When considering fibre reinforced concrete, the natural assumption is to consider its use for ground supported slab applications. As fibres have been developed and their performance in concrete has increased, so has the ability of an appropriately designed fibre reinforced concrete to replace structural reinforcement.
The publication of the 4th edition of the Concrete Society’s Technical Report 34 “Concrete Industrial Ground Floors” gave consulting engineers and clients an independent guide on how a pile supported slab could be designed.
TR34 specifically considered the onerous load conditions developed from typical racking layouts that would be associated with modern logistics centres, together with the axle loads from the mechanical handling equipment used.
FCS are experts in fibre reinforced concrete and can offer detailed design solutions for both ground and pile supported slab applications. With the high performance offered by our range of APEX steel fibres and using our knowledge and experience, we can quickly provide our customers with detailed design solutions.
However, this does not involve solely considering the performance of fibre reinforced concrete.
The spacing of piles both internally and at the perimeter of the slab will influence the design – following yield line analysis. The shape and dimension of any pile cap provided will further influence any proposed solution especially when considering punching shear at the critical perimeter. Further consideration is required with regards the support condition at the perimeter of the slab, especially if the slab is not fully supported at the edge.
The jointing type and location in relation to the piles and applied loads are also critical to the proposed solution. Are the joints to be positioned at the point of contraflexure or located above piles? Specific calculations can be undertaken adopting the appropriate jointing solution, such as the Cosinus Slide Joint, which when considered in conjunction with the overall slab design, enable an effective and economical solution to be achieved.
With all concrete applications, Fibre Concrete Solutions understands you may have specific requirements or challenges. These will be considered and addressed in any of the designs that we provide. For further information on the products and design services that Fibre Concrete Solutions can provide, please contact us.
