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Cast-in-Place and Pre-cast Concrete System

Research 1A

Jayson G. Javier

College of Architecture and Fine Arts, MSEUF

A011B: Building Technology 5 -Alternative Building Construction System

Ar. Christopher Mirasol

February 1, 2021
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Cast-in-Place and Pre-cast Concrete System

Research 1A

Cast-in-Place and Pre-Cast Concrete System? This is a crucial question for anyone

moving forward with a commercial building project. So what is Cast-in-Place and Pre-cast

concrete system?Site concrete pouring or Cast-in-Place is custom to the build, it is incredibly

versatile. However, it is also far more costly, labor intensive and time intensive. While Pre-

cast concrete does have to be hauled to location, its unparalleled quality, affordability, and

longevity make it stand out against its on-site competitors (Nitterhouse Concrete Products,

n.d.). In fact, precast concrete has established itself as the preferred approach to concrete

construction according to the Concrete Producer (Concrete Construction, 2015), a trade

magazine focused on the concrete industry.

Flat Slab

Flat slab is an RRC slab built monolithically with supporting columns and reinforced

in two or more directions. Beams are not provided to support slab. The loads are directly

transferred to columns. (Daily Civil, 2017)

In flat slabs, the columns are provided with enlarged heads called capitals or column

heads. The thickness of slab over columns is also increased to support heavy loads and the

thickened part of the slab is called drop panel. For lighter loads the column heads and drop

panels are eliminated, such flat slab with constant thickness supported on prismatic columns

are called flat plate. (Daily Civil, 2017)

These are types of Flat Slab (Daily Civil, 2017):

1. Flat slab with drop panel.

2. Flat slab with column head.

3. Flat slab with drop panel and column head.

4. Flat slab without drop panel and column head.

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Types Of Flat Slab

(Daily Civil, 2017)

Details

(Construction Cost, n.d.)

Prestressed Flat Slab Concrete Pouring Process

(Anand, 2017)

Advantages (Daily Civil, 2017):

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1. It reduces the overall height of the structure.

2. Flat slabs are capable to carry concentrated loads.

3. Requires less formwork.

4. As reinforcement detailing of flat slabs is simple it is easy to place.

5. Better quality control.

6. Installation of sprinkler and other piping utilities are easier due to absent beams.

7. It gives a better appearance and better diffusion of light.

8. Better fire resistant than other floor systems.

9. Fast construction.

Flat Plate

Flat Plate Floor System: The flat plate is simply a slab of constant thickness supported

directly on columns or load bearing walls. This system is one of the most common structural

system used in building construction due to the ease and speed of making the formwork (as

there is a uniform thickness, one need a formwork with a flat soffit) (Civil Engineering

Forum, n.d.).

The span of a flat plate floor is governed by the both the strength requirements and

serviceability requirements represented by the deflection. In order to be economic, try to limit

the span in the range of 6 to 8 m for reinforced concrete flat plates (Civil Engineering Forum,

n.d.).

(Civil Engineering Forum, n.d.).

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Flat plate floor system

(Anand, 2014)

Advantages (Civil Engineering Forum, n.d.):

1. The floor gives a wide flexibility to locate the horizontal services such as mechanical

ducts above a suspended ceiling.

2. Simple formwork.

3. No beams so you have the entire ceiling height available for services.

4. Reduced floor-to floor height.

Waffle Slab or Ribbed Floor Slab
Waffle slab or ribbed slab is a structural component which is plain on its top and

contains grid like system on its bottom surface. The top of ribbed slab is normally thin and

the bottom grid lines are generally ribs which are laid perpendicular to each other with equal

depth. Waffle slab has two directional reinforcement. All the ribs are directed from column

heads or beams. The depth of ribs maintained is as same as depth of column head or beam.

Because of the ribs and double reinforcement, it is more stable and recommended for larger

span slabs or foundations (The Constructor, n.d.).

