videos yes, thank you for the tip and thanks for watching

I have a first design yes, just waiting on my friend to have a look and see if they print. I made it in Tinkercad because when I build them in Scketch up I couldnt save them in the right format. Also Tinkercas is a lot easier to use for basic stuff. I am hoping a couple of weeks before I can have the printed pieces. I will post on youtube when I get them to see how they fit on my moulds

I agree, I would have the top part covered with a sheet of twin walled polycarbonate to let light in and reduce weight, or even make a curved lens by pouring clear expoxy on a sheet stretched over a big wood frame

You are correct on your estatement but I did build the small bases to compensate the fact that a 3V dome is not flat at the bottom, the 4V dome is flat but it requires more triangles to be build so it is a win some lose some kind of situation. I am still convinced that my problem with my gap was created by my molds not being super accurate, I am working on some corner pieces to be 3D printed to have better angles but I cant seem to find the time to get that done. If you do try to build a 4V dome I would love to see your progress and experience if you want to share it. Thanks for watching

thanks for watching

Gracias, si en el sur seria mas facil pero siempre es mas facil en el sur jajajajja. Gracias por el comentario

thanks :)

juanconhambre you’re welcome

thanks that means a lot to me. Thanks for watching

And when I get a chance I'm going to check out more of your content, I'm very interested in aircrete but don't have a clue how to make it! Thanks again

The idea of making the triangles mold corner is that I can scale it up or down for different size domes, I will probably have to design some groove system to place them together and make the aligment easy, making the whole hexagon to put the tirangle inside will give me cold spots in the dome that I am trying to prevent by having 100 % aircrete on the walls. Thanks for watching

Yes, that is the idea. Stucco inside and outside to reinforce it, my biggest concern about the bricks not being aligned is that it makes it harder to work while you build as you have to cut an shave the bricks and also that it makes it more prone to have leaks over time, so the closer I get to 0 gaps the better. Thanks for watching

Thanks

I am still waiting on the 3D printer tools to check my angles, my guess is that some of the molds were a bit more off than others and when they were adjacent to each other the errors compounded to make bigger gaps, also as the row grew higher it was harder to keep them aligned while the mortar set, still thinking on working with dowels or some straps to support the bricks while the mortar sets. Thanks for watching

I might do that for my next one, thanks for watching

I have Paul's GD16 and made all the triangles from wood just how he shows it. I am thinking that I can now cast aircrete in each one. I am not sure of the weight so I may divide them again to get a smaller cast. and use dowels to aline each one. I am still thinking. I want to end up with the southside for Polycarbonate, this will finish out as a greenhouse.

The pallet base is needed in the north as we build on permafrost, usually ppl build it with square timber but I was trying to save money because the whole project was costing me to much already ha ha ha. I did use square timber for the base just the top is made out of pallets. I do realize that a uneven platform could have affected the dome but that is part of my learning curve I guess. I am still working on my 3D printer corner pieces I think that will give me better bricks and then I will use a better platform. Thanks for watching

can you give a link please to more information

There are several calculators online, I really like zipties.com website, easy to use and pretty much all the info you could think you need is there. Thanks for watching and know that I havent stopped working on this I dont have much to report at the moment but I am hoping I will have more videos coming next year

I have not tested anything on the R value of the aircrete, I would say the best channels I found where Honey Do Carpenter and Aircrete Harry, not very scientific but they did run some tests on aircrete. I didnt do much since my dome wasnt airtight enough to see the Aircrete was good insulation. I just found another guy that has been doing some aircrete videos, his name is "the happy heresiarch" I watch a couple of his video and he seems worth checking out if you are starting. If you have any specific questions on aircrete shoot them my way I will help you as much as I can for sure, you can reach me at juanconhambre@hotmail.com

Aircrete does not behave like concrete so that would not work. And I would not get the insulation that I want to get from this project. There are ppl doing what you propose already and it is a viable idea, just not a arctic shelter LOL. Thanks for watching

Yes, I was looking at the same thing. I want to create a 3V 5/8 Rhombicuboctahedron Dome. That would give squares for windows without sacrificing stability. It also reduces the number of triangles and the strut lengths. www.simplydifferently.org has all the calculators.

