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| The ECO-PIER Secret ECO-PIER starts round, it stays round. This begs the question, “Why is ECO-PIER round when other pier molds are square?” The short answer is, why fight the inevitable. The more complete answer is arrived at by answering the following questions. Whatever happened to square piers anyway? Economics. Lumber to build square forms for pier pads became too expensive. Wood pier forms are labor intensive. Cardboard pier molds are inexpensive and quick to use. So economics dictate using cardboard or plastic pier molds. These are fabricated to the same dimensions as a wood form. (Interestingly no one thought to check the dimensions of the finished product. More on dimensions in two paragraphs.) Why do square cardboard and plastic pier molds distort to round when concrete is placed in them? (More accurately, why do the molds become a cylinder when filled with concrete?) The answer is found in the physical sciences. Pascal’s Law states: Pressure applied to an enclosed fluid is transmitted undiminished to every part of the fluid as well as to the walls of the container. In this case concrete is a fluid, (it has not yet set up) the mold is the container, and the pressure is from the weight of the concrete. Pascal’s law also shows that the pressure will be equally distributed in all directions. Therefore, because the mold is flexible it will distort until the internal forces become equal in all directions. This force-equality occurs when the mold becomes round. (Consider a child’s balloon, balloons are never square.) What is specified when the blueprint calls out a 24”x24” square pier? (More on dimensions) This is best explained by an example. A 24”x24” square pier mold should create a pier that has a footprint of 4 sq. ft. and a perimeter of 96”. But square pier molds fabricated from cardboard and plastic distort to round. A round pier mold with a 96” perimeter (circumference) has a footprint of 5.093 sq. ft. This is a 27% increase in area due to distorting from square to round, even though the perimeter is exactly the same. This 27% distortion/waste ratio remains constant with all sizes of pier molds |
distorting from square to round. When an engineer or designer specifies 24”x24”pier pad, he is actually specifying a 4 sq. ft. pier pad. Shape is inconsequential to the engineer, as long as the shape is symmetrical. (No three leaf clovers.) Square footage bearing on the soil is the true limiting factor. Engineers often specify round form sizes, but round forms are not readily available, so square pier molds are substituted. These substitutions waste even more concrete. Why so many sizes of piers? As just noted, square footage bearing on the soil is what the designer is specifying. Softer soils require more square footage to support a load than firmer soils would. More square footage also requires the pier be thicker in order to transmit the load to the entire pier (A thin pier would break under the load). Also all piers in a building do not necessarily bear the same load. Building design causes differing loads at varied points; therefore multiple pier sizes are called for. Engineers and designers have the same mandate as all the building industry, use less material. This can be accomplished by specifying pier pad sizes to fit the load at a particular location. Consequently, many sizes and thicknesses are needed. The answers to the 3 questions results in the following conclusions: Pier pads are naturally going to be round due to the economics of forming and Pascal’s law. Engineers specify a square foot size of pad. Many sizes are needed in order to accommodate design loads and soil conditions. The ECO-PIER Secret With these conclusions in mind ECO-PIER was designed. ECO-PIER is round, adjustable to sizes usually specified, and as a bonus, reusable. A single ECO-PIER adjusts to 6 sizes. Join 2 ECO-PIERs together and 14 sizes are possible. ECO-PIER may be filled to 6”, 8”, 10”, or 12”. 14 diameters times 4 thicknesses equal 56 pier sizes that may be poured with a single product. That then is the ECO-PIER secret. ECO-PIER starts round, it stays round. ECO-PIER conserves natural resources 5 ways. ECO-PIER is waterproof. There are no losses from moisture. ECO-PIER is correctly sized. It does not distort thereby using excess concrete. This reduces the waste normally associated with construction. ECO-PIER is reusable. Therefore it is a salvaged product ECO-PIER can be left on the piers of the last job. It never needs to end up in the landfill. ECO-PIER is manufactured from polypropylene and is fully recyclable. This provides another option for keeping ECO-PIER out of the landfill. |