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Wavy walls use fewer bricks than a straight wall (2020)

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Re: Wavy walls use fewer bricks than a straight wall (2020)

#61

Post by hammock »

vehemenz wrote: post #45
geeky4qwerty wrote: post #26

This feels a bit like diet clickbait... "use fewer bricks than a straight wall"* *A straight wall of the approximal strength and length of a wavy wall, not just length. My counter would be that from a practical perspective the amount of space wasted by the wavy design seems to negate the usefulness of the design. Probably makes the lawn crew dizzy when mowing it too!

The extra space doesn't have to be fully wasted. You could plant bushes or small trees in the concave sections.

Applies to flat walls not wavy, but espalier,[1] a way to cultivate trees in tight spaces, is one of my favorite things ever.

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espalier

Re: Wavy walls use fewer bricks than a straight wall (2020)

#62

Post by kgermino »

gymbeaux wrote: post #4
HideousKojima wrote: post #2

If you follow the link in the post explaining the math behind everything, it says: "They use more bricks than a straight wall of the same thickness but they don’t have to be as thick."

So wavy walls use more bricks than straight walls

For the same function, wavy walls use fewer bricks

Re: Wavy walls use fewer bricks than a straight wall (2020)

#63

Post by horsawlarway »

CodeSgt wrote: post #39

I feel like everyone this far is missing something, or perhaps just I am. I understand that a wavy wall will be stronger than a straight wall of the same thickness, therefore if you need that additional strength it technically uses fewer bricks to reach it. That said, if the alternative is a 2 layer straight wall, is the wavy wall equally as strong? Or is it just stronger than the single layer wall? Without knowing a…

The wavy design is probably just as strong as the double layer (possibly stronger depending on the direction of force).

The issue with a single layer wall isn't really the strength between bricks, or the bricks themselves - it's that a single layer wall has a very narrow base and is subject to tipping over.

The wave in the design makes the base of the wall act is if it were MUCH wider, preventing the tipping action of a single layer.

So the wavy design is only as strong as single layer of bricks, but it has a base 2 to 3 times the width of even the double layer wall designs. It will be much more resistant to tipping forces, but less resistant to impact forces.

The thing about most walls is they aren't really load bearing - they just delineate owned space - so the wavy design is great for large properties. Much less great if it's a tiny space and you're losing a good chunk of sqft to the wave.

Re: Wavy walls use fewer bricks than a straight wall (2020)

#64

Post by nonethewiser »

I see this a lot in the rural US with wooden fences but had no idea why it was done, but I guess its for the same reason (stability). Apparently they've done it since the 1600s.

https://www.louispage.com/blog/bid/11160/worm-fence-what-is-...

Still, this seemed totally unecessary until I realized this mean they dont have to put any posts into the ground. No digging holes, which would be really nice when you're trying to fence up very large acreage.

Re: Wavy walls use fewer bricks than a straight wall (2020)

#65

Post by kulor »

Tangentially related; as covered in The Blue Factory documentary[1], one of the challenges with the EB110's design was its flat sides. Curved body panels provide greater strength and importantly, reduces vibrations.

FWIW The Blue Factory had the same kind of charm as the General Magic documentary

1. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6301490/

Re: Wavy walls use fewer bricks than a straight wall (2020)

#67

Post by developer93 »

hammock wrote: post #61
vehemenz wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The extra space doesn't have to be fully wasted. You could plant bushes or small trees in the concave sections.

Applies to flat walls not wavy, but espalier,[1] a way to cultivate trees in tight spaces, is one of my favorite things ever. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espalier

I mean I don't see a reason why it couldn't be applied to wavy walls if they were high enough, it's just training isn't it?

Re: Wavy walls use fewer bricks than a straight wall (2020)

#68

Post by em-bee »

NeoTar wrote: post #56

"Popularized in England" - maybe popularized, but such walls are by no means popular or common. "The county of Suffolk seems to be home to countless examples of these crinkle crankle walls. On freston.net you can find 100 wavy walls that have been documented and photographed." Although it's not explicitly said, let's suppose that every one of those wavy walls is in Suffolk. The population of the county is 761 350 - l…

So only roughly one-in-one-thousand homes in Suffolk has such a 'wavy wall'

yes, but you also need to take into account how many homes have any brick wall at all.

Re: Wavy walls use fewer bricks than a straight wall (2020)

#69

Post by hammock »

developer93 wrote: post #67
hammock wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Applies to flat walls not wavy, but espalier,[1] a way to cultivate trees in tight spaces, is one of my favorite things ever. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espalier

I mean I don't see a reason why it couldn't be applied to wavy walls if they were high enough, it's just training isn't it?

Fair point. I've personally never seen it

Re: Wavy walls use fewer bricks than a straight wall (2020)

#70

Post by aeyes »

qwertox wrote: post #32
secondcoming wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You need to use two brick width for stability.

Is that what we're doing? If I remember correctly, the walls around the houses in my childhood neighborhood were only one brick in width. Also walls around cemeteries and such, I could swear they are not double-width walls.

One brick wide walls often have a thicker pillar for stability every couple of meters.
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