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In order to increase the productivity of work in the construction field, one way of improving the performances of the construction works is to produce concrete precast elements. It is necessary to closely and discerningly study as many variants as possible, taking into account the fact that producing construction objects from precast elements has an important disadvantage the necessity of an adequate solution for the joining elements in order to re-establish the monolithic feature of the structure. It is therefore necessary to adopt the right structures, starting from the conception stage, structures which would fulfil the conditions of a rational mounting with a reduced resources cost. There will be emphasized the difficulties in mounting a ground floor industrial hall with the main beams disposed transversely and bays of six meters wideness. It is also necessary to adopt joining details which are possible to be done and will not require high precision classes, (impovarator) burden-some costs or difficult make ups, which sometimes may be impossible to solve.

The methods of realizing the elements have to be known, especially the deviations (abatere) allowed in the processes of precasting and mounting, the shape of the joints, the possibilities of monolithization, etc. There are not to be ignored the special characteristics of the concrete; each type of material has its own properties, its own way of behaving, so that choosing to use methods of metallic joining may turn up to be an aberration. The realization of ground floor halls with tall, precast columns was expand due to the facilities offered by the relization of the elements in a horizontal position.

The complex process of transport, storage, handling and mounting of the precast units
The real location of the construction site taking into account the resources, will condition the possibility of realising different flows which, at the present, can be summarised as follows:
in case that the main resources, respectively the precast elements, are situated at a great distance from the site, usually more than 30 km, it is only rational to transport them using the railway. This variant implies the existence of a storing place on the construction site, situated near the railway, where the precast elements can be stocked until they will be assembled. This storing place has to be well conceived from the beginning, to be organised and equipped with all the necessary installations; the precast elements have to be organised in a certain order so as not to be difficult to find them when necessary or to need further interior transportations.

 when the precast elements are realised at relatively short distances from the construction site, usually in production plants situated near the urban areas, it is reasonable to use the motorway for transport. This flow can have several variants, one of them being the existence of a storage place on site situated in the operating range of the lifting device, usually the tower crane when building the multi storey block of flats. It is therefore reasonable to have storage place large enough to stock the precast elements necessary to keep the mounting process running. Although from a pessimistic point of view this variant seems kind of rigid and difficult to realise, we still have to remember it and adopt it. It is true that this will take more effort to organise and correlate all the resources; not lastly it will also take an intellectual effort. This is the variant that will lead to an increase of productivity and a reduction of the costs.

 in case of heavy or very large elements, or small series, it is reasonable to perform the precasting process on the construction site. We need to specify that by precasting we mean arranging some places where the elements are produced in the neighbourhood of the assembling devices. These locations where the elements are produced need to be disposed such as to allow a direct mounting, with no supplementary handling; it is also necessary to create spaces to allow the transportation vehicles to pass. Whenever the conditions described above can not be fulfilled it is preferable to perform the precasting process on special construction polygons.

SUPPLIER

SITE SITE TRANSPORTA STOREHOU TRANSPORT TION SE

A Handling for unloading

WORKING PLACE ACTIVITIES JOIN HANDLING MOUNTING MAKE UP

Handling for unloading Set out Reinfor cing

START 1

Railway transport

A Storehouse placing Handling Internal transportation Handling for loading Transport 1

Storehouse placing

Joining make-up

Formw orking

2 Handle for mount Temporary fix Crane release Concre te placing

Placing in transport vehicles

C On site concrete casting

Placing in transport vehicles B

Position rectification

Formwor k removal

Start 2n
Auxiliary fluxes - other resources

The features of the precast elements

From the mounting process point of view we are interested in certain characteristics of the precast elements, such as the geometrical sizes and their framing into acceptable limits, the stress they suffer when being handled adopting the adequate holding and handling systems, the weight of the elements, the characteristics of the joining details, the support surfaces, the incorporated metallic plates, the exterior reinforcements, etc.

The concordance quality

The construction elements, their mounting and assembling into parts of construction and then into a whole construction, are almost impossible to be performed respecting their original design from the project. The making up process tries to respect the original conception, but inaccuracies are inherent, certain deviations from the original concept will appear during the execution stage. These deviations usually regard the designed geometrical characteristics of the elements, such as dimensional deviations, geometrical ones, the reciprocal orientation of the profiles and surfaces. 8

The accuracy class of the metallic formwork

An important element for the characteristics of the precast elements is represented by the exact shape of the pouring form. In the precast plants there are generally used some metallic forms made in different sizes. The technical specifications mention the accuracy classes, according to the method of realising the form, table 1. These accuracy classes are imposed by the processes taking place in the metallic confections and mechanical processing fields. Due to the processes that take place during the fluxes, the dimensional variations of the metallic components, the temperature, the contraction of the concrete, etc, the precast elements result to be classified into an inferior accuracy class than that stipulated by the metallic form. The designer is the one to establish the accuracy classes, according to the special conditions of fitting, support, joining, the complexity of the mounting method, taking into account the main dimensions of the precast element, parameters which condition the mounting possibilities. 9

Table 1 Accuracy (precision) classes

Dimensional Tolerances (T)

No.