@@palipali4264 I dont think 3V 5/8 Rhombicuboctahedron will be less triangles and strut lenghts, I was looking at the calculator you posted the link for and it seem that is has a lot more variable strut lenghts and a lot more triangle sizes. My hope is once I have a decent construction method with no gaps I am going to follow Domegaia's path and use arches for the windows, that wont sacrifice the overall integrity and give me lots of light, I know using square windows would make it easiery but a couple custom built windows I think will end up being cheaper that a more complicated process of building. If you do make your dome please at least send me some pictures I would love to see it. thanks for watching

I like the OHM shaped metal strap for temporary support thanks for that idea. I dont know about mixing fibre glass into the aircrete, lots of things react negatively with the aircrete structure so I think I will learn to be patient and let the bricks cure for longer before handling them like I did on this one. Eventually I will go bigger but I want to work the issues first because materials up north are very expensive. I am paying CA$35 for 20 kg of portland cement when the rest of canada pays CA$9. I dont complain but I have to be carefully with my builds or I will go broke :)

@@juanconhambre The fibre glass fibre will not react with the cement, I am experimenting with Polypropylene fibres, these are sold specifically as concrete add mixture reinforcement. I think it also a good idea to let the concrete cure for longer, wrap each block in something such as landscape fabric will be good for holding moisture in but not airtight, it will be economical too. when I make my moulds I will incorporate a rebate edge so that the block edges nest together more accurately, I also plan to drill holes and use Basalt Fibre Rebar rods to hold them together like dowel in furniture, it's not good enough to rely on mortar only because it can crack

Love the positive thinking, thanks for watching

Thanks, the weight I dont know for sure but out of 70 pounds of water and concrete I got 2 of the larger trianlges and 2 1/2 of the smaller ones, that before curing so I would say under 30 pounds each for this size. I did not see any side shrinkage after curing as I left the cure in the molds and I saw that they were a tight fit previous to dismounting them. I think the molds might be a bit off and my floor isnt perfectly even either those problems 2 combined are probably the main cause of the gaps. Dowels for sure for the next one. No windows for 2 reasons, didnt want to deal with placing window holes and also my ultimate goal is to have an aeroponic garden there and I want to control the lights inside so no windows no problems with natural ligh messing my cycles of growth. Here we have 24 hours daylight in summer and no daylight in the winter so I want to control that. Also no windows less likely to loose heat on cheap windows because I dont think I would have use triple pane windows on this build LOL. Thanks for watching

I have not heated it but I do hope it does stay warm

Calculatin the angles and lenghts of struts isnt the problem, building a proper mold is (at least for me it is), I use ziptiedome calculator but they all have the same formulas imbibed, they all come from Buckminster Fuller. The flat dome can be done by doing longer base triangles or just by building the small bases I did, for my next project I am building those out of aircrete. If you havent checked Domegaia.com you should, they are the ones that got me started with domes and aircrete, they have lots of information on both dome building and aircrete. Thanks for watching. If you do build a dome I would love to see it if you want to share it

I buit the dome because I wanted to see how my idea worked in real life, so I guess it is sort of proof of concept, I do plan to use it as a aeroponic greenhouse garden due to its small size to live on it, but if things work well with the tools I hope to build a bigger one and maybe live in it. If anything it has been fun to build so that alone is enough for me. Thanks for watching

if I understand your questions the coefficiency of expansion will be determined by the size of the dome, there are many calculators online to figure out the lenght of the struts that are the lenght of the sides of each triangle. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching.

