Abstract

RUIZ VALENCIA, Daniel; LOPEZ PEREZ, Cecilia; CORTES, Eliana  and  FROESE, Andreas. Nuevas alternativas en la construcción: botellas PET con relleno de tierra. Apuntes [online]. 2012, vol.25, n.2, pp.292-303. ISSN 1657-9763.

Two of the main problems of mankind are the lack of housing and the accumulation of solid waste and garbage that ultimately brings environmental problems. Within this solid waste are plastics such as the PET bottles (for example soda bottles). In order to try to solve both problems, since 2001 Eco-Tec Soluciones has pioneered in the construction of houses and water storage structures with PET bottles filled with rammed earth. Groups GRIME and Estructuras y Construcción of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, associated with Eco-Tec Soluciones, documented the constructive process and performed tests to evaluate the mechanical resistance to compression forces of earth-filled PET bottles. Pilot tests were also carried put for the mechanical behavior of walls made with earth-filled PET bottles subjected to loads perpendicular to the plane of the wall. These results and analyses are presented in this paper. The paper presents the main results of the research project "Construction with PET plastic bottles" developed by the Materials and Structures Research Group (GRIME) in conjunction with the Structures group of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. The authors wish to thank the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering Laboratory at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana for its support during the development of this research.

Keywords : PET bottles; constructive system; materials tests; structures tests.

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