tirants de fixation

12:27 Apr 20, 2016 

This is as clear as mud... rammed-earth mud!!... However, I have just found the following site: http://oa.upm.es/11373/1/GIL_CRESPO_2012_RAMMED_EARTH_WALLS_...

On page 110, this paragraph gives me hope!!!
The presence of the putlog holes of the wooden
cross ties helps us to reconstruct the process of the
walls construction.

07:45 Apr 20, 2016 

Per your reference (first photograph top right) the ties or tie-rods (tirants) are the metal parts with nuts perpendicular to the wall (passing in "trous de boulin" in your ST, although these are much smaller), the waler bars (barres de traverse) are on the picture just below the horizontal bars parallel to the wall, but I am still unsure from source text whether the "tirants de fication" are the vertical bars on top picture (barres verticales/barres de renfort) or the horizontal ones on middle picture

For picture comparison:
http://www.peri.lt/files/pdf3/Component_Catalogue_Formwork_2...
http://www.emisupplies.com/steel_index1.html
http://collections.infocollections.org/ukedu/en/d/Jgtz025ae/...

06:24 Apr 20, 2016 

Although it is not specified in this article, previous articles written by the same author indicate that this refers to a rammed-earth wall and the 'coffrage' is the formwork of this type of wall. Hence, why I think it may be tie beams or just ties, as per this website:
http://www.builditinternational.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/...

13:42 Apr 17, 2016 

I think we're saying the same thing here! What we need is more context about the "coffrage" so that we know what function the "tirants de fixation" performed.

13:18 Apr 17, 2016 

Jane: I am not sure. The "trous de boulin" (20 cm in diameter) go through the entire wall and their positions correspond to those of the anchoring points of the "tirants de fixation."

13:02 Apr 17, 2016 

Yes, but if you look at the text more closely, the "trous de boulin" aren't the holes where the "tirants de fixation" used to be - they held the *attachments* for the "tirants de fixation", which could have been of any diameter.

12:54 Apr 17, 2016 

If they were talking about modern concrete forms, "tie rods" might be appropriate (http://www.hi-lite-systems.com/concrete-formwork/tie-rods). In this case, as they seem to be 20 cm in diameter, your suggestion (tie beams) is probably a better choice.

12:48 Apr 17, 2016 

At first glance I took this to mean coffering for mortar to be poured behind, in which case something like "support joists" or simply "support beams" might be more appropriate.

But then I wondered whether you're talking about the structure supporting a coffered ceiling, where "tie beams" might well be right.