@@juanconhambre Thanks for sharing

thanks I am trying to share my progress but it is very slow, I will add the flooring and a cover this summer and see how it performs, prototype number 2 might take a while but I hope to try it for sure within a year or so. what do you mean by a "T" shaped aligment clip I didnt understand that part on your comment and it sounds promising. thanks for watching

@@juanconhambre Listening to your comment regarding some brick key or alignment pin I pictured a metal lath type material strip bent in a T shaped loop. It might be inserted between wet mortar joints while setting to aide inside surface and shape alignment. Might even integrate into a dome center radius scribe rod and help set inner surface distance to center, dome support and reinforcement. Such a device might need it's own Prototype. Your work is still the bar. 1. Cheap 2. Available materials 3. Unit integrity 4. DIY

@@richarddarcy6945 yes I have been thinking on how to integrate something like that for a while but I can decide on how to do it. If you have any further ideas dont hesitate to contact me at juanconhambre@hotmail.com I am always open to suggestions specially if you understand my main goals to achive the end result.

Using the triacondahedron for the bricks would work but I would have to re do the math and also the rhombic bricks would get to big to fast for even 2 people to handle. I am not saying it isnt a good idea just that I considered before I set my eyes on the 3V model as the most efficient and I think most of the dome homes are 3V for the same reasons. Building a 1" od bolted pipe frame skeleton has crossed my mind but it does come pricey for me up north. That is why I am still trying to find an cheap alternative for the frame inside. Thanks for watching

@@juanconhambre : There 60+ & 60- similar triangles in the Class II 2F triacon sphere. cactusbush.files.wordpress.com/2018/12/wclassesg.jpg Use of a galv.pipe skeleton allows for easy assembly and force distribution throughout.

There is, I used Sketchup, it is a free cad software and I hear Fusion 360 is even better. They have a steep learning curve but are very powerful softwares that allow you to do the math and show you the finish product. My struggle is to bring the very precise meassurements from the software to reality with my lack of technical skills

I built some custom triangular molds to make the bricks, the compounded angles I calculated by building the bricks on sketch up and measuring from there the angles needed. I did not get my molds accurate enough so i am looking at alternative ideas as I think it will be hard to achieve the angles using a simple mitre saw, to much deflection of the blade that then compounds through all the bricks and makes it really hard for the last triangles.

@@juanconhambre OK thanks for the info. It's hard 😊

@@alarikgreenland you are welcome, hopefully it helps

Hi Matthew, last year the dome was exposed all winter and held the snow load no problems, the aircrete was cured for a few months inside or at above freezing temperature before the winter so there wasnt much water inside, I have not done any real test to see if the integrity of it is lessen but I can tell you that this summer I walked around the dome and didnt notice any cracks or stress failures due to freeze thaw cycle. I did cover the whole dome with burlap soaked in cement to bind the bricks togehter and I plan to paint it with some acrylic paint to make it a more water proof. I probably added about 500 pounds of cement and burlap to the whole dome and it feels really strong, again I dont have any real evidence to support this statement other than it looks good to me. I build this to see who the canadian winter affects the bricks, this is the second winter and it seems to be just fine. I had hopes to heat up the dome with biogas but that has been delayed as my biogas system failed due to the Ph being to low but that is another story. to sum it up, I think aircrete has no problem with the freeze thaw cycle and I hope I can try the thermal ability of it this winter as I want to see how expensive or cheap is to heat up a dome build entirely of aircrete. Have you done anything with aircrete yet??

@@juanconhambre Very encouraging, thanks for the reply! I have not done anything with aircrete yet, just started learning about the stuff. Look forward to watching any video updates you may have on your project. Very cool! Thanks again!

@@mcollin18 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xEmTYFE7KFc.html that is the link for my update from this summer. I am not a youtuber so my videos come far apart but I will keep on posting on my progress and learning on the matter, if you have any questions or comments feel free to reach out to juanconhambre@hotmail.com. Thanks for watching

hybridamerica, what is a frame-work? I dont understand what you mean. Is this to fill the gaps I have or to build the whole dome?

