PRECAST CONCRETE

Precast concrete is a construction product produced by casting concrete in a re-usable mold/ form
which is the cured in a controlled environment (pre-cast plant) transported to the construction
site and lifted into place. Building component are manufactured in a central plant and later
brought to the building site for assembling.

In-situ concrete is placed where it will harden to become an integral part of the structure.
Concrete is poured into forms works at the building site to come up with the specific component.
A mold is a hollowed out block that is filled with a liquid material such as ceramic glass/metal.
The liquid hardens/ sets inside the mold adopting its shape. The process is called molding.

PRECAST COMPONENTS
1. Beams
2. Columns
3. Floors slabs i.e hollow pots waffles
4. Wall e,g single, double, sandwich cantilevers
5. Staircase.

REASONS FOR USING PRE-CAST CONCRETE

1. Reduced time and cost
2. Repeatability – easy to make many copies of some pre-cast product by maximizing
repetition
3. Quality – precast in manufactured in a controlled casting environment hence quality can
be controlled and monitored more easily.
4. Durability- the structural structure strength and density of pre-cast concrete is higher than
that of in-situ, hence more durable.
5. Aesthetic – precast concrete provide the designer with unlimited architectural expression
hence an appealing and good appearance.
6. Element resistance e.g fire
7. Can carry pre-installed utility services
ADVANTAGES OF PRECAST CONCRETE UNITS
1. No need to provide joint in the precast construction
2. The labour required can be easily be trained
3. Desired shape and finish can be given with accuracy
4. Concrete produced is of superior quality due to the better control on the concrete
production in the factory.
5. The precast structure can be dismantled when required and they can be suitably used
elsewhere.
6. Reduced amount of scaffolding and formwork on site
7. Less time is required to complete the work.

DISADVANTAGES OF PRECAST CONCRETE UNITS

1. Lack of proper handling may damage the pre-cast unit during transport
2. For lifting and moving of the precast unit special equipment are required.
3. It becomes difficult to produce satisfactory connection between the pre-cast
members.

PRODUCTION OF PRECAST CONCRETE UNIT

The individual component are pre- fabricated offsite then taken to site where they are erected.
The process involved includes;

1. Production of reinforced cages and main connection

2. Assembly of molds – moulds are prepared according to the shape of the product then
reinforced cage is positioned in the partly assembled mold
3. Concrete mixing:- concrete is mixed in the design ratio proportion and placed in the the
mould.
 4. Compaction of concrete- concrete is places and compacted using high frequency external
vibration to ensure optimum density is obtained.
5. Precast concrete is moves to the storage area. Once an appropriate strength has been
reached the pre-cast units are moved to the storage area.
6. Storage of the precast concrete unit. The finished components are stacked on cleaned
batterns or plastic pads. Positioned to suit the design of the component. Care is taken to
keep the stacks and ensure batterns are placed directly above one another
7. Transportation to site. The components are delivered to site in a pre-determined sequence
to ensure that hardened concrete is ready for instant erection at site.
8. Erection- at site component are erected straight from the lorry leading to factors erections
reduced site activities.

The commonly used method for precast concrete plant is pallet circulation, which involves
production done on site casting pallets that are transported in a circuit from station to station.
It ranges from low level of automation to fully automated pallet circulation system.

MATERIAL FOR FIXING PRECAST UNIT

They must be corrosion resistance, have sufficient strength and good workability. They
include;

1. Fixing sockets:-
They are used for attaching and fixing objects to pre-cast concrete such as lighting
fixtures and rays. They are mainly divided into
i) Cast in tubular sockets
It provide threaded fixing in finished concrete unit
ii) Cast in solid rod sockets
Are heavy duty fixings mostly used in architectural fixing units.
2. Ties
They connect a façade and an inner panel of a wall together.
3. Connecting loop
They connect the vertical joints of pre-cast wall panel to each other they are single wire
loops which can be applied on walled column joints.
PRE-STRESSED CONCRETE
Pre- stressing is the technique of introducing stress into a structural member during construction
to improve its strength and performance.

It is the concrete in which high compressive stresses are artificially induced before it is used in
reinforcement concrete members. Pre-stress is commonly introduced by tensioning the steel
reinforcement.

Often introduced in concrete beams, columns, wall panel, girders. It is the application of
predetermined forces or moments to structural members in such a manner that the combined
internal stresses in the member resulting from any anticipated conditions of external loading will
be confined within elastic limits. It sets up initial compressive stresses with a view to reduce the
tensile stresses.