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(The Contractor, n.d.)

Advantages (The Contractor, n.d.):

1. Waffle slabs are used for larger span slabs or floors and used when there is limited

requirement for number of columns.

2. The load carrying capacity of waffle slab is greater than the other types of slabs.

3. They provide good structural stability along with aesthetic appearance. Hence, it is

constructed for airports, hospitals, temples, churches etc.

4. The waffle slab can be made of concrete or wood or steel among those concrete

waffle slab is preferred for commercial buildings and other two are preferred for

garages, decorative halls etc.

5. It has good vibration control capacity because of two directional reinforcement. So, it

is useful for public buildings to control vibrations created by movements of crowd.

6. Waffle slabs are lightweight and requires less amount of concrete, hence it is

economical.

7. Construction of waffle slab is easy and quick with good supervision.

8. Concrete and steel volume required is small, hence, light framework is enough for

waffle slab.

9. Several services like lighting, plumbing pipes, electrical wiring, air conditioning,

insulation materials etc. can be provided within the depth of waffle slab by providing

holes in the waffle bottom surface. This system is called as Holedeck.

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Lift Slab

Lift slab construction was a revolutionary idea in the early 1950s when it was

developed by the Youtz-Slick company. Since then it has become a basic method of

economical concrete construction, especially for office buildings, apartments, parking

garages, hotels and other structures characterized by repetitive framing from floor to floor

(Randall, F. jr., 1981).

Basically, the method entails casting floor and roof slabs on or at ground level and

jacking them up into position. The traditional lift slab construction sequence is illustrated

above. Flat plate floors are commonly used because they are so well suited to stack-casting,

requiring formwork at only the edges of the slab and at floor openings (Randall, F. jr., 1981).

Special lifting collars or shearheads are provided in the slabs at the columns. Bond

breaking compounds are applied between slabs to separate them. After the slabs have cured

long enough to reach a prescribed strength, powerful hydraulic jacks mounted on top of the

columns lift the slabs into their respective positions. A console connected to each hydraulic

jack synchronizes the number of turns of the check nuts to assure that the concrete slab is

being raised the same amount at all points. Lift slab can be used for heights up to about 16

stories. Economical column spacing ranges from 22 to 32 feet (Randall, F. jr., 1981).
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Advantages (Randall, F. jr., 1981).

1. Elimination of most formwork, an especially important factor in areas where labor

costs are high.

2. Concrete floor construction at ground level is convenient and requires no shores,

scaffolds or cranes.

3. Slabs can be cast and protected easily during cold weather without expensive heating

and enclosures required for ordinary construction.

4. Reduce handling and hoisting of materials and supplies that can simply be placed on

top of the slabs and lifted with them.

Span Stress Floor System

Different buildings have different requirements, so not surprisingly there is no 'one

size fits all' most appropriate solution. Clearly the requirements vary depending on the type of

use, but there are also some more subtle issues to consider and these are highlighted below. It

should not be forgotten that when considering intended use, it may be appropriate to pay
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attention to a different use in the future - many steel solutions offer flexibility that can result

in high levels of sustainability over the lifetime of a building (Palero, T., 2019,).

As a rule of thumb designers should adopt the simplest solution that will meet the

project requirements. Generally speaking the simplest solution will also be the most common,

and familiarity will facilitate the design, fabrication and erection processes as no new

learning is involved (Palero, T., 2019,).

Within the context of steel floor systems, simple also means less labor and cost. For

example, the simplest solution of a downstand solid web I-section beam as opposed to a truss

means; fewer structural elements, less fabrication , fewer surfaces to be fire protected and less

time to design (Palero, T., 2019,).

Slipform Method

Slipform is similar in nature and application to jumpform, but the formwork is raised

vertically in a continuous process. It is a method of vertically extruding a reinforced concrete

section and is suitable for construction of core walls in high-rise structures – lift shafts, stair

shafts, towers, etc. It is a self-contained formwork system and can require little crane-time

during construction (MPA The Concrete Centre, n.d.).