@@juanconhambre - Build the entire dome out of framing material - tack on backing and temporary covers for the outside. Have fill-holes for the front covers to pour through. Once the concrete dries, you can retain the front and back covers for future builds. Record the dimensions of the framework so it can also be repeated so you can use the same backings and outside covers as well. Remove the mould-covers (both inside and out) and store them. Label each cover respective to it's placement (1,2,3,4,5...) Also label the framing pieces and though you are not going to remove them when the concrete cures, you will need to know their placement and cut-value for future builds using the exact same patterns and dimensions, so 1a would be, say - the triangular section just above the entry doorway... noting that, you would correspond the inside and outside section panels that will fit that exact area perfectly - i.e., 1,2,3IP (Inside panel) and 1,2,3OP (Outside panel)... the number "1" on the outside panel, for example - would correspond with the #1 on the outside frame. Then #2 nd #3, creating the triangle. By doing this, you can adjust the framing much easier than pre-poured blocks, should they not fit properly. This will give you an ultimate working framework that is repeatable. And should you NOT want wood framing for some reason, you could use some of the newer decking materials they have that are poly-bonded plastic/wood composites. In addition, with panel moulds that are going to be later removed after the concrete cures, you have the option of investing textures into the surface of the concrete - you can create artistic patterns or reliefs. I would use a 2x6 cedar or pressure-treated framing - which will be permanent. Seal the outside with a micro-polymer sealer like OKON or Sparks Concrete Sealer. When you build the framing, build into it locking-keys to stabilize the concrete. This can be rebar or wire mesh - or simple furring strips tacked onto the centers of the framing boards - so long as you have some obstacle to keep the cured concrete panels from slipping out of their framing sections. The benefit of this is that the concrete will contour precisely to the framework. There will be no seams to fill or gaps to adjust and best of all, no sawing of concrete! Also, before pouring into your frame pockets, you can run wire through the framing for electrical or pipe for plumbing - you can even build a few forms for sky-lights made from the same 2x6 framing, only cover the frame sections there with plexiglass, sealed with lexel and secured with 1-1/4 (pre-drilled) neoprene roofing screws.

@@hybridamerica thanks for the very detailed explanation. Now I can say I understand what you mean LOL. I am not saying your idea wouldnt work, but it will not be what I want to achive. Your idea would be almost like building a monolithic dome (if you havent seen them you should check www.monolithicdome.com I think that is their website), also there is one guy AircreHarry that is trying to do a monolithic aircrete dome, he even bought the air forms. You see what I hope to achive and I might never get to but I will try for a while longer, is to make a very simple mold system that can be build by anybody, wihouth having to spend a lot of money, having any building experience, having access to many tools and most of all I want my system to be able to produce different size domes without much work. Yes I might be trying something impossible but if I ever get there it will be nice to say I did it. Your idea will for sure make a easier to build dome and it will be structurally solid and it doesn need much experience or many tools. but can not be change in size afterwards without building a whole new framework, and still will require serious amounts of calculations and cutting, not to mention storage for all the panels after the build and for me in particular would be a very expensive build. Here Plywood or melamine sheets of 4'x8' cost CA$70 for the 3/4" and CA$100 for the 7/8". So that frame would cost me a fortune to build and that doesnt even include the cost of the concrete which would be around the CA$4000 for a 20' dome according to my calcuations. But I would love to see someone build a dome with your idea and see how much material was needed. Thanks for sharing

that exactly what I am thinking to do!