Formwork feature
900 Fix forms, metal cutting & pouring Forms with mobile elements, metal cutting & pouring Fix forms, welded metallic profiles, plates & strips, metal cutting Forms with mobile elements, welded metallic profiles, plates & strips, metal cutting Fix forms, welded metallic profiles, plates & strips, without metal cutting Forms with mobile elements, welded metallic profiles, plates & strips, without metal cutting Metallic profiles, plates & strips assembled by clinch (nituire)

Basic Dimension (mm) 901 3000 PC5 PC5 PC6 PC6 3000 9000 PC5 PC6 PC6 PC7 > 9000 PC6 PC6 PC7 PC7

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

PC5 PC5 PC6 PC6

PC6

PC6

PC7

PC7

PC7 PC7

PC7 PC8

PC7 PC8

PC7 PC8

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Precast elements attaching systems for handling and mounting devices

In order to realize the transportation and the mounting there are needed some handling devices with specific parameters corresponding to the precast elements features. These devices are hung or settled to the precast units or they are attached using other procedures in accordance with the precast elements features and the specific of transportation, storage and mounting. The mounting systems have to be conceived so as to function perfectly, to be safe during all phases, to require a minimum material consumption which could be reused. After use there should be no complicated dismantle procedures.

One of the simplest mounting systems is made of steel, it is loop shaped and it has the extremities incorporated in the element during the forming phase; it is currently in use although it doesnt have the best performances.

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Mounting system with hanging shackle This system called hanging shackle (ureche de agare) has several disadvantages as shown in the figure. 12

Thus, in the case there is used a handling device with inclined cables and the shackles are located in the longitudinal plane of the element, figure a, during the moments of hanging and loading the arms of the system place themselves following the direction of the cable; the interior arm tends to get curved without being loaded. In this situation the entire load is on the arm from exterior which can collapse. It is therefore necessary that, when using devices with inclined cables the shackles should be disposed in a perpendicular plane on the device plane; in this case the arms will bent equally. It is also necessary to use the same type of device during all the phases transportation, storage, and mounting in order to maintain the same angle between the cables, otherwise the repeated bending of the shackles arms could lead to possible breaking. Other disadvantages of this system are: a quite large consumption of steel; the usage of high supports at storage in order to create spaces between the elements bigger than the height of the shackles; the need to cut or bend the shackles after the mounting process is completed. 13

Next we are going to present the devices fulfilling the same functions, but having clear advantages. Thus the mounting system is made of two elements. One of the elements formed of a metal pipe screwed at the interior or of a wire made coil, has welded around it steel curls (bucla) and it is incorporated in the concrete. The other element is made of a bolt having a screwed hole on its superior part. After it is stored or placed at the mounting place the bolt is retrieved.

Mounting system with bolt screwed in the element 14

The following figure presents how the mounting system made of a cable is introduced into a hole in the precast element through a plastic tube.

Mounting system made of a cable introduced into the holes of the element The mounting system presented in figure implies realising some holes into the element when it is produced, holes which will allow, during the handling stage, to introduce metal rods screwed at their ends in order to hang the handling devices.

Mounting system made of a bolt introduced into the element through a hole
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Holding systems by laying are presented in figure. Thus, the system presented includes a yoke with its sizes corresponding to the section of the element; this yoke has on its inferior part several holes. The use of the device requires placing it on the superior part of the precast element and introducing several pipes into the holes from the inferior part. In order to safeguard the operation it is necessary to put some spacers (distantier) between the yoke and the element. Mounting systems by laying

The system on the left side of the figure is fork shaped and is frequently used when handling the precast strips.
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Handling and mounting devices

The precast elements have to be held by lifting devices in order to allow handling procedures during the last manufacture stages, to allow loading and unloading in the intermediate storages and also to allow mounting. The handling devices have to be conceived so as to satisfy certain requirements such as: a good functionality, a reduced consumption of labour, a certain degree of universality in order to use them on a wide range of elements. They also should not determine higher loads on the elements handled than those appearing during exploitation, while other types of loads should be as small as possible. The handling devices should not be very high, nor heavy in order to use the working parameters of the lifting devices as rational as possible, to be perfectly safe during exploitation. Furthermore they should be properly conceived and dimensioned so as to avoid their breaking or some of their elements falling apart provoking work accidents. 17

Devices for linear elements with two holding points

The most simple and frequently used devices with two holding points are made of inclined cables.
The picture presents the angles that can be realised by the cables with the horizontal.

