CAST-IN PLACE AND

PRE-CAST, SLAB TYPES

AND FLOOR SYSTEMS
Overview: What are these?
Cast-in Place Cast-in Place (CIP)
concrete walls and slabs
are made with ready-mix
concrete placed into
removable forms
(wooden partitions)
erected on site.
H i s t o r i c a l l y, t h i s h a s
been one of the most
common forms of bldg.
basement walls. The
same techniques used
below grade can be
Repeated with above-
grade walls to form the
first floor and upper
levels of homes
• Early forays into this technology were done more
than 100 years ago by Thomas Edison. He saw the
benefit of building homes with concrete well before it
was widely understood.

• As technology developed, improvements in forming

systems and insulation materials increased the ease
and appeal of using removable forms for single-
family construction. These systems are strong. Their
inherent thermal mass, coupled with appropriate
insulation, makes them quite energy efficient.
Traditional finishes can be applied to interior and
exterior faces, so the buildings look similar to frame
construction, although the walls are usually thicker.
Pre-cast
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. Precast stone is
distinguished from precast concrete by
using a fine aggregate in the mixture,
so the final product approaches the
appearance of naturally occurring rock
or stone.
• By producing precast concrete in a controlled
environment (typically referred to as a precast plant),
the precast concrete is afforded the opportunity to
properly cure and be closely monitored by plant
employees.

• Utilizing a Precast Concrete system offers many

potential advantages over site casting of concrete. The
production process for Precast Concrete is performed
on ground level, which helps with safety throughout a
project. There is a greater control of the quality of
materials and workmanship in a precast plant rather
than on a construction site. Financially, the forms used
in a precast plant may be reused hundreds to
thousands of times before they have to be replaced,
which allow cost of formwork per unit to be lower than
for site-cast production.
The Verdict:
Cast-in Place
VS Pre-Cast
With the difference of the Cast-in Place and Pre-Cast
concrete discussed, we have come up with a solid
observation on what is more reliable and advantage-
able in building structures fast and easy; and it is Pre-
Cast. To sum it up, Cast-in Place gets the job done and
it is considered as the traditional method in forming the
desired design of the building by means of removable
temporary partitions. But Pre-Cast steps out of the way
with its modular and easy-to-install maintenance. With
pre-made forms, building your design is just an
assembly away.
Pre-cast Cast in place
Pre-cast Cast in place
Pre-cast Cast in place
Pre-cast Cast in place
Pre-cast Cast in place
Pre-cast Cast in place
Pre-cast Cast in place
Pre-cast Cast in place
Pre-cast Cast in place
Pre-cast Cast in place
Pre-cast Cast in place
Pre-cast Cast in place
Types of Slabs
• Flat Slab
• Flat Plate
• Waffle Slab (2-Way joist )
• Ribbed Floor Slab (1-Way Joist)
• Lift slab
• Slip Form Method
 Flat Slab
• A flat slab is a one-way or two-way system with
thickenings in the slab at the columns and load
bearing walls called ‘drop panels’

• Drop panels act as T-beams over the supports.

They increase the shear capacity and the stiffness
of the floor system under vertical loads, thus
increasing the economical span range. This form of
construction has become less popular in recent
years because of the limit on economical spans of
about 9.5 m for reinforced slabs and about 12 m for
pre-stressed slabs. Reinforced flat slabs may need
to be sensibly pre-cambered (not overdone) to
control deflection.
• The plan dimensions of the drop panels are a
minimum of 1/3 of the span in the direction under
consideration, usually rounded to the nearest 100
mm. The overall depth of the drop panel is
typically taken as 1.75 to 2 times the depth of the
slab, again rounded to suit timber sizes or the
nearest 25 mm.
Flat Slab on-site
and framework
 Flat Slab
Advantages: Disadvantages:
- Simple formwork. - Medium spans.
- No beams—simplifying - Generally not suitable for
under-floor services supporting brittle (masonry)
outside the drops. partitions.
- Minimum structural - Drop panels may interfere
depth. with larger mechanical
- Usually does not require ducting.
shear reinforcement at - Vertical penetrations need to
the columns. avoid area around columns.
- For reinforced flat slabs,
deflection at the middle strip
may be critical.
 Flat Plate

• A flat plate is a one- or two-way system usually

supported directly on columns or load-bearing walls. It
is one of the most common forms of construction of
floors in buildings.

