Ferrocement or ferro-cement is a system of construction using reinforced mortar or plaster (lime or cement, sand, and water) applied over an “armature” of metal mesh, woven, expanded metal, or metal-fibers, and closely spaced thin steel rods such as rebar.
Ferrocement has high fracture resistance, tensile strength, flexural strength, toughness, impact resistance and fatigue resistance. It is a thin-wall type of reinforced concrete that includes best cement mortar layered with continuous and comparatively small diameter mesh.
Ferrocement is used to construct relatively thin, hard, strong surfaces and structures in many shapes such as hulls for boats, shell roofs, and water tanks. Ferrocement originated in the 1840s in France and the Netherlands and is the precursor to reinforced concrete.
Ferrocement consists of a cement-rich mortar reinforced with layers of wire mesh, sometimes with additional plain wire reinforcement for added strength. Tanks made of ferrocement are used in many countries for the collection and storage of water for drinking, washing, for animal use and irrigation.
The fineness of cement has an important bearing on the rate of hydration and hence on the rate of gain of strength and also on the rate of evolution of heat. Finer cement offers a greater surface area for hydration and hence faster the development of strength.