After I built it I bought some Helix rebar but I have not experimented with it, I am not sure if it will help because the micro rebar might break to many bubbles making the aircrete less insulating and heavier. I have seen some people using basalt fibers to make aircrete stronger. I personally think my cracked bricks are due to my poor aircrete skills, I did notice towards the end of my brick making I was getting stronger and more consistent bricks, the key was to not rush the unmoulding to make sure it had time to cure with enough mositure, I could have also unmoulded them and water them but because I was working inside on a shop I didnt want to deal with the mess so longer curing time was the answer for me. When I do some helix rebar experimetnation I will post a video about it Thanks for watching

I have been thinking about that lately I need to have a imprinted chanel for rebar which will help me build the dome and then add the waterproofing layer after. thanks for watching

No additives, just portland cement and water with foam. I played with some additives but didnt really improved the aircrete. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching

Hi James, I dont know if there is an oficial open source project, I have made my information available but I am run out of money and time to further pursue more on this, I am trying to save some more money to continue but it is a tricky to do it all by myself. That is why I posted all my findings in the hopes someone else can also take on this project and improve uppon it. So far I have had a few really good ideas come out of comments, I am hoping to put some of those into play next time I have time and money to build another dome :) thanks for watching

@@juanconhambre I love your idea presented in this video. how can I help? what is the next thing that you are wanting to experiment with? Maybe I can help, or maybe the next person can. Do you have a website?

@@jameshouse2909 I dont have a website or even a forum, my next step is to work out a better way to make the molds so they produce more stable geometry. The best idea from my point of view is some sort of locking mechanism to make sure the triangles align, I was leaning towards dowels but recently somebody recommended a tongue and groove system, from that I though maybe a 2" x 4" going across in sides of the triangles with some on top and some on the bottom, the tricky part is to come up with an array that works. At this point I cant remember if I stated in the video by my end goal is to make a dome with aircrete where anybody can do it with very basic tools and knowledge on building. there will be a trial and error for the aircrete but the tools have to be your every day tools you can get anywhere. So no fancy and costly machines are to be used. What is your expertise or background, what do you think you can contribute on this project? I believe in the wisdom of crowds so I honestly believe that everybdy has something to add to this project. Thanks for offering to help Juan

@@juanconhambre a groove system does sound a good idea if it works. Have you thought about CNC moulds? I have CAD skill in solidworks and the new kid on the block Onshape (check this out for a free online cad software. it’s great) I do a bit of 3D printing in my spare time also, so no stranger to creating models. I also know the basics of getting projects onto GitHub. Traditional used only for code but people are putting all sorts of project files on there now days for people to collaborate and fork if they want, and it’s free. I also have the passion to make a system that anybody, no matter what their skill level, could buy a couple of moulds, some concrete and an aircrete machine and be able to build one of these domes. Because that is what I want! That is why I was so pleased to see someone doing it. But I don’t have a good understanding of the geometry of these domes. That I still struggle with. Do you have any suggestions where I can read up? Have you seen what the geoship team is doing? They are doing some amazing work. You should check them out if you are not already aware of them. James

@@jameshouse2909 Good morning, thanks for sharing that with me. I also have dabbled with CAD software, I did build my first dome on sketch up but it was a bit hard to learn and it then become burdensome due to my lack of skills with it so I stopped using it. I have a friend that is going to show me how to use FREE CAD to learn that software I am pretty sure once I understand better a CAD software I can migrate that knowledge to another one if needed. I have done a lot of 3D printing and I got a friend to design a corner for the molds, they take about 70 hours each to print as I have to use really high infill to make them durable but ideally they could be re designed to be more printer friendly, this was my first attempt and I didnt have as much 3D printing experience then. I dont really understand GitHub but I have heard about it for a while so it would be nice if you can summ it up to explain you did mention that is used for code and sharing files but I dont really understand it. If you want reach out to me at juanconhmabre@hotmail.com and I can send you a really good book I found about domes, it was written in the 70's on the dome home golden era but the math and geometry is all there and is the best source I have found for domes and how to build them with many shapes and materials. We can be in touch over email if you are interested in helping me expand on this idea.... Thanks

But the faces are scratched anyway so maybe that makes no sense.

