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Author
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Topic: BIG Walls.
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Peter
Member
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posted 06-19-2001 12:22 PM
  
Mainly for those who can get U.K. television programmes. Though I suspect the following (which had several Americans voicing their thoughts) item will be seen in other countries.
Just a great hour on ' The Great Wall's of China.
Brilliant !
From the first wall about 200bc, through to the 16th\17th centuries. Which is the wall that is really seen today.
It was reckoned that over its thousands of miles in length, it cost one life per yard.
Some of the huge forts (!) which still exist out in the deserts are amazing.
One thing for you mortar men out there (it may be old hat to you ?), is that the mortar on the wall can be harder than the bricks. That extra something has now been found to be 'Rice Flour' !! |
Erik Schmidt
Senior Member
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posted 06-19-2001 03:39 PM
Rice flour. Very interesting.
What about the other ingredients, any info on that?Erik |
duncan
Senior Member
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posted 06-19-2001 04:55 PM
Rice flour is very interesting. I had never thought of useing it or the chaff. I wonder if the rice chaff finly ground was used as a filler or to add strength maybe.
Eggs, flour and some other odd things i knew were used also, but that is the first i had heard of rice.
The mortar being stronger then the bricks or even the stone is something that i had experience with and have found in alot of my travels.
I may not be a mortar man as my license says i'm a General Contracter, but any thing of the old ways is always interesting to me.
Thanks Peter!  |
AJR
Senior Member
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posted 06-20-2001 01:10 AM
Gives a whole new meaning to my wife's rock cakes - or boulder buns as I call them, because they are so big. I've still got a few teeth left !!! |
Peter
Member
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posted 06-20-2001 01:33 PM
You lot get worse !
No .. right now. The Chinese wall expert reckoned clay, lime & the flour. The bricks are still hand made today. Taking about 12-days from going into the kiln, to coming out. They looked like something to the size of 15" x 9" x 3 or 4" thick. Thinner and lighter than the Roman bricks we know so well.
Of the orginal wall from 200+ bc. Great extents of which surive today even in the desert.
A bed of desert grass\straw\ etc was laid down. Then the ordinary clay from nearby was shovelled on top. Each layer being held in place by logs 9\10' long pegged down. Water was thrown on top, mixed into the clay then tamped down. This proccess was repeated until the height required was reached. Whilst the next section was started, the last was left to dry. The holding logs then knocked away and reused.
The wall was then trimmed and floated with a mixture of clay, water\oil\fat.
It must have been pretty good to last 2,000 years !
The myth that bodies where used in any of the walls is not true. Mainly because bodies are rubbish. And decompse to quickly. Hence they would leave weak point in the walls.
But pretty fair sized trenches were found full of the guys that didn't make it. |
Erik Schmidt
Senior Member
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posted 06-22-2001 12:22 AM
And I thought the wall had been built mainly with stone.
I really should go to the library and find a bit out about what has to be the world's largest fortification.Erik |
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