Techniques for sulfur surface bonding for low cost housing

IN SUPPORTING RESEARCH ON LOW-COST HOUSING IS TO ASSIST DEVELOPING COUNTRIES IN THE IDENTIFICATION AND USE OF CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS WHICH ARE LOCALLY AVAILABLE AND ARE THUS LESS EXPENSIVE THAN IMPORTED MATERIALS. THE SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE (SWRI) DEVELOPED AN EXPERIMENTAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUE THAT EMPLOYED SULFUR RATHER THAN CEMENT FOR SURFACE BONDING. BECAUSE SULFUR IS ABUNDANT AND INEXPENSIVE IN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD, THIS SUBSTITUTE MATERIAL, COMBINED WITH AN ADAPTED TECHNOLOGY, THEREFORE APPEARED TO BE AN ATTRACTIVE PACKAGE FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. TO TEST THE ECONOMIC ADVANTAGES AND SOCIAL ACCEPTABILITY OF THIS CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUE, SWRI WAS AWARDED TO CONTRACT A CONSTRUCT FOUR TEST HOUSES IN EACH OF THREE COUNTRIES (COLOMBIA, TANZANIA, AND BOTSWANA). THIS HANDBOOK CONSISTS OF SEVERAL PAPERS ON SULFUR BONDING APPLICATIONS, INCLUDES PHOTOGRAPHS OF BUILDINGS UNDER CONSTRUCTION, AND IS INTENDED AS A GUIDEBOOK FOR USE BY INDIVIDUALS OR ORGANIZATIONS INTERESTED IN USING THESE TECHNIQUES IN THEIR OWN COUNTRIES. TITLES OF THE PAPERS ARE: "SURFACE BONDING TECHNIQUE FOR HOUSING; COLUMBIA, SOUTH AMERICA, ARCHITECTURAL CONSIDERATIONS"; "TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF SURFACE BONDING"; "THE FIRE RISK IN LOW-COST HOUSING"; "SURFACE BONDING PROJECT FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A.I.D. MISSION IN COLOMBIA"; "SULFUR SURFACE BONDING OF MUD BLOCKS IN AFRICA"; AND "PROCEDURE MANUAL FOR SELECTING CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS."