concrete tents

[goodnightChesty1775]

http://www.wimp.com/concretetents/

[Outonowhere]

A great innovation I came across a while back.  They also sell it in sheets so you can easily make walkways and line ravines

[special-k]

Neat!

[thatGuy]

super neat right??

What will they think of next??

[EJR914]

That could rock, especially if you cover it with earth as well after the structure hardens.

[NOLA556]

That could rock, especially if you cover it with earth as well after the structure hardens.

why stop there!!??!!

cover it up and then go to work supporting it structurally from the inside to make sure it never collapses! I'll have to do a price comparison between this product, and a steel shipping container. we'll see which one wins.

Honestly, my bets will be on the shipping container simply because it comes already assembled for cheap, and it's already impact resistant. sure, a .308 will shred it all day long but once it's underground, that really doesn't matter anymore. and a shipping container will last much longer with no additional work or structural re-enforcement.

[goodnightChesty1775]

That could rock, especially if you cover it with earth as well after the structure hardens.

why stop there!!??!!

cover it up and then go to work supporting it structurally from the inside to make sure it never collapses! I'll have to do a price comparison between this product, and a steel shipping container. we'll see which one wins.

Honestly, my bets will be on the shipping container simply because it comes already assembled for cheap, and it's already impact resistant. sure, a .308 will shred it all day long but once it's underground, that really doesn't matter anymore. and a shipping container will last much longer with no additional work or structural re-enforcement.

but shipping containers collapse real easy if weight isnt on the corners...id go with this...

[Outonowhere]

That could rock, especially if you cover it with earth as well after the structure hardens.

why stop there!!??!!

cover it up and then go to work supporting it structurally from the inside to make sure it never collapses! I'll have to do a price comparison between this product, and a steel shipping container. we'll see which one wins.

Honestly, my bets will be on the shipping container simply because it comes already assembled for cheap, and it's already impact resistant. sure, a .308 will shred it all day long but once it's underground, that really doesn't matter anymore. and a shipping container will last much longer with no additional work or structural re-enforcement.

but shipping containers collapse real easy if weight isnt on the corners...id go with this...

 [URL=http://www.smileyvault.co
You would need to end up buying concrete anyway to support the weight anyway with the shipping container.  However I am still interested to know the price point given this IS a UK company.  I emailed them a while back and havent heard from them so dont even know if the bastards are still in business.

[Reaver]

That could rock, especially if you cover it with earth as well after the structure hardens.

why stop there!!??!!

cover it up and then go to work supporting it structurally from the inside to make sure it never collapses! I'll have to do a price comparison between this product, and a steel shipping container. we'll see which one wins.

Honestly, my bets will be on the shipping container simply because it comes already assembled for cheap, and it's already impact resistant. sure, a .308 will shred it all day long but once it's underground, that really doesn't matter anymore. and a shipping container will last much longer with no additional work or structural re-enforcement.

So whats the verdict?

[Colombo]

The concrete shelter and conex don't have the structural strength for burying.

Much tougher, locally available most everywhere, can be stacked one inverted on the other and welded together, easier to deliver.       
example    http://jacksonville.craigslist.org/bfs/3217499069.html

Some additional info for the construction unsavvy    http://www.domesticdumpsters.com/container_sizes.htm

[TheBugOutKid]

The concrete shelter and conex don't have the structural strength for burying.

Much tougher, locally available most everywhere, can be stacked one inverted on the other and welded together, easier to deliver.       
example    http://jacksonville.craigslist.org/bfs/3217499069.html

Some additional info for the construction unsavvy    http://www.domesticdumpsters.com/container_sizes.htm

I'm curious as to how you would physically move one to place it on top of the other.  Them things ain't light, son.

[thatGuy]

With gusto Kid!

I could think of a dozen ways to flip a dumpster over.. It's all about leverage and force.

I thought for sure there would be footage on YouTube.

[EJR914]

That could rock, especially if you cover it with earth as well after the structure hardens.

why stop there!!??!!

cover it up and then go to work supporting it structurally from the inside to make sure it never collapses! I'll have to do a price comparison between this product, and a steel shipping container. we'll see which one wins.

Honestly, my bets will be on the shipping container simply because it comes already assembled for cheap, and it's already impact resistant. sure, a .308 will shred it all day long but once it's underground, that really doesn't matter anymore. and a shipping container will last much longer with no additional work or structural re-enforcement.

but shipping containers collapse real easy if weight isnt on the corners...id go with this...

You would need to end up buying concrete anyway to support the weight anyway with the shipping container.  However I am still interested to know the price point given this IS a UK company.  I emailed them a while back and havent heard from them so dont even know if the bastards are still in business.

My thoughts exactly.