• The principal feature of the flat plate floor is a uniform

or near-uniform thickness with a flat soffit which
requires only simple formwor k a n d i s e a sy t o
construct. The floor allows great flexibility for locating
horizontal services above a suspended ceiling or in a
bulkhead.
• The economical span of a flat plate for
low to medium loads is usually limited by
the need to control long-term deflection
and may need to be sensibly pre-
cambered (not overdone) or pre-
stressed.
• An economical span for a reinforced flat plate is
of the order of 6 to 8 m
• Pre-stressed flat plates is in the range of 8 to 12
m.
• The span ‘L’ of a reinforced concrete flat-plate is
approximately D x 28 for simply supported, D x
30 for an end span of a continuous system, to D
x 32 for internal continuous spans. The
economical span of a flat plate can be extended
by pre-stressing to approximately D x 30, D x 37
and D x 40 respectively, where D is the depth of
slab.
 Flat Plate
Advantages: Disadvantages:
- Simple formwork - Medium spans.
and suitable for - Limited lateral load capacity as
direct fix or part of a moment frame.
sprayed ceiling. - May need shear heads or shear
- No beams— reinforcement at the columns or
simplifying under- larger columns for shear.
floor services. - Long-term deflection may be
controlling factor.
- May not be suitable for supporting
brittle (masonry) partitions.
- May not be suitable for heavy
loads.
Flat Plate on-site and framework
 Waffle Slab (2-Way Joists)

• Ribbed floors consisting of equally spaced ribs

are usually supported directly by columns.
• They are either one-way spanning systems
known as ribbed slab or a two-way ribbed
system known as a waffle slab.
• This form of construction is not very common
because of the formwork costs and the low fire
rating.
• A 120-mm-thick slab with a minimum rib
thickness of 125 mm for continuous ribs is
required to achieve a 2-hour fire rating.
 Waffle Slab (2-Way Joists)

• A rib thickness of greater than 125 mm is

usually required to accommodate tensile and
shear reinforcement. Ribbed slabs are suitable
for medium to heavy loads, can span
reasonable distances, are very stiff and
particularly suitable where the soffit is exposed.
• Slab depths typically vary from 75 to 125 mm and rib
widths from 125 to 200 mm. Rib spacing of 600 to
1500 mm can be used. The overall depth of the floor
typically varies from 300 to 600 mm with overall
spans of up to 15 m if reinforced, longer if post-
tensioned.
• The use of ribs to the soffit of the slab reduces the
quantity of concrete and reinforcement and also the
weight of the floor. The saving of materials will be
offset by the complication in formwork and placing of
reinforcement. However, formwork complication is
minimized by use of standard, modular, reusable
formwork, usually made from polypropylene or
fiberglass and with tapered sides to allow stripping.
 Waffle Slab (2-Way Joists)
Advantages: Disadvantages:
- Savings on weight and - Depth of slab between the
materials. ribs may control the fire
- Long spans. rating.
- Attractive soffit appearance - Requires special or
if exposed. proprietary formwork.
- Economical when reusable - Greater floor-to-floor height.
formwork pans used. - Large vertical penetrations
- Ve r t i c a l p e n e t r a t i o n s are more difficult to handle.
between ribs are easy.
Waffle Slab on-site
and framework
 Ribbed Floor Slab (1-Way Joist)

• Introducing voids to the soffit of a slab reduces dead

weight and increases the efficiency of the concrete
section. A slightly deeper section is required but these
stiffer floors facilitate longer spans and provision of
holes.
• Economic in the range 8 to 12 m. the saving of
materials tends to be offset by some complication in
formwork. The advent of expanded polystyrene
moulds has made the choice of trough profile infinite
and largely superseded the use of standard T moulds.
Ribs should be at least 125 mm wide to suit
reinforcement detailing.
• The rib-slab is special in that it provides a lighter and
stiffer slab than an equivalent flat slab, reducing the
extent of foundations since the ultimate load is
reduced. They provide a very good form where slab
vibration is an issue.

