Miami-Dade Testing for VOBB®
We have completed the process of getting MIAMI-Dade NOA approval . We now have NOA No. 10-0816.19, expiration of Dec. 1, 2016. We have engineer results and independent professional tests of sample walls built for VOBB®. We tested for the Miami-Dade new 2008 code requirements of 176 mph wind.
Click here for the full letter for the Miami-Dade NOA .
TEST WALLS SET I
Three sets of walls/samples:
1.
16 1/2-feet high with 5/8" rebar
2.
Ten-feet high with 5/8" rebar
3. Ten-feet high with 1/2" rebar
4. Eight-feet high and eight-feet wide for racking test
5. Three-foot lintel for a three-foot door or window (actual four feet long for six-inch over-hang/support on each end)
6. Six and half-foot lintel for a five and half-foot door or window (actual five and half feet long for six-inch over-hang/support on each end)
7 & 8. VOBB block with rebar to test the pull strength without using any rebar ties on the rebar (six-inch high and six-inch high)
9. VOBB block with a ten-inch L-bolt to test the tie-dow of the top if used.
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Miami-Dade, Florida test @ 80 feet per second (video2.7meg)
http://www.vobb.com/miami-dade/vobb-80-fps.wmv
(1/2-inch rebar)
http://www.vobb.com/miami-dade/Shattered-2x4-after-80-fps.JPG
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ASTM C-90 specifications for strength and absorption, fire rating obtained from Table 721.3.2.1 of the Florida Building Code (2004).
Fire rating averaged 1.8 hrs {Required 1 hr}.
Compressive strength average 3,010 (psi) {Required 1,900 psi minimum.}
For the report, please click on the following link:
http://www.vobb.com/Engineers-reports/Tarmac-ASTM-C-90-test-VOBB-FL.jpg
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1 Building the foundation forms for nine walls - 18" deep, 1-foot wide, and five feet long
2 The same size rebar was used in the foundation as the wall.
3
4
5
6 Concrete was poured from a concrete mixer prior to inserting the vertical rebar.
7 Plywood was placed on the asphalt to reduce clean-up costs.
8
9
10 All vertical rebar was inserted in the full depth of the footer of 18 inches.
11
12 Rebar overlapping at least twelve inches (except one wall connection which was built with a six-inch overlap)
13
14 VOBB being delivered from Tarmac
15
16 Mixing concrete in a wheelbarrow to pour in the VOBB.
17 Concrete being poured in
18 Top lintel with horizontal rebar on the top two block
19 Bracing is necessary as there are no corners or intersecting walls. A wall without a corner or an intersecting wall will be like a wind sail and will curve or fall over.
20 Additional bracing being added
21
22 Seven-foot lintel for a six-foot door or window
23
24 A three foot-lintel. (Actual four foot long to allow over-hang on end of six inches each side.) On bottom room are two of the 18" long VOBB and one of the 12" long VOBB.
25
26
27 Using a mixer to mix the concrete for the pour.
28 VOBB with rebar to do a test for the pull strength for six-inch and twelve-inch height.
29
30
31
32
33 Capping off the top
345 The length of a L-bolt is ten inches
35 Cutting the lintel block is very simple with a good diamond blade on a regular circular saw
36 Regular concrete mix used to fill the cavities.
37 Regular concrete mix used to fill the cavities.
38 the under side of the seven-foot lintel . All cavities, except the end are filled with concrete grout. Once the lintel is placed, then the ends are filled. This locks in the lintel to the wall.
39 Filling of two high (twelve inches) to test a L-bolt
40 Test wall # 7, 8, 9; 10 feet high with 1/2" rebar
41 A VOBB is cut with a masonry blade to use on the top rows
42 For high wind velocity areas such as Miami-Dade area, we strongly recommend two rows of lintel with rebar on the top.
43 For high wind velocity areas such as Miami-Dade area, we strongly recommend a corner dowel with 0ne-inch rebar.
44 Frame built for the racking test walls
'
45
46 Side view of sample test walls.
47 Grinding down a high spot is very simple with the right tool.
48 A very good grinder with a diamond blade which is very effective in removing high spots.
49 Putting in paper in the vacant cells to fill the top on a horizontal basis for the lintels blocks.
50 Lintels to be used for the top two rows.
51
TEST WALLS CAVITIES ARE FILLED WITH GROUT ON AN ALTERNATING BASIS; I.E. FILL, SKIP, FILL, SKIP, ETC.
ALWAYS FILL THE CELLS WITH GROUT AND A REBAR ON THE END AND ON BOTH SIDES OF A DOOR OR WINDOW.