NB

Plain concrete- consist of cementium material ( a mixture of water and cement and sometime
lime. Lime improves workability i.e easy to spread and prevent shrinkage) and aggregates
(ballast and sand)

Reinforced concrete- this is where reinforced bars are included in the plain concrete

Concrete is strong in compression and weak in tension hence to overcome this stresses i.e
tensile stresses its necessary to have reinforcement bar in concrete.
METHODS OF PRE-STRESSING

Basic Principle of Pre-stressing

Concrete is very strong in compression but weak in tension. In an ordinary concrete beam the

tensile stress at the bottom: are taken care by providing standard steel reinforcement

But we still get cracking, which is due to both bending and shear in pre-stressed concrete,

because the pre-stressing keeps the concrete in compression, thus no cracking occurs. This is

often preferable where durability is a concern.

Methods of Pre-stressing
There are two methods of pre-stressing:

ü Pre-tensioning: Apply pre-stress to steel strands before casting concrete;

ü Post-tensioning: Apply pre-stress to steel tendons after casting concrete

Pre-tensioning

Steel tensioned before casting the concrete. Strands are tensioned, concrete is cast around the

strands, and then the strands released when concrete attains required strength. As the bond

between the tendons and concrete are resisting the shorting of the tendons the concrete is

compressed. Pre-stressing force introduced into concrete by bond:

ü Anchoring of tendons against the end abutments

ü Placing of jacks

ü Applying tension to the tendons

ü Casting of concrete

ü Cutting of the tendons

In pre-tensioned members, the strand is directly bonded to the concrete casted around it.

Therefore, at the ends of the member, there is a transmission length where the strand force is
transferred to the concrete through the bond: At the ends of pre-tensioned members it is
sometimes necessary to de-bond the strand from the concrete. This is to keep the stresses within
allowable limits where there is little stress induced by self with or other loads:
POST-TENSIONED
POST-TENSIONING SEQUENCE
ü Casting of concrete.
ü Placement of the tendons.
ü Placement of the anchorage block and jack.
ü Applying tension to the tendons.
ü Seating of the wedges.
ü Cutting of the tendons.

In this method, the concrete has already set but has ducts cast into it. The strands or tendons are
fed through the ducts (Stage 1) then tensioned (Stage 2) and then anchored to the concrete (Stage
3). The tendons are stretched and anchored at the end of the concrete members after the member
has been cast and attained sufficient strength. Commonly a metal duct is placed along the
member before concrete casting; the tendons could be preplaced after hardening of concrete.
After the concrete has attained the required strength. The tendons are stressed using pre-stressing
jacks at the end of the concrete member and anchored.

Another way
The ducts for the tendons (or strands) are placed along with the reinforcement before the casting
of concrete. The tendons are placed in the ducts after the casting of concrete. The duct prevents
contact between concrete and the tendons during the tensioning operation.
It is usually in-situ operation, used in large projects such as continuous long-span bridges.
• Use metal sheath to form a duct or use plastic duct instead.
• Use small number of large tendons as oppose to large number of strands in pre-tensioned:
ü Pre-tensioned rely on bond between concrete and steel thus we wish to maximize bond
surface, whereas in post-tensioned we rely on mechanical anchorage at the ends.
ü Fewer larger tendons results in less labor
· In post-tensioned members, tendons are usually grouted after anchorage to prevent
corrosion:
ü Cement or epoxy grout, called bonded members
ü Grease or no g-rout, called un-bonded members
· Grout is pumped into duct under pressure to ensure it’s full. The behavior of bonded and
un-bonded is the same until before cracking, after cracking they are different.

second case:
 1. Post – tensioning
The tendons are stretched and anchored at the end of the concrete members after the
member has been cast and attained sufficient strength. Commonly a metal duct is placed
along the member before concrete casting, the tendons could be preplaced loose inside the
duct prior to casting or could be placed after hardening of concrete. After the concrete has
attained the required strength. The tendons are stressed using pre-stressing jacks at the end
of the concrete member and anchored.
Other methods of pre-stressing
i. Thermo pre-stressing by application of electric heat
ii. Pre-bending high strength steel beam
iii. Chemical pre-stressing by means of exposure cement with expanding chemically after
setting

Basic principles of pre-stressed concrete

Pre-stressing provides initial stresses controlled in magnitude and direction for counter balancing
to a desired degree stresses resulting from external loading

Three concept are applied to explain and analyze the basic behavior of pre-stressed concrete

