Fibre reinforced concrete roofing sheets : technology appraisal report

Appropriate Technology International (ATI) and Save the Children Federation (SCF) have actively promoted the use of FRC roofing sheets as a low-cost roofing alternative based on a product design and community-based production techniques developed and tested by Intermediate Technology Building Materials Workshop (ITBMW), in the United Kingdom. The principal finding of this appraisal is that FRC roofing sheets manufactured in community-based production units using the ITBMW process demonstrated a limited service life of 2-4 years. Although the study was unable to draw a direct correlation between the problem of cracking and its cause(s), an in-depth examination of possible factors, including product design, production process and control, producer skill, and technical support services, was conducted. Based on these findings, ATI and SCF have concluded that FRC roofing sheets, while a possible product option, are not suitable as currently applied for rural housing and facility construction. (Author abstract)