PREFABRICATED STRUCTURAL

TECHNIQUES AND DESIGN

UNIT – III
PRE-CAST CONCRETE PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES: FORMS
AND MOULDS OF VARIOUS MATERIALS.

ANUPALLAVI H K
P25UV22T090001
Major : Pre-stressed Concrete
Moulds:

 A rigid frame made of wood, plastic, or metal. Liquid concrete or

other pliable material is poured into the mold to give it a definite
shape and design.
 MOULDS IN PREFABRICATION

1) Prefabricated components are produced through molds.

2) The size of the mould depends on the type of prefabricated component.
3) The size of the mould corresponding to different types of prefabricated
components is also different, and a fixed-size platform can carry
multiple moulds.
4) Precast concrete moulds are made by assembling and fixing sections of
steel, aluminum, or timber to the steel bed surface of the casting
platform.
Moulds can be of :-

 Wood/Timber
 Steel
 Plastic
 Rubber
 Concrete etc.,
Wooden moulds

• Wood molds have been used for decades to produce

precast concrete in building construction.

• Wooden moulds are used in prefabrication for:

1) Scaffolding materials.
2) Mould faces for columns and beams.
Steel moulds
• Steel moulds are used when there are several
repetitions, generally above 500.

• Also used for constructing residential high-rise

buildings, cottages, low-rise buildings, and other
constructions.

• Steel moulds are used for:

1. Precast concrete manhole

2. Precast concrete panel
3. Reinforced concrete columns
4. Decorative purposes
1)Usually, precast components are cast on steel
moulds.

2)However, if the quantum of the precast

elements to be produced is very less, it will not
be economical to make steel moulds for such
elements.

3)Therefore plywood formwork may be used to

produce such precast elements.
 TYPES OF PRECAST CONCRETE MOULDS
1) Column moulds:
• Column molds are used to produce
columns and foundation plinths for
industrial, residential, and
infrastructure projects.
• They can be made from wood or
steel and come in various shapes,
sizes, and colors.
• Typically consist of ss:
i. A formwork base with a fixed
center platform and movable side
platforms
ii. A mold face made from wood or
steel
iii. Removable vertical supports
iv. Coupling plates
2) Beam moulds:

• They are typically made as system molds,

which allow for casting multiple elements at
once. Beam molds are manufactured to
specific dimensions and tolerances.
• Types of beam molds include:
 Hydraulically-controlled beam molds, which
can produce standard or special profiles with
different heights.
 Duplex beam molds, which can produce
beam heights of up to 1,600 mm without
overhead tensioning.
 Modular length delta beam molds, which can
produce delta beams up to 34 meters in
length.

• They are used to:

 Produce precast beams for the construction
of industrial and logistics warehouses.
 Test concrete flexural strength.
3) Wall moulds:
• Precast wall molds are made of steel and
concrete.
• Precast wall molds are designed to be easy to
de-mold and assemble. They have several
benefits, including:
i. Quality assured by structural engineers
ii. Cost-effective
iii. Fastest installation
iv. Re-installable
v. Economical compared to conventional
products
vi. Ready in a single day
vii. No labor needed
viii. Easily erected
ix. Less space is required
There are different types of wall mould being used in the industry widely

1. Battery mould

2. Vertical Battery mould

3. Tilting mould

4. Flat/table mould
Battery mould

• The battery form method is a

precasting method that uses shuttering
panels that can be adjusted in the form
of a battery.

• Battery moulds for precast concrete

elements offer maximum productivity
in minimum space.

• The battery moulds have been

designed for vertical concreting of
individual concrete panels and floor
elements in various sizes and
thicknesses.
Vertical Battery mould

• A vertical battery mould is used

to make panels that need a
smooth finish on both sides.
Tilting mould
• Tilting moulds are used to cast wall panels in a
horizontal position and then tilt the entire mould
up to 90 degrees.
• They are designed to produce special wall panels
such as walls with chajja, lift walls, or any other
special walls for architectural requirements.
• Their tilting mechanism allows removing the
panels in vertical with less time for concrete
hardening.
 Flat/table mould

• Are used commonly for making slabs

and wall panels as the cost of these
moulds were much lesser
comparatively.
4) Slab moulds

Classified into
• prestressed hollow core slab moulds,
• prestressed plank moulds
• non-prestressed slab moulds.
Prestressed hollow core
slab moulds

• Hollow core slabs are

prestressed and precast
concrete elements,
manufactured using long line
steel casting beds

• Requires the use of high-

quality raw materials, such as
high strength concrete and low
relaxation steel wire/strand.
Prestressed plank moulds

• These planks are otherwise called

prestressed solid slabs.
• Prestressing the tendons,
arrangement has to be made using
the hydraulic jacks.
Non-prestressed slab
moulds

These slab moulds are

fabricated to produce
customised individual slabs
with varying sizes.
4) Staircase
moulds

• Staircase moulds are

fabricated in an upside
position.

• The landing slab shall be

integrated with the flight of
the stair or as a separate slab.
• These staircase elements produced are
tilted after producing or at the site
prior to installation time.

• It is recommended to use standard

tread and riser dimensions.
Customised moulds

Once can produce any kind of mould depending

upon the requirement of the concrete products by
the clients.

Some of these moulds are- culvert mould, storm

water drain mould, lintel beam with sunshades,
tunnel moulds etc.

Other types of customized molds include:

Drain molds
Compound wall molds
Cement pole molds
Fiberglass molds
Concrete molds
Fencing pole molds
Precast chair molds
Box culverts are precast concrete
structures that are used to channel
water. They are often used as part of a
drainage system.
Box culverts can
accommodate
both pedestrian
and vehicular
traffic.