Precast Composite Floor System with Stem Wall Openings
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional precast concrete floor systems are heavy, requiring more material and structural support, limiting building height and increasing construction costs, and necessitate suspending mechanical equipment below the floor, which increases vertical space requirements.
Innovation Solution
A precast composite floor system comprising lighter composite floor panels and girders that can be bolted into a steel frame, allowing for openings in the stem wall to pass mechanical equipment, reducing material usage, and eliminating the need for suspended ducts, with a design that utilizes steel and concrete to distribute loads efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional precast concrete floor panels are used, then structural strength and load-bearing capacity are achieved, but the weight of the floor panels increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The floor panel is divided into two distinct components: a precast concrete section providing structural strength and a steel deck section providing lightweight flooring surface. This segmentation allows each material to be used where it is most effective, reducing overall weight while maintaining strength requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a composite construction combining precast concrete and steel deck materials. The concrete section provides compressive strength while the steel deck provides tensile strength and lightweight flooring surface, creating a composite panel that is stronger than either material alone but lighter than solid concrete panels of equivalent strength.
2Strength
If heavier floor panels are used to achieve required load-bearing capacity, then structural strength is improved, but more material is required and construction costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the floor panel into concrete and steel deck portions, the design optimizes material usage. The concrete is concentrated in the structural beam section where load-bearing is critical, while the steel deck provides lightweight coverage over larger areas, reducing total material quantity compared to solid concrete panels.
Solution Approach 2:
The concrete material is strategically placed in the beam section where high compressive strength is needed for load-bearing, while the steel deck is used in the panel sections where lightweight flooring is sufficient. This local optimization of material properties reduces overall material quantity while maintaining required load-bearing capacity.
3Ease of operation
If mechanical equipment is suspended beneath the floor panels, then equipment installation is achieved, but vertical space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical equipment installation is merged with the floor panel structure itself. Equipment can be installed within the hollow core of the precast concrete beam section or through openings in the steel deck, combining the equipment housing function with the structural floor panel, thereby eliminating the need for separate suspension space beneath the floor.
Data Source
AI summary
A precast composite flooring system utilizes girders and floor panels having steel lower structures placed in tension and concrete upper structures places in compression. Openings through a stem wall allow ducts, pipes, and conduits to be run therethrough. The system provides reduced weight over conventional precast or pour in place systems, allowing further reduction in the weight and size of other building components. The floor deck does not use tensioning strands, allowing openings to be formed at nearly any stage of construction and with reduced concern over cutting steel reinforcement. The floor panels and girders bolt together and bolt to a steel column frame, allowing for more efficient assembly.