Joseph-Louis Lambot (born 22 May 1814 in Montfort sur Argens; died 2 August 1887 in Brignoles), is the inventor of

ferro-cement Ferrocement or ferro-cement is a system of construction using reinforced mortar or plaster (lime or cement, sand, and water) applied over an "armature" of metal mesh, woven, expanded metal, or metal-fibers, and closely spaced thin steel rods ...

, which led to the development of what is now known as

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having hig ...

. He studied in Paris, where his uncle Baron Lambot was aide-de-camp to the

Duke of Bourbon Duke of Bourbon (french: Duc de Bourbon) is a title in the peerage of France. It was created in the first half of the 14th century for the eldest son of Robert of France, Count of Clermont and Beatrice of Burgundy, heiress of the lordship of B ...

. In 1841 he moved to his family's estate of Chateau Miraval in the Department of the Var (Southern France), where he applied himself to agriculture. It is around that time that he started constructing water tanks and troughs using cement

mortar (masonry) Mortar is a workable paste which hardens to bind building blocks such as stones, bricks, and concrete masonry units, to fill and seal the irregular gaps between them, spread the weight of them evenly, and sometimes to add decorative colors or pa ...

and iron reinforcement most likely in the form of iron rods,

chicken wire Chicken wire, or poultry netting, is a mesh of wire commonly used to fence in fowl, such as chickens, in a run or coop. It is made of thin, flexible, galvanized steel wire with hexagonal gaps. Available in 1 inch (about 2.5 cm) diameter, ...

(which was invented in Britain in 1844 and used for shipping crates) and possibly barrel bands that were easily available with the arrival of the machine age. In 1848 he constructed his first boat using the same system, which he tested on ponds on the estate. This boat was patented on 30 January 1855 and presented at the 1855

World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...

in Paris ( Exposition Universelle - 1855). Unfortunately, his patents went no further and were superseded by patents of

Joseph Monier Joseph Monier (; 8 November 1823, Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie, France – 13 March 1906, Paris) was a French gardener and one of the principal inventors of reinforced concrete. Overview As a gardener, Monier was not satisfied with the materi ...

. The original prototype is preserved at the . Robert Courland describes in his book ''Concrete Planet'' that Lambot's boat sank and was preserved in anaerobic mud at the bottom of the lake. The boat was recovered more than a hundred years later. His birthplace in

Montfort-sur-Argens Montfort-sur-Argens (, literally ''Montfort on Argens''; oc, Montfòrt d'Argenç) is a Communes of France, commune in the Var (département), Var Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region in so ...

is now "Maison Lambot" BnB.

References

Museum of Brignoles

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lambot, Joseph-Louis 1814 births 1887 deaths 19th-century French engineers French materials scientists Concrete pioneers 19th-century French inventors