Watch the ‘Boring Bricks’ Being Produced

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Boring Company has shared images of its “Boring Bricks,” which are produced from earth removed in its tunneling efforts.

A short video shows the Boring Bricks being produced. They look to be roughly the size of a standard cinder block with Lego-like holes for interlocking.

Elon Musk first teased the bricks in March, saying they would be sold as a kit to recreate models of famous buildings. Later he said the bricks could be used for low-cost housing projects. 

The company also plans to use the bricks to reinforce the walls of its tunnels.

Check out the video below.[/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/g9689tikaWE” video_title=”1″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

 

[scaesare]

there are three times more empty houses than homeless people in the US. Cheap bricks wont solve enything

If it's a better cinder block at the same price, then it doesn't have to solve that problem to be useful.

Read the quote in the post above where even giving them away might be less costly then having to pay for muck removal..

 

[scaesare]

"The compressive strength of rammed earth is a maximum of 4.3 MPa (620 psi). This is less than that of concrete."

That doesn't jive with the presentation saying the Boring blocks have higher compressive strength.

They mentioned something near 5,000 psi in the presentation.

I don't know if these types of bricks with this exact method of construction existed as a product before Boring Company.

I think you forgot the concrete addition.

 

[dhanson865]

I think you forgot the concrete addition.

how so?

Concrete has a higher comprehensive strength than bricks made from just dirt. Want to walk me through your confusion about my confusion?

Maybe you have Mongo on ignore and didn't see the comment I was disagreeing with? When I said "that doesn't jive" I was talking about what Mongo said, not the portion of my own post that proceeded that.

 

[dhanson865]

there are three times more empty houses than homeless people in the US. Cheap bricks wont solve anything

Brick structures are considerably higher quality housing than some of the houses that are occupied.

If a person with $30,000 income is in a small 2 bedroom wood house with poor insulation and such and three McMansions are sitting empty the number of empty houses to homeless ratio doesn't tell the story.

 

[Asymmetry]

If it's a better cinder block at the same price, then it doesn't have to solve that problem to be useful.

Read the quote in the post above where even giving them away might be less costly then having to pay for muck removal..

Brick structures are considerably higher quality housing than some of the houses that are occupied.

If a person with $30,000 income is in a small 2 bedroom wood house with poor insulation and such and three McMansions are sitting empty the number of empty houses to homeless ratio doesn't tell the story.

Not saying its a bad idea, its a good one however US government (/facepalm) need to change policies to utilize these bricks for low cost housing. Otherwise it will simply go to waste but thats a pointless endless flamewar...

 

[dhanson865]

Not saying its a bad idea, its a good one however US government (/facepalm) need to change policies to utilize these bricks for low cost housing. Otherwise it will simply go to waste but thats a pointless endless flamewar...

No policy required if it just simply lowers the cost of building a quality house it improves the housing situation.

Seems like I remember the number of about 10 cents a brick being tossed around for Boring Company bricks. Go check the price of new bricks at Lowes or similar, it's well past 4x that cost.

And that's before you consider the Boring company bricks are supposed to be mechanically/structurally superior. If that makes the house safer or reduces other cost of materials it could magnify those savings.

Now sure the middle men will keep profits, but in a buyers market margins on new construction can be very thin and many construction workers/companies are lower class or middle class that need those profits anyway.

So long as it is noticeably better quality and noticeably better price, it'll change the market. In software we tend to call improvements of 20% or more noticeable. I don't know how big a change it'd take to steal market share or change building practices but if Boring Company starts building projects all over the US they could end up creating a lot a bricks.

 

[mongo]

how so?

Concrete has a higher comprehensive strength than bricks made from just dirt. Want to walk me through your confusion about my confusion?

Maybe you have Mongo on ignore and didn't see the comment I was disagreeing with? When I said "that doesn't jive" I was talking about what Mongo said, not the portion of my own post that proceeded that.

