Sonotube

Sonotube

Sonotubes are the paper alternative for concrete column forming. Traditional cement column forming materials, such as steel and fiberglass, are quickly becoming replaced with paper-fiber sonotubes due to the convenience of their strength-to-weight ratio, their disposability and their cost efficiency. In order for concrete columns to be formed, the concrete must be poured into a reinforced shaping structure; in order to withstand the internal pressure of concrete and create a perfectly straight, smooth-sided column, shaping structures must have strength, durability and a smooth, flawless interior. Sonotubes have all of these characteristics; made from high quality fiber layers spiral wound with adhesives, they are extremely strong in cylinder form. Paper tube manufacturers can manufacture sonotubes with precision linearity, and for columns intended for decoration or display, sonotubes are lined with a thin layer of plastic, making the mold smooth and polished.

While steel and fiberglass tubes also have strength, durability and linearity, the tubes themselves are awkward to transport, set up and remove from columns once they are set. Steel and fiberglass are both heavy and inflexible and must be carefully treated to be removed from cement once set, whereas sonotubes are light, strong and easily removed either as a whole or in disposable pieces. Because they are made from biodegradable paper, whole sonotubes and sonotube pieces can be discarded, recycled, or with purely functional columns, simply left on. Steel and fiberglass tubes are much more expensive to make and therefore must be removed and often must be washed and shipped back to the manufacturer; for this reason, steel and fiberglass tubes are used sparingly, and usually only one or two columns can be poured at a time so that the tubes can be re-used, elongating construction time by sometimes days or weeks. Sonotubes are much less expensive, and they are disposable, making it possible for contractors to pour as many columns simultaneously as they need to make. This cuts down not only on construction time, but on the costs of concrete hauling; if multiple tubes are set up at a time, cement trucks only need come once as opposed to multiple times.

Concrete columns are used in a wide variety of applications, and with the introduction of the sonotube to the industrial market, contractors are finding even more ways to make projects efficient with concrete columns. Short, wide columns are often used as bases for parking lot lamps, streetlights, street signals and deck posts. Tall columns are used for external decoration or roof support around buildings, foundational support in basements and warehouses, and many others. Manufactured anywhere between 8 to 56 inches in diameter and up to 18 feet long, sonotubes offer versatile solutions for almost any concrete project.

Sound technicians and home sound hobbyists have found another innovative way to make use of sonotubes' incredible strength-to-weight ratio and cost efficiency. Sonotubes are being scavenged from construction sites, cut in half to form arcs, and are used to line auditorium or church sanctuary walls to improve room acoustics quite effectively. Many sound technicians and sound hobbyists have discovered how to construct sound cabinets from sections of sonotubes by insulating the inside, capping the ends and fitting speakers into one of the end caps. Sonotubes' strength is more than adequate to withstand the sound waves, and it provides a cost efficient alternative to wood or formed plastic.