LINTELS ALWAYS HAVE ALL CELLS FILLED WITH GROUT AND A REBAR ABOVE THE DOORS AND WINDOWS
52Test wall # 1, 2, 3; were built 16 1/2 feet-high and four-feet wide with 5/8" rebar
Test wall # 4, 5, 6; were built 10 feet-high and four-feet wide with 5/8" rebar
53 Test wall # 7, 8, 9; were built 10-feet high and four-feet wide with 1/2" rebar
54 Test wall # 10, 11, 12; were built eight-feet high and eight-feet wide with 1/2" rebar for racking tests.
55 Test sample # 13, 14, 15; are three foot-long lintels (for a three foot wide door or window). All cavities were filled with grout and one vertical rebar in all cavities except the end. On the bottom row, one 1/2" horizontal rebar was used. (actual four feet long for six-inch over-hang/support on each end)
56 Test sample # 16, 17, 18; are six and half-foot-long lintels (for a five and half-foot wide door or window). All cavities were filled with grout and one vertical rebar in all cavities except the end. On the bottom two rows, one 1/2" horizontal rebar was used in each row. (actual five and half feet long for six-inch over-hang/support on each end)
57 Test sample # 19, 20, 21; for a six-inch test pull of 1/2" rebar
Test sample # 22, 23, 24; for a twelve-inch test pull of 1/2" rebar
58 Test # 25, 26, 27 were built to test the ten-inch long L- bolts
TESTING OF WALLS SET I
. 
100 Test wall standing in front of safety wall in back
101
102 High impact missile cannon
103 High impact missile cannon control valves, etc.
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
TEST WALLS SET II
200 Footerswhich were built
201 Concrete truck driver
202
203 Concrete being poured into the footer boxex
205 Tarmac concrete truck delivery the concrete
206 Concrete being poured in the footer box.
207
208 Footers with the rebar stabbed in the foooter
209 Rebars have been "stabbed" into the footer
210
211
212
213
214
215
216 Concrete being mixed for the grout
217
218 Dry stacking VOBB®
219
220
221 The grout is poured 1/2 way into the VOBB® block before the next dry-stacking of VOBB® block
222
223
224
225
226
227 Dry-stacking VOBB®
228
229
230 Cutting the VOBB® block for the horizontal rebar
231 Cutting of the VOBB® is done with an electric saw using a masonry blade - it is very simple as the VOBB® is easy to cut
232 Test walls being built
233
234 top of the VOBB® wall
235
236 Test walls built/completed
237
238 VOBB® block cut for vertical rebar
239 Lintel
240 Lintel
241 Lintel
242 Lintel
243 Lintel
244 Lintel
250 Racking test
NOTE: VOBB® walls are made for structure not looks. A covering of some type will be used to make the wall look "pretty".
NOTE: Most all of the work was done with temporary non-skilled labor.
We are most respectful of the Miami-Dade and Florida building codes. We are very confident that the VOBB® method of quality construction will far surpass the Miami-Dade 176 mph wind requirements. It is the intent of VOBB® to provide a cost-effective method of construction (by reducing labor costs with the dry stack method and using more rebar) which will allow Americans to live in a safe home. While we fully respect and appreciate the new stronger Miami-Dade wind code requirements for 2008 of 176 MPH wind test, we believe (based on the test of time) that there have been many tragic and unnecessary deaths, injuries and loss of homes which could have been prevented with the quality VOBB® construction method.
The simplicity of VOBB® dry stack concrete block will allow Americans to build both the exterior and interior walls of their homes with six-inch wide VOBB®. As such, the superior strength of VOBB® building is in the intersecting and corner walls, which many engineering tests do not even measure. This is because, one wall supports the other. (In addition, the VOBB® concrete block interior walls will be much safer compared to wood construction from fires.)
Likewise, we expect VOBB® quality construction to qualify for "fortified" homes designation and allow for significant cost savings on property insurance, just like the VOBB® home in MS with the new laws in Mississippi which provide a material insurance discount for qualified construction.
COMMENT FROM A FLORIDA PHD (Cesar):
COMMENT FROM A LOUISIANA ENGINEER (Steve):
"A VOBB® wall system has far greater strength than an ordinary CMU wall by ( X %) because of the filling of the inside cells with concrete and rebar. The result is a CMU wall system with steel reinforced concrete pillars every 12". If a VOBB® wall system was to have all the blocks removed, it would still be many ( Y % ) times stronger than an ordinary CMU wall system. The result is a wall system that is strong in an infinite number of directions, whereas an ordinary CMU wall is strong only in one direction, down."
Our ultimate goal is that no American will die in a quality VOBB® home as a result of a preventable occurrence.
Some examples of damage (of non-VOBB® construction) which recently occurred in 2008 are as follows:
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http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/05/02/midwest.storms/index.
html?iref=newssearch
Seven killed in Arkansas storms
May 2008
"DAMASCUS, Arkansas (CNN) -- At least seven people, including three members of the same family, were killed Friday and at least 13 people were injured as severe weather swept through Arkansas, emergency officials said."
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http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/04/29/virginia.tornadoes/index.
html?iref=newssearch
At least 140 homes hit by Virginia tornadoes
April 2008
"SUFFOLK, Virginia (CNN) -- Virginians faced a massive cleanup project Tuesday after at least three tornadoes damaged dozens of homes and injured more than 200 people."
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http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/04/24/severe.weather.ap/index
.html?iref=newssearch
Storms destroy Texas homes
April 2008
"DALLAS, Texas (AP) -- A severe thunderstorm system that may have included several tornadoes hammered parts of west and north Texas, destroying or damaging more than a dozen homes near Fort Worth.
"The worst damage appeared to be near the Fort Worth suburb of Crowley, where four homes were destroyed and nine others damaged . . ."
**** We feel that if the home had been built with quality VOBB, then the girl may not have been injured, much less died as the VOBB walls would have stopped or reduced the impact. (This is our opinion. We look forward to the actual details of these professional tests.) *****
