1.

LIFT-SLAB CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM

- Lift-Slab Construction is a precast method of construction of slab on the

ground and then lifting it to the structure.

- A type of pre-casting used in building construction involves casting floor and

roof slabs at or near ground level and lifting them to their final position,
hence the name lift-slab construction. It offers many of the advantages of
pre-casting and eliminates many of the storing, handling, and transporting
disadvantages. It normally requires fewer joints than other types of precast
building systems. Typically, columns are erected first, but not necessarily for
the full height of the building. Near the base of the columns, floor slabs are
cast in succession, one atop another, with a parting com-pound between
them to prevent bond. The roof slab is cast last, on top. Usually, the
construction is flat plate, and the slabs have uniform thickness; waffle slabs
or other types also can be used. Openings are left around the columns, and a
steel collar is slid down each column for embedment in every slab. The collar
is used for lifting the slab, connecting it to the column, and reinforcing the
slab against shear. To raise the slabs, jacks are set atop the columns and turn
threaded rods that pass through the collars and do the lifting. As each slab
reaches its final position, it is wedged in place and the collars are welded to
the columns.

- The construction of multistory buildings by lifting each floor slab to a height

specified by the design. The reinforced-concrete slabs are made at ground
level and lifted by a set of hoists. Walls, partitions, and plumbing or other
technical equipment are mounted on the slab either before or after lifting,
depending on the degree of completion of the associated structures. Since
1950 the lift-slab method has been widely used in the United States, the
Peoples Republic of Bulgaria, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, the
Federal Republic of Germany, and other countries for the erection of various
types of buildings with as many as 21 stories. In the USSR this method has
been used since 1959 for the erection of multistory buildings up to 15 stories

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 high (for example, apartment houses in the Armenian SSR and public
buildings in Leningrad and Moscow). In the USSR the lift-slab method involves
the fabrication of a set of girderless, reinforced-concrete slabs at the
construction site. The number of slabs is determined by the number of floors
in the building. Steel collars are inserted in each slab; their shape
corresponds to the contour of the columns. The collar is used to grip the slab
during lifting, which is done by electrical-mechanical hoists or, less
frequently, hydraulic hoists. The hoists are mounted on the columns or
attached by clasps. The lift-slab method makes possible the construction of
multistory industrial and public buildings with continuous floor slabs having
an area up to 3,000 sq m and a weight of as much as 1,500 tons. The
distance between columns may be 6 m or more. For spans exceeding 8 m,
hollow or coffered slabs of either standard or pre-stressed reinforced concrete
are used. The lift-slab method is particularly effective in the construction of
multistory buildings with operational, architectural, or structural requirements
that preclude the use of sectionalized floor slabs prefabricated in large
numbers in a factory. The lift-slab method is successfully used in seismic
regions, at construction sites with limited space, and in regions where highly
developed industrial construction materials and facilities are not readily
available.

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 ADVANTAGES
Lift-slab construction method becomes
more advantageous in buildings with
similar floor plans throughout the height
of the building and where flush slab may
be desired.
This method eliminates the need for
redundant formwork as only shuttering
required on the edges, therefore casting
concrete slabs is the simplest stage in
whole constriction process of lift-slab
method.
Lift-slab method may be employed with
ribbed slabs not only flat slabs with
some compromise of the ease of casting.
DISADVANTAGES
If not properly handled, the precast units
may be damaged during transport.
It becomes difficult to produce
satisfactory connections between the
precast members.
It is necessary to arrange for special
equipment for lifting and moving of the
precast units.

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 The economy achieved in precast
construction is partially balanced by the
amount to be spent in transport and
handling of precast members. It
becomes therefore necessary to locate
the precast factory such a place that
transport and handling charges are
thought down to the minimum possible
extent.

Summary

Lift slab construction is a method of constructing concrete buildings by

casting the floor or roof slab on top of the previous slab and then raising
(jacking) the slab up with hydraulic jacks, so being cheaper and faster as it
does not need forms & shores as it is needed for cast-in-place slabs.
This method eliminates the need for redundant formwork as only shuttering
required on the edges, therefore casting concrete slabs is the simplest stage
in whole constriction process of lift-slab method.
Lift-slab construction method becomes more advantageous in buildings with
similar floor plans throughout the height of the building and where flush slab
may be desired.
The sequence of lifting slabs is influenced by the following factors: weight of
the slabs; height of the building, lifting capacity of jacks, cross sectional area
of columns during initial lifting.
Slabs are lifted by jacks, operating on the top of the building columns, this
jacks lift a pair of steel rods attached to each lifting collar in the slab being
raised.
This system requires a central and accurate control to provide a uniform lift
from all directions.