@@AndrewHelgeCox I dont know what GFRC stands for I imagine a type of release agent, I dont think the chipping happen due to the bricks sticking to the mold, most of the breakage happen due to my inexperience and rushing the dismoulding. Another issue was the moulds not being perfectly built which then compounded the errors at the top. If GFRC stands for something else, please clarify so I can learn more about it of course. thanks for watching

juanconhambre GFRC is Glass Fibre Reinforced Concrete, a technology which allows thin form like interior furniture to be created out of concrete. There are lots of videos on using it to make kitchen countertops on here but that is just the start. I guess I was thinking of a solid concrete face then a layer of GFRC and then aircrete to fill the centres of the forms. But that is just an idea. Maybe one day I will try it. Thanks for answering me and I look forward to,your future videos.

Thanks, glad to hear that

Thank you ;) and thanks for watching

I have seen some of his videos yes, not following him so not sure if I saw everything, I saw his precast steel frame idea. I migh have another look at his channel in case he has posted something new about it. Thanks for watching

Thanks for watching this one too

thanks for watching

Building the dome with Plywood to spray the aircrete on, would be a lot of work and quiet expensive up north, I am paying CA$80 for 1 sheet of 3/4" plywood and I would need a few of those, also Spraying Aircrete doesnt work like concrete, I have tought about doing something like you said but doing concrete with rebar and then laying my bricks on top of that shell, but that is almost like doing a airform dome and that is not what I am trying to do, I would like by the end of this to have a product that anybody can recreate so I can have a business building domes but also anybody else can have access to cheap and reliable housing. Thanks for watching and for your comments

I expect to put rebar inside and outside, just couldnt finish the dome in time before the cold weather got here, this summer's project is to reinforce the structure, I am happy to say it hold the snow load this winter so that was good. There are not earthquakes here so I should be good, also the weather is mostly cold not much extreme wind here either. But just in case there will be some reinforcement done. Thanks for watching

I did not reinforce the aircrete, the cool thing about domes is that because of its shape the bricks are both in tension and compresion so they are not having the same forces applied as a normal square house, I will reinforce it as per dome gaia recommendations with some fabric and concrete to bond all the triangles together, I will post another video on that when I finish that. I have no heard about aircrete larry, but I will check him out. if you meant aircrete harry then I have followed him for a while but I dont think I need to add reinforcement for the bricks if I just build domes and bind them together with fabric like i mentioned. thanks for watching

I'd been thinking along those lines too Tom. They would need some extra weather protection though. I guess you could paint it afterwards.

I dont think the foam alone would be strong enough to withstand snow and wind. Also cutting the compounded angles on the foam would be tricky. I guess if you figure out a way to cut the tirangles out of foam you can build the dome and then do it like a monolithic dome. The limitation I see is that once you go for big domes the triangles wont fit on the foam sheets, and you would have to cut them in pieces making it a bit more complicated. Also coast wise I think they are about the same as foam isnt cheap and aircrete is fairly inexpensive. Thanks for watching

@@juanconhambre Juan thks for the reply but I was thinking spraying close-cell foam into your triangle molds. Close-cell might be just as strong as aircrete. For example; How strong is closed cell spray foam insulation ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3rGgZwscApQ.html Pls let me know whhat you think because I might give it a try. BTW this summer I'll make a geodesic dome but will only use flat hexagons & pentagons. I thinks bumping'm out with triangles is just too much trouble.

They dont build geodesic domes :), they use snow knifes to carve the blocks to fit the previous one, it is really cool and easy if you know what you are doing. I think they had it right on the shape as dome shape homes are more eficient to be built and to heat up. thanks for watching

This should work anywhere, in the world, but you can also visit domegaia they have a similar build that requires less precision on the built of the molds and allows you to have a great aircrete dome too :) Thanks for watching

I have started the process of making corner pieces for my molds for accuracy, but my CAD design capabilities are limited, it will be a work in progress for a while but it is I believe the best option. Thanks for watching

Not yet, I have no access to a 3d printer and the ppl that are helping me with that are busy, I will post a video of the tool when it is ready. I dont have a timeline for it but it should be done in a couple of months or less.

