The University of Melbourne

Semester 1 Examination 2018

Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning

ABPL 30046 Steel and Concrete Structural Systems

Reading Time 15 minutes

Writing Time 3 hours

Open Book Status Closed Book

This paper has 12 pages, including this cover page.

Authorised Materials:

The following items are authorised:

electronic calculator and
drawing instruments.

Instructions to Invigilators:

Students require 1 answer booklet.

This examination paper may be removed from the examination room at the completion of the
examination.

This examination paper shall be printed in colour.

Instructions to Students:

The student is to write their student number in each examination booklet.

Candidates should attempt ALL 6 questions.

Start each answer on a new page.

Sketches may be done on the left side un-ruled pages.

Paper to be held by Baillieu Library: Indicate whether the paper is to be held with the Baillieu Library.
 Yes □ No

Page 1 of 12
Answer ALL 7 questions.

Question 1. Steel Framed Structures (20%)

(a) Sketch a typical column to pad footing base connection for a 460UB74.6 steel
column welded to a 32mm thick base plate. Provide details for the anchor bolts
and welds for this connection to ensure that it performs as a moment connection.
(4%)

(b) Sketch a typical column to pad footing base connection for a 200x200x6 SHS
steel column welded to a 16mm thick base plate. Provide details for the anchor
bolts and welds for this connection to ensure that it performs as a pinned
connection. (4%)

(c) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using CHS versus SHS/RHS in the
construction of steel buildings. With the aid of annotated sketches, show how
cleats may be used to simplify connections of CHS struts. (4%)

(d) Provide sketches to illustrate the difference between bolts in single-shear and
bolts in double-shear. Briefly describe why the bolt capacity in double-shear is
twice the capacity of the bolt in single-shear. (4%)

(e) In the rafter apex connection shown in Figure 1.1 below, the 25mm thick end
plate is welded with 10mm CPBW to the flanges, but only 6mm CFW to each
side of the web. Why did the engineer utilise two different weld types here?
(4%)

25 PLATE 25 PLATE
CPBW FLANGES 8-M28 8.8/TB
6mm CFW SP EACH SIDE CPBW FLANGES
OF WEB 6mm CFW SP EACH SIDE OF WEB

Figure 1.1 Roof rafter apex connection

Page 2 of 12
Question 2. Industrial Ground Slabs (16%)

(a) Sketch a typical section of an industrial ground slab. Describe the differences
between a sub-base and the subgrade. What are typical materials used as a sub-
base and discuss what parameter influences the thickness of the sub-base?
(6%)

(b) Why are the reinforcements usually placed near the top of a jointed industrial
ground slab? (2%)

(c) What are the typical loads on an industrial ground slab? (3%)

(d) Figure 2.1 below shows a typical armour edge pour joint taken at the Moorabbin
project site. Provide a detailed sketch of a section of a pour joint utilising this
armour edge. Describe all the components including how differential vertical
movement across this joint is controlled. (5%)

Figure 2.1 Armour edge joint partially cast into the ground slab

Page 3 of 12
Question 3. Steel Portal Frames (8%)

(a) Explain why fly-bracing is necessary in order to achieve an economical rafter

size. (2%)

(b) Zed purlins act principally to support the roof sheeting. Describe how lateral
restraint is provided to these purlins under “inward” and “outward” loads. (2%)

(c) Why is it advantageous to utilise Zed purlins instead of Cee purlins to support
the sheet metal roof? (1%)

(d) Longitudinal wind forces are transferred to the side walls through the roof
bracing and then to the footings via the wall bracing as shown in Figure 3.1
below. If two end bays are braced, then no intermediate struts are required (see
Figure 3.2).

Figure 3.1 Portal frame building

Figure 3.2 Plan of portal frame building showing bracing in two end bays

Page 4 of 12
 If only one bay is braced (as in Figure 3.3), then struts are required. Sketch the
load path for the longitudinal wind loads and suggest the type of structural
member for these struts based on your observations during the Moorabbin site
visit.
(1%)

How are these members connected to the portal frames? Provide a sketch of the
strut to rafter connection. (2%)

Figure 3.3 Plan of portal frame building showing bracing in one internal bay

Page 5 of 12
Question 4. Tilt-up and Precast Construction (16%)

(a) Briefly discuss the differences between tilt-up panel and precast wall panel
construction for factory buildings. (2%)

(b) A typical precast concrete tilt slab wall panel for a factory has the following
features:
Panel dimensions 6.8m high x 5.7m wide and 150mm thick
Mass is 14.5T
Face lifting hooks with a capacity of 8T each and edge lifting hooks with a
capacity of 10T each (determine number of lifting hooks)
Reinforcements of SL92 centrally placed with 2N20 perimeter bars
One cast-in plate 500x300x20mm thick (centrally located across the panel with
the top of the plate at 5.6m from the bottom edge of the panel)
There are adjoining panels on both sides.
Concrete grade is 40MPa with 25mm minimum cover to all reinforcements.