[Kbop]

I know this is old, but;
I had a chicken run destroyed in the weather recently.  I did some math and decided to use a dome shape to make the new one.  It's wind and snow load - * made from 1/2" EMT - would have a higher load rating than my house (per square foot). 
If you moved up to 3/4 or 1" it should support a decent burial depth and concrete skin.  The cool thing is you could build it from HomeDepot tools and materials.  EMT is cheap. The build isn't complicated.  you could pack this in, in stages - a 16' dome is 8' tall and each tube is around 3' long and bolted together.  A ferrocrete skin would make it even stronger and water tight.  The design doesn't need to be a dome, it can also be elongated (like a quonset hut with rounded ends).
if you wanted to continue with a burry-able tent design, you could always use the shotcrete method. - this would be beyond my technical capabilities.

*EMT is electrical metallic tubing or metal conduit.
FerroCrete http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrocement
GeoDome http://mathworld.wolfram.com/GeodesicDome.html
GeoDome for the easy way http://www.domerama.com/calculators/3v-geodesic-dome-calculator/

[Nemo]

Kbob, I can tell you know a crapton more about this than I do so, a couple questions. 

How does this sound for build, strength and durability?  A 13 meter dome from your domerama website built with the 2x4 wood frame, covered by the concrete cloth, say the 3/4 inch thick stuff.

Then covering that with a couple good layers of chicken wire mesh which is shotcreted to about another 2-3 inch thickness.

Would that have any real strength as far as being underground or covered with a foot of 3 of dirt and possibly a vehicle parked on it?  Basically what would it support?

Nemo

[Kbop]

a 13 meter dome would be a two story build - I'm assuming it is sized for human usability not a hangar, for instance.
the base dome would act as a scaffold for the concrete.  that concrete would need to support the weight of the compression load.  the wood would probably start to deform under that load - one of the reasons timbers are used for shoring not 2x4's.  the torsion load is what would concern me with a build that large.  Geodesic homes are commonly made in the 40' to 45' size - close to the 13 meters you mentioned.  I would have to model that type of build to figure out the bearing weight.  - I'm an electronics/electrical guy .   I can say you would want to move to a smaller strut length via a 4V or better dome design.  With a meter of dirt on top, the weight of the car/truck should be spread out enough to not matter.  for a build that size I would stick with a metal skeleton - 1" pipe would work (based on a back of the napkin calculation).  The joints used to join the pipes would be the weak point in that design.  according to a framing website you could support about 300Kg per joint on the wood.  That's only 10 metric tons or so for wood - probably not enough for complete support.  If the dome is a scaffold for the concrete and the concrete is holding the compression load, you would be ok.  Lateral stress would be minimal.  you would want a gravel underlayment and gravel layer against the dome to avoid hydraulic pressure.

if you are going to burry a building that large, I highly recommend getting engineer stamped plans or have an CE/PR go over your plans.

smaller domes will work creted and covered but I don't know about 13 meter. 

for scale
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EKKwIxcZN0

I've never considered a build that size.  Let me fire  up my work computer on Monday and look into it.

[Kbop]

looks like a steel reinforced monolithic dome would work - WWII and cold war bunkers.  There are some inflatable and shotcreted structures that might work - US military 1980's.
-  the Geodome's weakness would be the joint.  if you miter and weld 1.5" ~50mm pipe you wouldn't have to worry about the depth buried.  the concrete would then just be a self supporting water tight skin.  It would be a good idea to have a few horizontal supports for the floor and dome.  I don't think I would trust housing studs to do this job alone. - back of the napkin calculations (aka MS Excel).

if I had to build a space that large and resources were unlimited, I would opt for a parabolic or catenary arch concrete on steel.

if I had to do it on the cheap, I would opt for a geodome, 2" pipe (healthy safety factor) and hump in welded sections and connect them on the site.  something this large is going to need a largish footer or base of some type to keep it from settling or drifting. - a little outside my expertise but the math says it would handle the loads.  it would be a bit of work but it would work.  I have no idea how to do the base or the drainage but it should work.  I'll run it on Monday.

[Nemo]

Seems I had better stick with something a fair bit smaller.  Maybe a few close by each other and joined by tunnels or such.

Nemo

[Kbop]

ok;
for the geodome
you would need a strong hub - welded will work.  at 13M 1.5 in schedule 60 or 80.  One huge note here, the soil type would be important to calculate, the weights vary widely (I used crushed #3 limestone 'driveway gravel' in the model). - the load would need to be as symmetrical as possible.  - at this point I tried a monolithic concrete dome.  Berming would be ok, but none I looked up are rated for complete burying at that size.  I'm not comfortable calculating concrete - steel, even in non-linear shapes, no problem.
smaller is easier on the load tolerances.  connecting tunnels could be culvert pipe (concrete or steel) - it is made to be buried.

if the concrete is the load bearing part of the structure a geodome would make a good scaffold.  it's the weight of the soil above I'm not 100% sure about.

I would still run it by a CE before building.