CASTING A

CONCERTE SLAB
ON GRADE
Slab-on-grade or floating slab foundations
are a structural engineering practice whereby
the concrete slab that is to serve as the
foundation for the structure is formed from
a mold set into the ground
 Attaching a proprietary slab edge form to a
supporting stake. The profile of the edge
form causes adjacent pours to interlock.
Hole knockouts in the metal form allow for
the placement of horizontal steel dowels to
tie the pours together.

To the right, a crushed-stone drainage

layer for a slab on grade, and to the left, a
slab section ready to pour, with moisture
barrier, welded wire fabric reinforcing,
and edge forms in place.
 This asphalt-impregnated fiberboard
forms an isolation joint when cast into the
slab. The plastic cap is removed
immediately after slab finishing to create a
clean slot for the later insertion of an
elastomeric joint sealant.

Striking off the surface of a concrete

slab on grade just after pouring,
using a motorized screed. The motor
vibrates the screed from end to end
to work the wet concrete into a level
surface.
 A bull float can be used for
preliminary smoothing of the surface
immediately after screeding.

Hand floating brings cement paste to

the surface and produces a plane
surface.
 Floating can be done by machine
instead of by hand.

Steel trowelling after floating produces

a dense, hard, smooth surface.
 A section of concrete slab on grade
finished and ready for curing. The dowels
inserted through the edge form will
connect to the sections of slab that will
be poured next.

One method of damp curing a slab is to

cover it with polyethylene sheet to retain
moisture in the concrete.
CASTING A
CONCRETE WALL
A reinforced concrete wall at ground
level usually rests on a poured
concrete strip footing. The footing is
formed and poured much like a
concrete slab on grade. Its cross-
sectional dimensions and its
reinforcing, if any, are determined by
the structural engineer.
PROCESS OF CASTING
A CONCRETE WALL:
Vertical reinforcing bars
are wired to the dowels that
project from the footing,
and horizontal bars are
wired to the vertical bars.
PROCESS OF
CASTING A
CONCRETE The formwork is erected. Sheets of
WALL plywood form the faces of the
concrete. They are supported by
vertical wood studs. The studs are
supported against the pressure of the
wet concrete by horizontal walers. The
walers are supported by steel rod ties
that pass through holes in the plywood
to the walers on the other side. The
ties also act as spreaders to maintain a
spacing between the plywood walls
that is equal to the desired thickness of
the wall. Diagonal braces keep the
whole assembly plumb and straight.
PROCESS OF
CASTING A
CONCRETE
WALL: After the concrete has been poured,
consolidated, and cured, the wedges that
secure the walers to the form ties are
driven out and the formwork is pulled
off the concrete. The projecting ends of
the form ties are broken off.
CASTING A
CONCRETE
COLUMN
A column is formed and cast much like a wall, with a few
important differences. The footing is usually an isolated column
footing, a pile cap, or a caisson rather than a strip footing.
A column footing almost ready for pouring but lacking dowels.
The reinforcing bars are supported on pieces of concrete
brick.

Column footings poured with projecting dowels to connect

to both round and rectangular columns.