The loads that appear due to cables tilting 18

Thus, decomposing the action of the gravitational load G/2, in the holding point, following the direction of the cable (N) and the axes of the element (H) the result will be:
N G G sin ;H tan 2 2

For different inclinations of the cables, respectively values of the angle , it results the dimension of the loads N and H. Therefore, for = 10 it results the value of load from the cable three times higher than the weight of the element, also similar values for the compression strength H. For = 30 the load from the cable drops down to the value of the elements weight, for = 45 it is 0.7 G; it reaches 0.5 G in the case of the value = 90. It is important to remember that for small angles ( = 10) the load N in the cables is six time higher than in the case of their vertical placement. The load H which compresses the element offers concordant values as well. The angle is limited to a maximum 45 in order not to introduce unfavourable loads into the element and there wouldnt be needed thick cables. 19

The devices from this group have cables held at their superior part with a closed or opened ring
It is not allowed the free passage of a cable over the hook of the lifting device since this can slide and lead to shocks, respectively to cable breakings and accidents during exploitation. At their inferior part the cables are provided with hooks. The hook is a piece made by forging, having a specific form. During forging the fibres are disposed following the direction of the hooks shape so as there would be deformation before cracking while under loads. Each hook is marked with nominal load from manufacture. 20

In order to reduce the inclination of the cables, respectively the loads existing within these and the element, there can be conceived systems with short horizontal elements (sleepers traversa), which have the advantage of reduced weights and relatively short heights . The systems with cables positioned vertically, case in which there are minimum loads, need to be provided with long sleepers, accordingly dimensioned. The result will be relatively heavy devices having reduced heights.

Device with long sleeper 21

The following figure presents a more functional device with a higher degree of universality. The holding points are realised so as to be functional in any position on horizontal through some carriages moving on the sleeper. The movement of proximity or that of remoteness is synchronized through a continuous cable passed over two pulleys placed in a horizontal plane at the ends of the sleeper. One carriage is held by a cable on one of the sleepers side, the other one on the other side. Device which automatically places the cables vertically 22

When the element is held in any position, the cables are coming automatically on vertical under the action of the horizontal components moving the carriages. The movement is realised during the beginning of the lifting phase, while the device starts to load itself and there are only reduced forces to induce important horizontal loads in the element.

Devices for linear elements with more than two attaching points
In case of the particular system of forces, respectively the action produced by the gravitational load, a linear element needs two simple connections only. In order to produce devices with more than two connections it is necessary that each supplementary connection should be compensated with a proper system such as a cantilever with equal arms or a fixed pulley. The following figure presents a device with three holding points used when handling large panels.

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Device with three attaching points used when handling large panels
The panel with the same configuration as that in the figure can not be handled by catching in two points because there would be some loads that can damage it; therefore there are needed three catching points properly placed. The device realises the compensation for the extra connection, respectively it creates equal loads in the catching points through an equal armed lever. 24

When handling a truss there are conceived proper devices with two pulleys in order to realise loads similar to those from the exploitation phase, respectively compression at the superior end and stretching at the inferior one. The truss can be held in four points while the compensation of the two connections is realised by a continuous passing of two cables over the pulleys.

Device used for handling the trusses 25

Long linear elements with reduced transversal section need a large number of holding points. The compensation of the extra connections, meaning realising equal loads in the holding points, is realised with the device presented in figure. Device used for handling linear elements with n attaching points

This device is made up of a sleeper on the extremities of which it is held a continuous cable passed over a system of fixed and mobile pulleys. Since in the continuous cable the stress is the same, the load in the holding points is represented by the relation: N = G/n.

