Environmental enclosure structure and method of manufacture

Abstract

An environmental enclosure structure formed of a cement-based slurry infiltrated fiber composite material is used above ground or underground to enclose, protect, and safely contain; hazardous materials, telecommunications equipment, volatile explosives, and the like. The preferred enclosure structure is a box-like enclosure formed of a cement-based slurry infiltrated fiber composite material which is produced by first placing a plurality of individual short fibers or fiber mats of organic or inorganic materials into a form to create a bed of fibers substantially filling the form and having a predetermined fiber volume density and then adding a cement-based slurry mixture into the form to completely infiltrate the spaces between the fibers. The cement-based slurry mixture includes a composition of Portland cement, fly ash, water, a high-range water reducer (superplasticizer), and may also include fine grain sand, chemical admixtures, and other additives. Due to its fiber volume density and method of manufacture, the resulting structure has thinner walls, greater strength, and a gross weight significantly less than conventional reinforced and pre-stressed concrete structures of the same size, and a much higher bending capacity approximating that of structural steel.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.