Produce a shop drawing for this panel (to correct proportions) and fully
dimension all the components that are necessary for the supply, erection and
finishing. You may propose an appropriate connection detail between panels,
and other cast-in items that may be necessary. (Hint: You also need to work out
number and position of lifting anchors, and brace connection points.)
(6%)

(c) Describe with the aid of fully annotated sketches, how stack casting is carried
out using the climbing formwork system. What are the advantages of this new
system over the traditional box formwork method? (4%)

(d) Briefly describe how overall stability is achieved in a tilt-up construction.

Discuss the requirement for wind bracing in two-directions, and describe how
wind loads at the roof level are safely transferred to the footings. (4%)

Page 6 of 12
Question 5. Basement Construction and Piling (20%)

(a) Waterstop-RX is a hydrophilic strip waterstop designed to stop water infiltration

through cast-in-place concrete construction joints by expanding upon contact
with water to form a positive seal against the concrete. What are the materials in
this product that exhibit this special characteristic? How is this product better
than the PVC/Rubber dumbbell waterstops previously used to exclude water
from cast-in-place concrete structures? (3%)

Provide a sketch of a vertical construction joint in a wall using Waterstop-RX

clearly indicating the position of the product. (2%)

(b) Describe in point form the construction procedure for installation of anchored
bored piles and shotcrete retention walls at the Melbourne School of Design.
Two rows of anchors were required for this section of the basement as shown in
Figure 5.1 below. Provide all necessary sketches to illustrate the different stages
of work up to the destressing of these anchors. (7%)

Why are the ground anchors grouted to the soil behind the line of influence?
(2%)

Figure 5.1 Anchored bored piles and retention walls for the MSD Building

What anchoring options are available to the builder if an existing building with
a 2-level basement is located 4m from the edge of the bored piles? (2%)

(c) Briefly describe the main differences between a secant pile wall and a
contiguous pile wall retention system. (4%)

Page 7 of 12
Question 6. HollowCore Construction (20%)

The floor plan shown in Figure 6.1 shows a building with 500x500mm precast
columns at a 10.8m x 9.6m grid with precast concrete walls on four sides. Suggest a
suitable structural layout using HollowCore Precast Beams and Planks assuming an
imposed floor live load of 3.0kPa.

(a) Sketch a suitable floor layout using HollowCore PC Internal Beams

(inverted-T beams) to support Hollow Core planks. No edge beams are
required. The HollowCore planks are supported on corbels at the precast
walls. (2%)

(b) Select a suitable HollowCore plank from Figure 6.2. Indicate the location
and orientation of these planks clearly on the layout, and label the planks
and beams accordingly. (1%)

(c) Select suitable PC Internal beams from Figures 6.3a-c to support these
planks. Self-weight for the 205, 220, 300 and 400 HollowCore planks
are 426, 503, 554 and 633 kg/m2, respectively. Ignore self-weight for
these precast internal beams. Assume that factored load is 1.2G + 1.5Q
(i.e. 1.2 x Dead Loads + 1.5 x Imposed Loads). (4%)

(d) Sketch the column, beam, and HollowCore plank connection detail at
grid location B-2. (3%)

(e) Sketch and fully annotate typical details of the HollowCore plank to wall
connection at Grid Line A. (3%)

(f) Sketch and fully annotate typical details of the HollowCore plank to wall
connection at Grid Line 1. (3%)

(g) What is the typical thickness and reinforcements for the structural screed
that is laid on top of HollowCore planks? What is the function of the
structural screed? Comment on the concrete mix, bond to the planks,
shear key and any other structural considerations. (4%)

Page 8 of 12
Figure 6.1: Column Layout at Ground Floor

Page 9 of 12
Note 1: Self-weight for the 205, 220, 300 and 400 HC planks are 426, 503, 554 and
633 kg/m2, respectively.

Figure 6.2: Load Span Chart for Hollow Core Planks

Page 10 of 12
Figure 6.3a: 700 Wide Precast Internal Beam Load Span Chart

Figure 6.3b: 900 Wide Precast Internal Beam Load Span Chart

Page 11 of 12
Figure 6.3c: 1200 Wide Precast Internal Beam Load Span Chart

- END OF EXAMINATION –

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