It is a material for construction, a concrete construction of low thickness, flexible, in which

the number of meshes of steel wire of small diameter are distributed evenly through the
cross section. It uses a very rich cement mortar in achieving a significantly improved
behavior in relation to the reinforced concrete whose resistance is given by the shapes of
the pieces.

The exceptional resistance of ferrocement is due to the fact that their armor is composed of
several layers of steel mesh of little thickness overlapping and slightly displaced among
themselves, and to which the concrete supports significant deformation in the immediate
proximity of the reinforcement condition that takes full advantage with the distribution of
the frames described.

Its mechanical behavior, dependent mainly on the specific surface of the frame, is very
good. Has a good resistance to traction, which appreciably exceed that shown by the
reinforced concrete and is kept in the elastic range until its embrittlement. The presence of
the layers of metallic mesh, do not alter the resistance to compression, so that the same
specifically is defined by the resistance to compression of the mortar that forms the matrix.

According Shah, who has conducted and published a number of papers on the same, the
Barque of Lambot, one of the first applications of the ferrocement, was built in 1849. The
boat was still afloat in 1949, or 100 years after its construction, and then continued on
display in the museum of Brignoles.

The architect Pier Luigi Nervi, who restarted the experiences with this material in the last
century, when checking the flexibility and exceptional resistance of same, designed and
built boats. One of them, which he called Irene, had a displacement of 165 tons, his helmet
had 35 mm of thickness and according to Nervi, the weight of the boat was 5 per cent lower
and its cost 40% less than a helmet similar built with wood.
The advantages of a well built ferro concrete construction are the low weight, maintenance
costs and long lifetime in comparison with purely steel constructions.[8]However,
meticulous building precision is considered crucial here. Especially with respect to the
cementitious composition and the way in which it is applied in and on the framework, and
how or if the framework has been treated to resist corrosion.
When a ferro concrete sheet is mechanically overloaded, it will tend to fold instead of break
or crumble like stone or pottery. As a container, it may fail and leak but possibly hold
together. Much depends on techniques used in the construction.
The disadvantage of ferro concrete construction is the labor-intensive nature of it, which
makes it expensive for industrial application in the western world. In addition, threats to
degradation (rust) of the steel components is a possibility if air voids are left in the original
construction, due to too dry a mixture of the concrete being applied, or not forcing the air
out of the structure while it is in its wet stage of construction, through vibration, pressurized
spraying techniques, or other means. These air voids can turn to pools of water as the cured
material absorbs moisture. If the voids occur where there is untreated steel, the steel will
rust and expand, causing the system to fail.
In modern practice, the advent of liquid acrylic additives and other advances to the grout
mixture, create slower moisture absorption over the older formulas, and also increase
bonding strength to mitigate these failures. Restoration steps should include treatment to
the steel to arrest rust, using practices for treating old steel common in auto body repair.