In the foreground, a square column
form is tied with pairs of L-shaped
steel brackets. In the background, a
worker braces a round column
form made of sheet steel.
Round columns may also be forme
with single use cardboard tubes. Notic
the density of the steel shorin
structure that is being erected t
support the slab form, which will carr
a very heavy load of wet concrete.
ONE WAY
FLOOR AND
ROOF FRAMING
SYSTEMS
ONE WAY SOLID
SLAB SYSTEM
A one-way solid slab spans across parallel lines of support furnished
by walls and/or beams. The walls and columns are poured prior to
erecting the formwork for a one-way slab, but the forms for the
girders and beams are nearly always built continuously with those
for the slab, and girders, beams, and slab are poured
simultaneously as a single piece.
Isometric view of
a one-way solid
slab system under
construction.
The slab, beams,
and girders are
created in a single
pour.
An example of a beam
column connection in a one-
way solid slab structure, with
the slab reinforcing omitted
for clarity.
Reshoring in concrete slab
construction.
This helical ramp is
a special application
of one-way solid
slab construction.
The formwork is
made of overlaid
plywood for
a smooth surface
finish.
ONE-WAY
CONCRETE JOIST
SYSTEM
(RIBBED SLAB)
As one-way solid slab spans increase, a progressively thicker slab is
required.
Beyond a certain span, the slab becomes so thick that the weight
of the slab itself is an excessive burden, unless a substantial
portion of the non-working concrete in the lower part of the slab
can be eliminated to lighten the load. This is the rationale for the
one-way concrete joist system, also called a ribbed slab.
Plan and larger-scale
section of a typical
one-way concrete
joist system. For the
sake of clarity, no
reinforcing is shown
in the plan, and the
column reinforcing is
not shown on the
section. All bottom
and top reinforcing
occurs in the ribs,
and all shrinkage
temperature bars are
placed in the slab.
Standard steel form dimensions for one-way concrete joist construction. (One inch
equals 25.4 mm.)
 Reinforcing being placed for a one-way concrete
joist floor. Electrical conduits and boxes have been
put in place, and welded wire fabric is being
installed as shrinkage temperature reinforcing.
Both the tapered end pans and the square endcaps
for the midspan distribution rib are clearly visible.

A one-way concrete joist system after

stripping of the formwork, showing
broadened joist ends at the lower edge of
the photograph and a distribution rib in
the foreground. The dangling wires are
hangers for a suspended finish ceiling.
 TWO-WAY
FLOOR AND
ROOF FRAMING
SYSTEMS
generally more economical than one-way systems in
buildings where the columns can be spaced in bays
that are square or nearly square in proportion
TWO-WAY FLAT SLAB
AND TWO-WAY FLAT
PLATE SYSTEMS
Two - Way Solid Slab
a rarely seen system, occasionally used for very heavily
loaded industrial floors, in which the slab is supported by a
grid of beams running in both directions over the columns
The slab is reinforced in such a way that the varying stresses
in the different zones of the slab are accommodated within
a uniform thickness of concrete.
Two - Way Flat Slab
A reinforced concrete framing system in which columns with
mushroom capitals and/or drop panels directly support a
two-way slab that is planar on both of its surfaces.
TWO-WAY WAFFLE
SLAB SYSTEM
The waffle slab, or two-way concrete joist system, is the two-way
equivalent of the one-way concrete joist system
Domes
Metal or plastic pans used as formwork to eliminate
nonworking concrete from the slab, allowing
considerably longer spans than are feasible in the two-
way flat plate system
standard domes form joists 6 inches (152 mm) wide on
36-inch (914-mm) centers, or 5 inches (127 mm) wide
on 24-inch (610-mm) centers, in a variety of depths up
to 20 inches (500 mm)
Plan and larger-scale
section of a typical
two-way concrete joist
system, also known as a
waffle slab.
Standard steel dome forms for two-
way concrete joist
construction. A 2-foot (760-
mm) module, utilizing forms
24 inches (610 mm) square, is also
available from some
manufacturers. (One inch equals
25.4 mm.)
 Steel domes being placed on a
temporary plywood deck to
form a two-way concrete joist
floor. Pans are omitted around
columns to form solid
concrete heads.

Plastic dome formwork being

assembled for a two-way concrete
oist floor. Notice the electrical
conduit and junction box in the
oreground, ready to be embedded in
he slab.
 Stripping plastic domes after removal o
the temporary plywood deck.