Beetlejuice!
I think @scaesare was commenting that I did refence cement in the post snippit you quoted

mongo said: ↑

Guessing:
Sand (no organics), water, likely a little cement and clay and a whole lot of pressure. Nothing looked heated. High tech rammed earth.
Rammed earth - Wikipedia

Cement itself is not that great in terms of compression, max 3,000 psi per Portland Cement Compressive Strength | Pavement Interactive
It is the aggregate that provides much of the strength (up to solid rock plus mortar) . The best concrete seems to come along with the lowest amount of water, given the lack of water seen in the video, they seem to have that covered. Or they are using something else entirely...
Factors Affecting Strength of Concrete

 

[mongo]

Mass walls are good for thermal regulation (less so as insulation). If used in temperate climate, a less skilled person could assemble the bulk of their own home. A coat of stucco/plaster seals up all the cracks (similar to dry stack wall, but better due to interlocking). Center holes can be used for wiring/pumbling chase and hold downs to the roof (hurricane proof). No insulation/ wood to soak up moisture and cause mold problems.

 

[scaesare]

how so?

Concrete has a higher comprehensive strength than bricks made from just dirt. Want to walk me through your confusion about my confusion?

Maybe you have Mongo on ignore and didn't see the comment I was disagreeing with? When I said "that doesn't jive" I was talking about what Mongo said, not the portion of my own post that proceeded that.

You compared the compressive strength of just dirt to the compressive strength of concrete.

The bricks are not made of just dirt. They have some cement and/or additive as well. Therefore the compressive strength is higher than just that of dirt.

Unless you are saying that because the compressive strength of dirt > concrete, therefore dirt + concrete cannot be > than concrete alone?

If so, I'm not sure if that's the whole story. I don't know what additives there are, and the math may not work that way... the strengths may not be simply additive.

(I also think it' possible the real comparison is 'cinder blocks', which are far less sturdy than poured concrete)

(On edit: I saw Mongo's subsequent post... I do think we may be talking past each other a bit, as your omission of concrete in the post I replied to was what I was addressing...)

 

[scaesare]

Not saying its a bad idea, its a good one however US government (/facepalm) need to change policies to utilize these bricks for low cost housing. Otherwise it will simply go to waste but thats a pointless endless flamewar...

I'll stay out of political policy commentary.

But I will point out that Elon recognizes the value of economic drivers in his endeavors. So while there may be something to be gained by political mandate, if the product is better & cheaper, then demand won't be an issue regardless...

 

[mongo]

You compared the compressive strength of just dirt to the compressive strength of concrete.

The bricks are not made of just dirt. They have some cement and/or additive as well. Therefore the compressive strength is higher than just that of dirt.

Unless you are saying that because the compressive strength of dirt > concrete, therefore dirt + concrete cannot be > than concrete alone?

If so, I'm not sure if that's the whole story. I don't know what additives there are, and the math may not work that way... the strengths may not be simply additive.

(I also think it' possible the real comparison is 'cinder blocks', which are far less sturdy than poured concrete)

My post referenced rammed earth, which I had meant to show how strong plain dirt is once compressed compared to uncompressed. However, that likely caused confusion as I was not meaning the Boring bricks had the strength of rammed earth.

I think we all agree that Boring brick are made of more than excavation tailings and are formed using higher pressures than normal rammed earth.

 

[Asymmetry]

I'll stay out of political policy commentary.

But I will point out that Elon recognizes the value of economic drivers in his endeavors. So while there may be something to be gained by political mandate, if the product is better & cheaper, then demand won't be an issue regardless...

Thats what I do love the stuff Elon is doing, its clearly better/cheaper regardless of personal view.

 

[DarkandStormy]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1040139968843145216

5 years since this tweet. Are the $.10 bricks available?

 

[dhanson865]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1040139968843145216

5 years since this tweet. Are the $.10 bricks available?

They sold some in the past (and given some away) but they haven't created a steady stream of them yet.

All the past sales were local, no online web store sales. So likely you would have to be in NV or CA to get any.

Since Vegas loop is the big project if you wanted some right now you'd have to go to Vegas.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

It was just an idea for dealing with spoil. Not going to happen.