I have thought about that but I havent been able to come up with an idea that incorporates the tongue and groove into the molds where they are not fragile and break when dismounting. Any thoughts on that? My closest approach was to do a top and bottom registry like a french cleat system, but I couldnt really make it work for the corners. Thanks for watching.

What about index notches on the edges of the blocks or key notches and protrusions something like a sawtooth edge but with larger squared off teeth. You would only need 1 or 2 teeth per side. You could also lap mound the edges of the blocks so they interlock instead of just relying on the weight and taper to hold them in place.

That was lap joint, the autocorrect keeps making mistakes for me.

@@cliveapps7105 That might work I would just have to play with the location of the teeth so they line up through the dome, I imagine it shouldnt be to hard to come up with a configuration that works. I like the sawtooth idea, 1 or 2 should work and I can make them with 2" x 6" screw to the sides of the mold, that should be easy enough to dismount from the mold and would be shallow enough to not be to fragile.

The other thing I thought of is to buy a cheap dome frame with plastic or tarp wrap kit and use it for the mould frame. Coat it in some sort of release agent like animal fat or wax and pour the air create on top in layers slowly building up to the desired thickness. When you are done remove the dome frame kit and use it to make another dome. Should be able to use the frame quite a number of times until it is too rough to reuse. Cheap 20ft frames are around $3k, if you can use it 30 times before it gets to trashed to reuse that is only 100$ per dome and would save a lot of time. If you are careful with the frame you could probably get 100 uses out of it before you needed to replace it. That would be 30$ per dome and would save about 3/4 of the building time.

The plywood and pallets is because we cant build on the ground in the north it shifts to much, I know it isnt the best materials but since it was a prototype I didnt want to spend the cash to build a better foundation. Eventually I will build one for housing and I will build it on a better platform. Living up north is a bit more expensive and adds other challenges but it is also a great place to try this things. Thanks for watching

@@juanconhambre Those WalMart pallets are pretty tough and since they will be protected under the dome, should last a decent amount of time.

@@micheleoswald9194 that is what I hope, I have seen those last over 10 years if they are covered so fingers crossed I will have a foundation for a while...

The flimsy pallets like I have explain in many comments before, is because the price of wood is really expensive where I live and I could not afford to build the whole project if I built traditional wood structure. Also the flimsy pallets you talk about are all hard wood pallets, way better than pine if you ask me. I build a solid foundation of 2" x 12" under the pallets, the pallets are there for me to walk not so much to support the weight of the dome, that is done by the joists underneath. The foundation has lasted 3 full winter with a full snow load and is not even tilted 1 inch despite the many thawing and freezing cycles. Next time if you dont have anything positive to contribute you should save everybody some time and keep it to yourself. I dont mind the questions on why I used pallets I do mind the way you ask it. Thanks for watching and remember that there are people that at least try to add to the world more than just negativity :)

I never weighted them specifically but they weight around 20 to 30 kilos or 40 to 60 pounds I would guess I was able to move them around by myself. it is more about the awkward size, obviously as you make a bigger dome the size will increase therefore the size will increase but my guess is to make a 25 foot dome 2 people should be able to still handle each block. thanks for watching

Hi, have you tried the aircrete?? you can reach out to me at juanconhambre@hotmail.com if you want to ask questions I dont know much but if I can help you or point you on the right direction I would love to.

There would be 3 triangles if you are doing the flat base with the triangles, I got away with only having 2 sizes because I had the wooden platforms. In hindsight I would build some forms for the base with the built in angle for future domes. I am quiet confident that my problem are from compounded error on the molds and not having a super flat and even platform as base (using pallets was cheap but not great). I did double check on the triangles just in case :), thanks for watching.