The underside of a two-way concrete

joist floor. Notice how the joists are
cantilevered beyond the column line for
maximum structural efficiency.
CONCRETE STAIRS
May be thought of as an inclined one-way solid slab with
additional concrete added to make risers and treads
underside of the formwork is planar.
The top is built with riser forms, which are usually inclined to
provide greater toe space and make the stair more comfortable
to users.
The concrete is poured in one operation, and the treads are
tooled to a steel trowel finish.
SITECAST POST - TENSIONED
FRAMING SYSTEM
Post-tensioning can be applied to any of the sitecast concrete framing
systems.
It is used in beams, girders, and slabs, both one-way and two-way, to
reduce member sizes, reduce deflection, and extend spanning
capability
A plan and two larger-scale sections of the
tendon layout in a two-way flat plate floor
with banded posttensioning. The number
of tendons running in each of the two
directions is identical, but those in one
direction are concentrated into bands that
run over the tops of the columns. The
draping of the tendons is evident in the
two section drawings.
SELECTING A SITECAST
CONCRETE FRAMING
SYSTEM
1. Are the bays of the building square or nearly square?

2. How long are the spans?

3. How heavy are the loads?

4. Will there be a finish ceiling beneath the slab? Does the

lateral stability of the building against wind and seismic loads
have to be provided by the rigidity of the concrete frame?
ONE WAY SITECAST
CONCRETE FRAMING
SYSTEMS

a. One-way solid slab with

beams and girders.

b. One-way solid slab with slab

bands.
 c. One-way concrete joist
system (rib slab) with joist
bands.

d. Wide-module joist system with

joist bands.
TWO-WAY SITECAST
CONCRETE FRAMING
SYSTEMS
a. Two-way solid slab.

b. Two-way flat slab with drop

panels and mushroom capitals.
 c. Two-way flat plate.

d. Two-way concrete joist system

(waffle slab)
INNOVATIONS IN
SITECAST CONCRETE
CONSTRUCTION
Lift-Slab Construction

Ganged Forms

Flying Formwork

Slip Forming

Tilt-up Construction
LIFT-SLAB CONSTRUCTION
This is used chiefly with two-way flat plate structures, virtually
eliminates formwork. The floor and roof slabs of a building are
cast in a stack on the ground.

Lift-slab construction in progress.

GANGED FORMS
These are for wall construction are large units made up of a
number of panels that are supported by the same set of walers.
These are handled by cranes and are often more economical than
conventional small panels that are maneuvered by hand.
FLYING FORMWORK
It is fabricated in large sections that are supported on deep metal
trusses. The sections are moved from one floor to the next by crane,
eliminating much of the labor usually expended on stripping and re-
erecting formwork.

Flying formwork for a one-way concrete

joist system being moved from one floor to the nex
in preparation for pouring.
Stiff metal trusses allow a large area of
formwork to be handled by a crane as a
single piece.
SLIP FORMING
It is useful for tall-walled structures such as elevator shafts, stairwells,
and storage silos. A ring of formwork is pulled steadily upward by jacks
supported on the vertical reinforcing bars, while workers add concrete
and horizontal reinforcing in a continuous process.

A proprietary system of self-climbing

formwork is being used to form these sitecas
concrete elevator shafts for a tall building.
TILT-UP CONSTRUCTION
It is where a floor slab is cast on the ground and reinforced concrete
wall panels are poured over it in a horizontal position.

Tilt-up construction.
SHOTCRETE (PNEUMATICALLY
PLACED CONCRETE)
It is sprayed into place from the nozzle of a hose by a stream of
compressed air. Shotcrete is used for foundation walls, stabilization
of steep slopes, repairing damaged
concrete on the faces of beams and columns, seismic retrofits, and
the production of free-form structures such as swimming pools and
playground structures.
 ARCHITECTURAL
CONCRETE
Concrete that is intended as finished interior or exterior surfaces,
and is specified with highly prescribed finish characteristics.

Exposed aggregate finishes

involve the scrubbing and hosing of concrete surfaces

shortly after the initial set of the concrete to remove the
cement paste from the surface and reveal the aggregate

This process is often aided by chemicals that retard the set

of the cement paste; these are either sprayed on the surface
of a slab or used as a coating inside formwork.
SITECAST CONCRETE
AND THE BUILDING
CODES
ADVANTAGE OF
SITECAST CONCRETE
FRAMING
Concrete is shapeless material that must be given form by the
designer.

One can invent new shapes and textures, a route taken by

many of the leading architects.

Sitecast concrete can do almost anything, be almost anything,

at almost any scale, and in any type of building.