Look Away Perfectionists...Testing the Panels

So now that I'd made a load of Textile Concrete test panels, I had to find a way of working out which ones were stronger (or more specifically, stiffer) than the rest. If I was at uni, I'd be able to take then down to the lab and use the machines to test them using lots of nice shiny equipment and computers and stuff.

But I'm not. I'm in Jozini... so I had to build a little testing rig using bits and pieces I could get from the hardware shop in town, and eventually, I managed to build... Gareth's test rig!!!

Using this rig I could apply an even load across the centre of the panel, by adding measured amounts of water to the bucket. I added 500ml (0.5kg) of water at a time and using the ruler measured how far the panel bent in the middle (or deflected to use the proper term). From this I could work out which panels were stiffer than others, and find the best combination of cement:sand:water:additive and the best curing times. Hurrah :-)