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Handling devices for surface elements

In order to conceive rational devices both from the point of view of the static equilibrium as well as from that of the compatibility with the features of the elements being handled it is necessary to analyse these aspects and to realise a correlation between them. It is presented a floor element held in a three connections device.
Device incompatible with the features of the elements Although the device is correctly conceived from the point of view of static equilibrium under the action of the gravitational load it is not compatible with the features of the element. During exploitation the element is being supported on four sides and it is therefore accordingly dimensioned. In the situation presented in the figure on one of the sides there has been introduced a support in the middle realising some cantilevers which are not reinforced properly; these will lead to cracks and will destroy the element. 27

It is thus compulsory the compatibility between the device and the features of the element. Presently, on sites, there is frequently used a device with four holding points, with no compensation. Device with four holding points and no compensation As it can be seen in the figure, the lack of compensation of the extra connections leads to the deformation and cracking of the element until the longest cable start working. Although the crack closes after the element is placed on the supports it still allows the access of noxious, corrosive agents, especially during the mounting of the floor panels in the area of the toilets at the apartment buildings.

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The handling device presented in the following picture is correctly designed because it ensures both of the imposed condition (equilibrium against the gravitational load and compatibility with the features of the element). It is used a fix pulley to compensate the forth connection.

Device with four cables provided with pulley to compensate the extra connections 29

In the case of some surface elements having one of the sides longer it is necessary to place six holding points in order to realise the compatibility with the exploitation situation. The starting point is the ring hanged in the cranes hook with three connections, while the six cable are compensated by three fixed pulleys.

Device with six cables and three compensation pulleys

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In order to manipulate relatively tall colums but with reduced transversal sections it is presented a device that has six attaching points. The column has three holes where there are introduced rods so as to realise six holding points. Although the column is a linear element it behaves as a surface one because of the particular way of attachment to the device.

Device for handling columns 31

Two of the connections are compensated by two pulleys attached on one lever, while the third one, at the base of the pillar is compensated by an equal armed cantilever. To perform the handling process on horizontal, the shipping and unshipping processes, as well as that of the superimposed precasting, the column is held in all the six connections. In order to place the column vertically the connections from the bottom are untied, the column turns around it while the pulleys from the sleeper realise the compensation of the lengths. In this phase the column supports itself on five points two of which are compensated by the pulleys of the sleeper. After reaching the vertical position the pillar is lifted from the ground while it is supported on four points compensated by the pulleys of the sleeper. The following figures present a handling device used for shipping, unshipping and mounting. It is also used for transporting the floors vertically.

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Device for handling plates during transportation in horizontal position

Device for handling plates during transportation in vertical position 33

When performing the handling manoeuvres during the mounting phase one of the pulleys from the superior part is blocked by a bolt. Pulling out the bolt will turn the system into a mechanism and will allow tipping. The conditions imposed by the norms are: it is strictly forbidden to improvise handling devices on the construction site; in case of devices with extra non-compensated connections some of the cables do not work, the other cables overheat so that the safety during exploitation is compromised; the devices have to be certified by ISCIR (Inspectia de Stat pentru Controlul Cazanelor, Recipientelor sub Presiune si Instalatiilor de Ridicat) and manufactured in specialised laboratories only; when the working period has started the devices are checked on a daily basis, and they are periodically loaded with loads higher than the nominal one, according to the indications from the norms.

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Transportation and storage of the precast elements

In accordance with the features of the precast elements their transportation and storage need specific procedures methods and means. No matter the variant of transportation and storage chosen, there need to be observed some specific rules in order to prevent the damage of the elements and to avoid work accidents. These rules are: the position of the holding points in the handling device and that of the support areas during storage should be chosen so as not to change the support diagram from exploitation or, if there are any other schemes adopted, there should be no need for further reinforcements. To check the bearing capacity as a consequence of the handling, transportation and mounting shocks, the gravitational load is amplified with a dynamic coefficient of 1.5, according to the norms; during all the transportation, handling and mounting stages the holding devices and the supports should be conceived so as the precast elements will not loose stability;

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 it is necessary for the support systems of the transport means to guarantee stability for the elements when starting, sudden braking or sharp turnings;

according to the features of the precast elements the supports will be manufactured so as not to damage the edges or the finished surfaces; when the precast elements are stacked, it is necessary that the supports of each precast element should be placed on the same vertical so as not to damage the elements located at the base. The supports between the precast elements should have a proper height so as not to damage the holding system. When handling the elements with fork devices the heights of the supports should be correlated with the features of the device.
In order to cope with the supplementary loads appearing during handling and transportation, the slender elements should be strengthen with pre compressed coupling bars disposed following a rational course.

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There are conceived fixed racks (stativ) to place the elements in warehouses which have some degree of permanency.

Fixed racks

Inclined elements

The elements are inclined and support each other; there will be needed supplementary manoeuvres to choose a panel from the central area 37