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This is a formwork system which can be used to form any regular shape or core. The

formwork rises continuously, at a rate of about 300mm per hour, supporting itself on the core

and not relying on support or access from other parts of the building or permanent works.

Commonly, the formwork has three platforms. The upper platform acts as a storage and

distribution area while the middle platform, which is the main working platform, is at the top

of the poured concrete level. The lower platform provides access for concrete finishing (MPA

The Concrete Centre, n.d.).

Tower erection using slipform

(ResearchGate, n.d.)

(Bright Hub Engineering, 2011)

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Advantages (ResearchGate, n.d.)

1. Careful planning of construction processes can achieve high production rates.

2. Slipform does not require the crane to move upwards, minimising crane use.

3. Since the formwork operates independently, formation of the core in advance of the

rest of the structure takes it off the critical path – enhancing main structure stability.

4. Availability of the different working platforms in the formwork system allows the

exposed concrete at the bottom of the rising formwork to be finished, making it an

integral part of the construction process.

5. Certain formwork systems permit construction of tapered cores and towers.

6. Slipform systems require a small but highly skilled workforce on site.

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References

Anand P. (2014, July 28). Flat plate floor system [Photograph]. Civil Digital: Basics of Flat

Plate Floor System – Advantages & Disadvantages.

https://civildigital.com/basics- flat-plate- floor-system-advantages-disadvantages/

Anand P. (2017, September 25). Prestressed Flat Slab Concrete Pouring Process

[Photograph]. Civil Digital: Flat Slab Floors for Construction Efficiency | Advantages

to Client.

https://civildigital.com/flat-slab- floors-construction-efficiency-advantages-client/

Bright Hub Engineering (2011, August 17). Slipform Technique - A Method of Construction

[Photograph]

https://www.brighthubengineering.com/building-construction-design/123381-a-non-

stop-method-for-building-concrete-structures/

Civil Engineering Forum (n.d.). Flat Plate Floor System – Pros & Cons

https://www.civilengineeringforum.me/flat-plate- floor-system-pros-cons/

Concrete Construction (2015, January 27). US DEMAND FOR PRECAST CONCRETE

PRODUCTS IS ON THE RISE

https://www.concreteconstruction.net/producers/us-demand- for-precast-concrete-

products-is-on-the-rise_o

Construction Cost (n.d.). Advantages & Disadvantages of Flat Slab [Photograph].

https://www.constructioncost.co/advantages-and-disadvantages-of- flat-slab.html

Daily Civil (2017, December 15). Flat Slab – Types, Uses, Advantages and Disadvantages

https://dailycivil.com/flat-slab-types-uses-advantages-disadvantages/
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MPA The Concrete Centre (n.d.). Slipform

https://www.concretecentre.com/Building-Solutions/Formwork/Slip-

form.aspx#:~:text=Slipform%20is%20similar%20in%20nature,stair%20shafts%2C%

20towers%2C%20etc

Nitterhouse Concrete Products (n.d.). PRECAST CONCRETE VS. SITE CAST CONCRETE.

https://nitterhouseconcrete.com/precast/precast-concrete- vs-site-cast-

concrete/#:~:text=As%20opposed%20to%20precast%2C%20site,to%20be%20lifted

%20into%20place

Palero, T. (2019, February 1). Span Stress Floor System. Prezi

https://prezi.com/kaxxnyr4dbmq/span-stress- floor-system/?fallback=1

Randall, F. jr. (1981, September). New developments in lift slab construction. p1-p3.

https://www.concreteconstruction.net/_view-object?id=00000153-96b0-dbf3-a177-

96b9886d0000

The Constructor (n.d.). Waffle Slab or Ribbed Slab Construction Procedure and Advantages

https://theconstructor.org/structural-engg/waffle-slab-ribbed-slab-construction/20546/