• They are also known as waffle slabs, because they

look like waffles with rows of beams running
underneath them. They have advantages of saving
on material, and providing long spans.
 Ribbed Floor Slab (1-Way Joist)

Advantages: Disadvantages:
- Medium to long spans. - Higher formwork costs than
- Lightweight. for other slab systems.
- Holes in topping easily - S l i g h t l y g r e a t e r f l o o r
accommodated. thicknesses.
- L a r g e h o l e s c a n b e - Slower.
accommodated.
- Profile may be expressed
architecturally, or used for
heat transfer in passive
cooling.
Ribbed Floor Slab on-
site and framework
 Lift Slab

• 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 not requiring boxing and supports for casting
in situ. The method was first used at Trinity University
in San Antonio, Texas during the construction of
Northup Hall in 1952.
• Johnstone Hall, a Clemson University dormitory in
Clemson, South Carolina, was erected using this
method in 1954. Several of the blocks have now been
demolished, and campus legend says that that two other
similar structures built elsewhere collapsed before
completion.

• Lift slab construction was also involved in the

L'Ambiance Plaza collapse in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in
1987, and resulted in a nationwide federal investigation
into this construction technique in the United States, and
Connecticut imposed a temporary moratorium on lift slab
construction. A patent was issued to Tom Slick for this
construction method, called the "Youtz-Slick" method, in
1955.
 Lift Slab
Advantages: Disadvantages:
- Easier maintenance and - Earthquake-prone.
lesser manpower. - Slabs are fastened only
- Cheaper against the other by bolts; if not maintained
types of slabs. properly, might cause
- Is widely common with accidents that lead to
modular structures. structure failure.
- Load capacity is limited.
Lift Slab on-site and
framework
 Slip Form Method
Slip forming, continuous poured, continuously formed, or
slipform construction is a construction method in which
concrete is poured into a continuously moving form. Slip
forming is used for tall structures (such as bridges,
towers, buildings, and dams), as well as horizontal
structures, such as roadways. Slipforming enables
continuous, non-interrupted, cast-in-place "flawless" (i.e.
no joints) concrete structures which have superior
performance characteristics to piecewise construction
using discrete form elements. Slip forming relies on the
quick-setting properties of concrete, and requires a
balance between quick-setting capacity and workability.
Concrete needs to be workable enough to be
placed into the form and consolidated (via vibration),
yet quick-setting enough to emerge from the form
with strength. This strength is needed because the
freshly set concrete must not only permit the form to
"slip" by the concrete without disturbing it, but also
support the pressure of the new concrete as well as
resist collapse caused by the vibration of the
compaction machinery.
• In vertical slip forming the concrete form may be
surrounded by a platform on which workers stand, placing
steel reinforcing rods into the concrete and ensuring a
smooth pour. Together, the concrete form and working
platform are raised by means of hydraulic jacks. Generally,
the slipform rises at a rate which permits the concrete to
harden by the time it emerges from the bottom of the form.
• In horizontal slip forming for pavement and traffic
separation walls concrete is laid down, vibrated, worked,
and settled in place while the form itself slowly moves
ahead. This method was initially devised and utilized in
Interstate Highway construction initiated by the
Eisenhower administration during the 1950s.
Slip Form Method framework
 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 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.
• 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.
• 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.
Floor Stiffness:
Stiffness is needed to ensure that a floor
behaves correctly from a dynamic point of view,
thereby assuring user comfort. This is a complex
subject, as the real issue is how the floor responds
(in terms of acceleration), and that is a function of a
number of variables including stiffness and the
mass that is mobilized.
The traditional approach, which is recognized as being
crude, for designing a floor to respond acceptably is to
check its natural frequency and compare that with a
limiting value (which is a function of the floor mass).
The required behavior depends on the function for a
given building/room. Some uses are less tolerant to
floor movements (e.g. an operating theatre). Some
uses (e.g. a gymnasium within an office) are more likely
to cause problems and warrant particular attention.
Span Stress Floor System
Group 01:

Balbin
Agustin
Galasi A
AGYAMAN
Sebes
Cassiano