Abstracto

Hollow Core Slabs in Construction Industry

Vidya Jose, Dr.P. Rajeev Kumar

A hollow core slab is a precast prestressed concrete member with continuous voids provided to reduce weight and cost. They are primarily used as a floor deck system in residential and commercial buildings as well as in parking structures because they are economical, have good fire resistance and sound insulation properties, and are capable of spanning long distances with relatively small depths. Structurally, a hollow core slab provides the efficiency of a prestressed member for load capacity, span range, and deflection control. Hollow core slabs can make use of prestressing strands, which allow slabs with depths between 150 and 260 mm to span over 9 meters. When used in buildings, several hollow core slabs are placed next to each other to form a continuous floor system. The small gap that is left between each slab is usually filled with a non-shrink grout. To give the floor a smooth finished surface, a topping slab overlay, typically 5cm deep is poured on the top surface of the hollow core slabs. The design concepts, manufacture and the erection techniques of Hollow core slabs are discussed in detail