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 2. TILT-UP CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM

- Tilt-up, tilt-slab or tilt-wall is a type of building and a construction technique

using concrete. Though it is a cost-effective technique with a shorter
completion time, poor performance in earthquakes has mandated significant
seismic retrofit requirements in older buildings. With the tilt-up method,
concrete elements (walls, columns, structural supports, etc.) are formed
horizontally on a concrete slab; this normally requires the building floor as a
building form but may be a temporary concrete casting surface near the
building footprint. After the concrete has cured, the elements are "tilted" to
the vertical position with a crane and braced into position until the remaining
building structural components (roofs, intermediate floors and walls) are
secured. Tilt-up construction is a common method of construction throughout
North America, several Caribbean nations, Australia, and New Zealand. It is
not significantly used in Europe or the northern two thirds of Asia. It is gaining
popularity in southern Asia, the Middle East, parts of Africa, Central and South
America. Concrete elements can also be formed at factories away from the
building site. Tilt-up differs from prefabrication, or plant cast construction, in
that all elements are constructed on the job site. This eliminates the size
limitation imposed by transporting elements from a factory to the project site.

- Tilt-up is one of the most advanced construction methods and it can be used
in almost every situation from warehouse facilities to domestic homes. Tilt-up
concrete construction is not new; it has been in use since the turn of the
century. Since the mid-1940s it has developed into preferred method of
construction for many types of buildings and structures. They are attractive,
efficient and long lasting. Damage to a concrete building from a truck or fork-
lift is minimal compared to metal or
wood buildings which usually sustain
substantial damage from similar
incidents. Fire resistance of concrete
can extend the buildings life, plus tilt-
up panels may be used for the interior
fire walls, and buildings may be spaced
closer together if necessary.

The erection sequence should be determined well in advance, but it's a good idea to
review it immediately before panel erection. Also, thoroughly review safety

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procedures with all Tilt-Up crew members to help prevent accidents. Discuss crane
operation, bracing and anchorage details, cable releases, and job communication.

A crane lifts one of the final panels into

place on this Tilt-Up warehouse project
in Utah.

Locate and clean inserts and embeds and attach braces before lifting the panels. It
is much quicker and safer to do this work while the panel is flat rather than doing it
on a ladder after the panel is upright.

Braces should not be removed until after the roof and decking are installed. Once
the braces have been safely removed, workers can patch holes in the floor and
complete other finish work.

ADVANTAGES
Speed of getting the wall panels placed
as compared to masonry.
Architectural freedom for pattern design
on the finished wall and exterior wall
finish.
Fire resistance, durability, low
maintenance, lower insurance rates.
Insulation for tilt up concrete exceeds
masonry and wood frame construction.
Tilt up building are easily expandable.
DISADVANTAGES
Complicated reinforcing patterns and
layout of openings.
Lifting panels requires specialized
equipment and third party engineering
to calculate the lifting loads
Connections between the panels for the
resistance of lateral forces are somewhat
unwieldy at times.
Having to cast a separate concrete pad
for the casting of the panels
themselves.
Roof connections require third party
trades for chemical anchor bolts.
Bracing the panels back to the concrete
floor until the roof is attached - have to
plug holes in the floor.

GLOSSARY

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Column - Or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element
that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other
structural elements below

Concrete - Is a mixture of paste and aggregates, or rocks. The paste, composed of

port land cement and water, coats the surface of the fine (small) and coarse (larger)
aggregates.

Concrete Slab - Is common structural element of modern buildings. Horizontal

slabs of steel reinforced concrete, typically between 4 and 20 inches (100 and 500
millimeters) thick, are most often used to construct floors and ceilings, while thinner
slabs are also used for exterior paving.

Lift-Up - A type of pre-casting used in building construction involves casting floor

and roof slabs at or near ground level and lifting them to their final position, hence
the name lift-slab construction.

Panel Wall - A wall panel is single piece of material, usually flat and cut into a
rectangular shape, that serves as the visible and exposed covering for a wall.

Precast Concrete - Is a construction product produced by casting concrete in a

reusable mold or "form" which is then cured in a controlled environment,
transported to the construction site and lifted into place. In contrast, standard
concrete is poured into site-specific forms and cured on site.

Tilt-Up - Tilt-slab or tilt-wall is a type of building and a construction technique using

concrete. Though it is a cost-effective technique with a shorter completion time,
poor performance in earthquakes has mandated significant seismic retrofit
requirements in older buildings

REFERENCES

http://theconstructor.org/concrete/lift-slab-construction/6824/

http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Lift-Slab+Method

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http://fac.ksu.edu.sa/sites/default/files/5-_lift-slab_method.pdf

http://civilblog.org/2014/07/26/what-are-the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-
liftslab-construction-system/

Glass, J. (August 2000). "Wall panel renaissance: the benefit of tilt-up concrete
construction" (PDF). Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Structures and
Buildings. 140 (140): 277. doi:10.1680/istbu.2000.32599.

Tilt-up Construction: An Old Idea for General Contractors With New Innovations".
Retrieved 2007-06-13.

Structural engineer and 4th edition of Tilt Up Design and Construction Manual 1997

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