Materials Used For Barns

Kayley

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I'm writing a short story about a girl whose body turns to fire (like the Human Torch). Well, her parents assumed that this would happen because of their blood and therefore built the barns on their farm out of a non-flammable substance.

Since wood is out of the question, is there other materials that could be used for barn? If so, what are the best ones to use, how much do they cost approximately, and what advantages could they have over wood?

You don't need to know all of the answers; I'm just looking for a material I can use. :)
 

Repartee

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You can use metal or concrete blocks instead of wood. It's actually quite popular to have a manufactured metal barn nowadays. Here's metal versus wood:
http://ezinearticles.com/?A-Metal-Barn-Versus-A-Wooden-Structure&id=452044

The price really depends on your area and whether it's a DIY thing or a mod barn.
Metal and concrete are not flammable and are fairly maintenance free, while wood barns are very flammable and take a lot of maintenance. Although, metal barns can be colder in the winter, and they don't have the same give that wood does if a horse kicks the walls.

I love metal barns, although they can be expensive. For even the simplest 2 stall thing, you're probably looking at around $30 k.
You can try googling MD Barns, who do mainly metal barns. Also, try this place:
http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/
It's a fabulous website. You can look here:
http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/forumdisplay.php?f=97
Or do a search for barn materials.
 
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jclarkdawe

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Fire proofing involves three separate things: exterior construction, fire load, and building design. Solving one aspect of this triangle doesn't work.

For example, a car's exterior is usually made out of metal. Steel doesn't burn. However, the paint on the steel does, as well as all of the plastic and rubber in a car. Bottom line is a car burns really well.

So let's say you build a barn out of concrete blocks. (The paint on steel siding does burn, the steel does not.) Only latex paint can be put on the walls. I'm not sure what you can use for a roof that doesn't burn at all. It's usually to tell after the fact because the heat is great enough to cause warping, but let's say the roof is fireproof.

Now let's look at the fire load. This is actually the biggest part of the equation. Fire load consists of the structure and everything in it. A piano is part of the fire load and burn very nicely. In a barn, all of the hay is an incredible fire load. That's why many farmers keep it in a separate structure. But all that hay leave dust and clippings, all flammable.

Leather tack, when it gets hot enough, burns. Oil and gas (including the drippings from a tractor) burn. The cover for electric wire burns. The plastic feed dish burns. Lead ropes burn. Grain burns. Should I go on? Bottom line is a barn has an incredible amount of fire load.

Then you have to look at design. Small rooms that have the door closed use up the oxygen in the room quickly, and then smolder. Unless they can get more oxygen, the fire will go out. Large open spaces burn quickly and easily because there's a lot of oxygen.

And with a stone or metal walls, the fire is contained. This means the heat can't dissipate. As a result, stone or metal walls will actually increase the temperature of the fire.

Net result is that barns work by keeping sources of ignition out, like no smoking and no kids that burst into flames.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe
 

Fenika

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I did know of a barn that was a metal frame (walls, roof) with mostly concrete stalls inside. I wondered how much it hurt when the horses kicked it, but they were mostly quiet horses at least.

The doors were made out of wood, but you can get metal gates.

Good luck keeping her away from the shavings/straw and the hay, nevermind the lead ropes and everything else that can go up in flames. Like, um, horseflesh x.x

ETA: I also know of a barn where the stall 'walls' are ALL metal bars going Verticle. The front doors just slide open. It's rather awesome. And circulation is stellar.
 

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For a barn roof you could have the parents use pre-stressed concrete planks. Poured concrete walls or concrete blocks will hold up against fire quite well. Steel beams (unpainted and treated with a reflective fire resistant powder coating) would work to prevent heat failure. Most homes with attached garages are required to have a 20 minute fire rated door between them but you can buy higher ratings as well for commercial work. All penetrations for wiring required fire caulk and fire resistant wiring is available.

Do your research and google for items and use your imagination. You're writing fiction so if your MC can burst into flame at will you could also have had a Halon system installed. It consumes the oxygen in the air to snuff out fire...which wouldn't be ideal for we mortals. But for a girl that can burst into flame I doubt the lack of oxygen for her to breathe would be a problem. :)
 

Kayley

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Thanks for all of the new answers! I think I'm going to leave this part out of the barn. Instead, I'll just have her parents forbid her from going there when she starts showing signs of what she can do. Thanks again for all of the help everyone. :)
 

JrFFKacy

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Thanks for all of the new answers! I think I'm going to leave this part out of the barn. Instead, I'll just have her parents forbid her from going there when she starts showing signs of what she can do. Thanks again for all of the help everyone. :)

Sounds like a good idea! No matter what you do, barns burn pretty good. It's the lack of interior walls and abundance of flamable materials (hay, etc). In a rural area, when a barn catches on fire, it will usually be on the ground by the time the Fire Department arrives so we just have to take a defensive 'surround and drown' approach.