The mass of compost needed for use on Lick Run Farm was determined to be too

heavy for one person to aerate without a mechanical advantage. Because compost
needs to be turned multiple times to adequately aerate the piles, the team decided
a step design (Fig. 6) would incorporate the use of gravity in this human-powered
aeration process. Rather than picking up every pound of compost to be turned, the
operator would merely push the compost down a step with a gravitational
advantage to achieve the same aeration.
Rick Williams specified that his raw materials for compost (woodchips, vegetative
waste, leaves, coffee grounds, etc.) would be loaded into the facility from a truck
bed. Assuming that the average pickup truck bed is three feet high with the tailgate
down, raw materials would be loaded onto the top step of the structure at three feet
high. The first step (Bin 1) in the design was created for mixing of raw materials
(greens and browns essentially), and was divided to accommodate these two
different kinds of feedstock. After mixing materials at appropriate ratios the
compost moves to the second platform (Bin 2) to begin active composting, also at
three feet high. All subsequent steps in the design were created one foot below
their previous step such that the compost manager would push the active compost
downhill onto the next platform. Thus, Bin 2 is three feet high, Bin 3 is two feet
high, Bin 4 is one foot high, and Bin 5 returns the compost to ground level for
curing. The time between aerations of each pile (when it needs to be pushed down)
depends on the raw material mix, but it is estimated that each pile would remain on
each platform for about one month.

Figure 6. Step Design Schematic (Side View)

This step design met the needs of the client as one person can operate it.
Additionally, the only fossil fuel inputs during the process are that of the truck

hauling in raw materials. Based on the facilitys uphill location relative to the rest of
the farm, this significantly reduces the manual labor required to both produce and
distribute finished compost, as the compost manager can move the compost from
the facility in a wheelbarrow downhill to the upper or lower gardens of Lick Run.
The prospect of structurally elevating compost also opened the door for natural
methods of aeration. A stainless steel perforated plate with mesh covering (to
prevent the compost from falling through) serves as a false bottom for each of the
active composting steps. This allowed Roanokes natural winds to flow beneath the
step structure and permeate the compost from below, providing additional oxygen
needed in the composting process. The calculations for this aeration are included in
the sections below.
The steps for the facility were designed in AutoCAD, with all of the necessary
support beams accounted for. The distance between each piece of lumber was
calculated using deform and structural deformation calculations that are included in
Appendix B. The false bottom feature is also represented in the AutoCAD design
shown below in Figure 7.

Figure 7. Step Method Design