Here is the second iteration of the concrete brick mold. For construction purposes we decided to design the mold as four separate pieces in order to successfully reuse it multiple times. The two larger halves basically make up version 1.0, minus the end notch. The two smaller pieces make up the remainder end notch, and the center subtraction of the brick. The negative opening in the center of the concrete brick serves two reasons. First we designed it to lessen the weight of each individual brick as they are placed in formation. Second to add vertical structural stability to the wall. It would be designed so that either structural re-bar and or vertical steel re-enforced bars could be placed strategically to give the wall structural integrity. This results in two different structural systems working in both vertical (re-bar, steel re-enforced bars) and horizontal (With the notched on the right and left sides directions) directions. The next step is now to assess the mold and pour the concrete for a second test block.
looks like you need to experiment first with concrete mixes (aggregate ratios) and possibly some kind of reinforcing. we are using ‘eycon’ out of Myersville for some conc. bartops and they use some sort of plastic fiber mesh. perchance you can toss in some long fibers of some sort to increase tensile strength and lose a lot of the coarse (large) ag in the mix….maybe horse hair or some animal bi-product. fits the theme…
call up eycon or visit and ask them some questions
That’s good advice. The specific nature of the concrete (mixture) is not an issue we have explored extensively yet and is an important one for us to consider.