Modular Precast Concrete Grid Understructure for Rapid Floor Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional building construction methods using poured-in-place concrete are labor-intensive, costly, and wasteful of materials, with significant onsite labor and material requirements, limiting the height of buildings and design flexibility.
Innovation Solution
A modular concrete building structure featuring a grid understructure of precast concrete blocks and slabs with integrated rebars, where channels are formed to pour concrete, reducing onsite labor and material waste while allowing for flexible design and increased support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional poured-in-place concrete construction is used, then structural strength and stability are achieved, but labor intensity and construction time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The floor construction is segmented into modular precast concrete units with standardized dimensions (e.g., 2m x 1m x 0.15m). Each module contains integrated rebars and can be independently manufactured, transported, and assembled. This segmentation enables parallel production and rapid on-site assembly, dramatically improving construction productivity while maintaining structural integrity through standardized connection details.
Solution Approach 2:
Floor modules are precast in controlled factory environments before delivery to the construction site. This preliminary action includes pre-installing rebars, curing concrete under optimal conditions, and preparing connection interfaces. The precast modules arrive ready-for-assembly, eliminating on-site formwork, rebar installation, and curing time, thus accelerating construction while ensuring consistent quality.
2Strength
If monolithic concrete floors with extensive rebars are used, then structural integrity is ensured, but material volume and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The floor is divided into discrete modular units with optimized concrete volumes. Each module contains only the necessary amount of concrete and integrated rebars required for its specific structural function. This segmentation eliminates the need for excessive concrete in monolithic construction, reducing material quantity while maintaining integrity through modular connection systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The floor thickness is optimized to 15cm for precast modules, compared to typically thicker monolithic floors. The modular design allows precise control of concrete volume and rebar placement, using parameters such as module dimensions, reinforcement density, and connection geometry to achieve structural integrity with minimized material consumption.
3Manufacturing precision
If custom formwork is erected on-site for each floor, then accurate floor geometry is achieved, but formwork material waste and labor costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
Floor modules are manufactured with precise geometry in factory settings using reusable molds and automated concrete placement equipment. This preliminary action achieves high manufacturing precision without requiring on-site formwork. The modules arrive at the site ready for assembly, eliminating formwork material waste and the labor-intensive process of erecting and dismantling custom formwork for each floor.
4Strength
If entire floors are poured as single monolithic slabs, then continuous structural surface is obtained, but rebar weight and concrete volume increase
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous floor is segmented into modular units, each with optimized rebar reinforcement. The segmentation allows each module to use only the rebar necessary for its span and load requirements, rather than over-reinforcing an entire large monolithic slab. Connection details between modules provide structural continuity while using less total rebar weight compared to a single large monolithic pour.
Data Source
AI summary
A concrete building structure and method for constructing a building structure which includes a first cross-brace section, including a plurality of pre-cast concrete blocks connected in series by at least one rebar; a second cross-brace section, including a plurality of pre-cast concrete blocks connected in series by at least one rebar, extending generally perpendicularly to the first cross-brace section such that the first and second cross-brace sections form a grid understructure; a plurality of channels encapsulating adjacent blocks from the first and second cross-brace sections, whereby the grid understructure includes channels into which concrete may be poured at a building site; each of the plurality of blocks positioned within respective channels; a plurality of pre-cast concrete slabs resting atop the blocks in the grid understructure; and poured concrete filling each of the channels and a space between adjacent concrete slabs to complete a generally flat floor of the building structure.