Automated Builder September 2009 : Page 26

Sample wall shows the footing and openings for door and window. u t The assembled parts shown Inventor Joe Lanc exhibits his Concrete Plastic Unit forms made of polymer plastic. The form parts slide together to create waterproof containers for ready mix concrete. Concrete Plastic Units (CPUs): New Information Reveals CPUs— May Be Answer for Hurricane Homes, May Be Answer for Blast-Proof Walls, Could Be Answer for Superior Levees By Don O. Carlson, Editor & Publisher SARASOTA, FL—Some AB readers may remember the article which appeared on pages 8 and 9 of the April 2006 edition of Automated Builder which introduced to the world the Concrete Plastic Unit construction system invented by Louis Joseph (Joe) Lanc Sr., located here. Lanc (pronounced Lance) is an experienced, licensed ma- jor builder of conventional homes who was convinced by the devastating destruction of Hurricane Andrew that there had to be a better way to build. He concluded that the better way probably would have been to involve concrete construction. He was convinced that the way to go may be to copy the Ro- mans and Greeks concrete structures that have survived over 2,000 years while our modern builders rarely seem to build anything that lasts much over 200 years. Lanc concluded that the way to build properly with con- crete would be to encapsulate it in plastic which would be transparent but also air and waterproof enabling the concrete to set in the strongest possible way while protecting the rebar from corrosion and rust. While it took a number of years Lanc invented the Con- crete Plastic Unit system. He created and patented the CPU which is made of transparent poly vinyl chloride (polymer) plastic wherein the parts can be simply extruded at suffi- ciently high rates of speed to furnish material for over 3,000 houses per month, more than 36,000 homes per year. 26 Because the forms themselves are transparent you have immediate visual confirmation that there are no voids or bubbles when the ready-mixed concrete is poured into the wall and that there is no missing horizontal or vertical rebar. Won’t the building inspectors love it? Inside the sealed plastic forms, which slide together with the alacrity of a Lego toy, the concrete remains sealed so it sets improving the structural strength by retarding evaporation. Both plastic surfaces of the completed wall are smooth and require no interior or exterior finish except paint inside and protective stucco outside. For fire prone areas one new stucco which is fireproof is being considered for the exterior coating. However, since the original story appeared in April 2006, Lanc has discovered some additional information which adds consider- able credence to his Concrete Plastic Units for construction. For example, it is reported that the Federal Emergency Man- agement Agency (FEMA) has certified polymer plastic concrete wall forms strong enough to withstand hurricanes and probably sufficiently strong for rebuilding of devastated neighborhoods in the Gulf state areas destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Also the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory at Tyndall Airbase, Panama City, FL, performed a blast test on concrete walls constructed with polymer plastic forms. Object of the study was to determine the blast resistance and possible frag- mentation of walls made of concrete in polymer forms. The SEPTEMBER 2009 next to a concrete block include side- to-side webs with large openings to receive rebar, utilities and ready mix concrete. Protective forms allow concrete to set in highest psi strength.

New Information Reveals Cpus- May Be Answer For Hurricane Homes, May Be Answer For Blast-Proof Walls, Could Be Answer For Superior Levees

Don O. Carlson

SARASOTA, FL—Some AB readers may remember the article which appeared on pages 8 and 9 of the April 2006 edition of Automated Builder which introduced to the world the Concrete Plastic Unit construction system invented by Louis Joseph (Joe) Lanc Sr., located here. Lanc (pronounced Lance) is an experienced, licensed major builder of conventional homes who was convinced by the devastating destruction of Hurricane Andrew that there had to be a better way to build. He concluded that the better way probably would have been to involve concrete construction. He was convinced that the way to go may be to copy the Romans and Greeks concrete structures that have survived over 2,000 years while our modern builders rarely seem to build anything that lasts much over 200 years. Lanc concluded that the way to build properly with concrete would be to encapsulate it in plastic which would be transparent but also air and waterproof enabling the concrete to set in the strongest possible way while protecting the rebar from corrosion and rust. While it took a number of years Lanc invented the Concrete Plastic Unit system. He created and patented the CPU which is made of transparent poly vinyl chloride (polymer) plastic wherein the parts can be simply extruded at suffi- ciently high rates of speed to furnish material for over 3,000 houses per month, more than 36,000 homes per year. Because the forms themselves are transparent you have immediate visual confirmation that there are no voids or bubbles when the ready-mixed concrete is poured into the wall and that there is no missing horizontal or vertical rebar. Won’t the building inspectors love it? Inside the sealed plastic forms, which slide together with the alacrity of a Lego toy, the concrete remains sealed so it sets improving the structural strength by retarding evaporation. Both plastic surfaces of the completed wall are smooth and require no interior or exterior finish except paint inside and protective stucco outside. For fire prone areas one new stucco which is fireproof is being considered for the exterior coating. However, since the original story appeared in April 2006, Lanc has discovered some additional information which adds considerable credence to his Concrete Plastic Units for construction. For example, it is reported that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has certified polymer plastic concrete wall forms strong enough to withstand hurricanes and probably sufficiently strong for rebuilding of devastated neighborhoods in the Gulf state areas destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Also the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory at Tyndall Airbase, Panama City, FL, performed a blast test on concrete walls constructed with polymer plastic forms. Object of the study was to determine the blast resistance and possible fragmentation of walls made of concrete in polymer forms. The Test included use of 1,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil and was detonated 75' from the test walls. The result: The polymer plastic skins and webbing created a ductile wall system that was able to bend to absorb the shockwave of the blast and then rebound back into place. There was no wall failure and no fragmentation. The Air Force Research stated, “The extruded polymer wall forms certainly exceeded our expectations. The excellent blast performance of the composite polymer and concrete walls coupled with quick and cost-effective construction makes these types of walls an excellent choice for protective construction applications.” Still another application for the Concrete Plastic Unit walls would be to create and/or repair levees. Most levees are made only from earthen berms which are subject to continual failures. In California, for example, the state has gone three years with little rain and the water levels are so low that ample area is available between the water’s edge and the levees to install CPU concrete walls at very low cost. In areas where water levels are high levees are susceptible to failure from trenching or overflow. However miniature coffer dams could be built in the center of the levees and then fitted with the CPU concrete walls. It’s believed that such walls within the levees would be permanent solutions to overflows or under cutting such as occurred in the New Orleans area during Katrina. Inventor Joe Lanc tells AB that he is now seeking inquiries from people who may be interested in licensing his patented system for their own building territories.

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