Constructing a water channel [Day 04]

manuelhooks (72)in RECREATIVE STEEM • 2 days ago

Boarding and Casting

Day four of constructing a water channel kicked off as planned. We focused on gathering framed marine boards for formwork, a task that called for the skilled hands of a carpenter who could read, interpret and replicate the abstract diagram from a sheet of paper into a precise real-life structural formwork.
Some key considerations in today's task included setting the drain's top level, determining the wall's thickness, and making provision for accommodating a drain cover.

Accurate measurement is important for this task. The width of the drain's interior is measured, lines are used to demarcate the thickness of its side walls while being careful to avoid being nipped by the binding wire that holds the rebar together.
I got a number of cuts each time I forgot they were all around me while in the trench.

Starting with the boards that constituted the inner walls of the drain. To give the framework the strength it needs, several crossbars were nailed-in. Using a plumb to make sure the structure is vertically aligned.

This board will carry a special metal bar that will cut out 5 cm from both sides of its top, this cut-out space will become the base that holds the drain's cover.

Then a second board for the outer walls of the drain was installed. The two boards had the rebar running between them.

After the framework was completed, M20 was mixed and hurled in. The percentage was in a ratio of 1:2:3. This ratio is for a toughness that would support huge stress.

A PVC pipe was jarbbed into the poured slurry, with tabs at the side walls to free as many air pockets as manually possible.

Conclusion

At the end of day four, we succeeded in forming and laying the water channel's walls. What is left is the removal of the scaffolding framework then fitting the slitted drain cover and having vehicles drive over it. It will take some days to cure well, and we will douse it with water during this time.
Stay tuned as I bring up the finished work. It will be my pleasure to pick up another project and document its logs with you in mind.