A. Stress concept
Pre-stressed concrete is considered as a concrete structure with the tendons supplying the pre-
compression which transforms a brittle material like concrete into elastic ones. Concrete is taken
as subject to two systems of forces i.e internal pre-stressed and external load with the tensile
stress is due to external load and compressive stress due to pre-stress. The cracking of concrete
due to loading is may prevented by pre-compression provided by the tendons as long as there is
no cracks. The stress, strain and deflection due to the two systems of forces which can be
considered separately and super imposed as necessary.
B. Strength concept
Steel and concrete act together while steel taking tension and concrete taking compression so that
the materials form a resisting couple against an external moment. High tensile steel used has to
be elongated a great deal before its strength is fully utilized. If the high strength tensile steel is
embedded, in concrete as in the case of reinforced concrete, it will crack before full strength of
steel is developed; hence it is necessary to pretension on the steel with respect to concrete by pre-
tensioning desirable stresses and strain in both materials is produced hence safe and economical
utilization of both materials.

C. Load balancing

The pre-stressing is proportioned to balance a desired portion of the load. The concept shows that
the portion of the load. The concept shows that the effect of pre-stressing with a parabolic draped
tendon (concave upward) is to apply an upward uniformly distributed loading on the concrete
which of course counteracts to some degree. Any downward externally applied loading.

Advantages of pre-stressed concrete over reinforced concrete

1. More durable since there are no tensile cracks whereas in reinforced concrete tensile
cracks hence there is greater danger of adverse environmental effect.
2. Dead weight of pre-stressed concrete is less compared to reinforced concrete members
because of high strength concrete is used
3. In pre- stressed concrete there is improved shear and tension strength
4. It prevent deflection due to reduced cracking
5. Adds protection to the steel.
 JOINTS IN CONCRETE WORK
Floors and concrete pavements are constructed generally in alternate bays to allow for the
incidental early shrinkage of concrete. Slab of large dimension and in other special cases,
expansion joints are provided to cater for the expansion and contraction. In pavements proper
joints are provided to direct the possible cracks arising out of expansion and out of thermal
expansion and contraction, due to variation in temperature and also due to long-term drying
shrinkage.
Joints can be broadly classified into four categories:
ü Construction joints
ü Expansion joints
ü Contraction joints
ü Isolation joints

CONSTRUCTION JOINT
Construction joints are the temporary joints left between subsequent concreting Operations. The
joints should be loaded where concrete is least vulnerable to maximum bending moment. It
should be determined before and after the operation by the designer when used. Joints in beams
and slabs should be formed at the point of minimum shear. It is also not desirable to have the
construction joints at the point of maximum bending moment, therefore the joints may be made
at the extreme position of the middle third.
Construction joint should be properly masked when finishing the structure. Badly made and
unmasked construction joint will give an ugly appearance to the concrete construction. The
groove may be incorporated at the joint to make a feature and to hide the joint

VERTICAL JOINTS (BEAM AND SLABS)

The bending stress should act at right angle to the section i.e they act in the direction of the span
and do not affect the bending strength of the section. vertical joint reduce the shear strength of
the beam or slab and hence should be located where the shear stress is least. In most cases, the
joint is made at the extreme position of the middle 3rd of the span to increase shear strength of
joints, shear reinforcement or provision of key should be made, it should be located where it is
supported by other members. Example of concrete joint
i. Butt joint
 ii. Butt joint with dowel
iii. Tongue and groove
iv. Tie bar

EXPANSION JOINT
The concrete is subjected to volume changes due to many reasons so we have to cater this by
weigh of joints to relieve the stress. Expansion is a function of length, the buildings longer than
45m are generally provided with one or more expansion joint. The joints are formed by
providing a gap between the building parts
CONTRACTION JOINT (DUMMY JOINTS OR CONTROL JOINTS)
It’s a sawed, formed, tooled or grooved in a concrete slab that creates a vertical plane. Concrete
undergoes plastic shrinkage and drying shrinkage as a result of which concrete shrinks. When
shrinkage is restrained, stresses are developed which result in the formation of cracks. To avoid
these cracks, contraction joints are provided. Normally, the interval at which these joints are
provided will vary from 5 to 10 meters. In it regulates the location of cracking caused by
dimensional changes in the slab. Unregulated cracks can grow and result in an acceptable rough
surface as well as the water infiltration into the base, sub base and sub grade which can enable
other types of pavement distress. They are the most common types of joint in concrete to the
pavement, thus the generic term “joints” generally referring to a contraction joint. They are
chiefly defined by their spacing and method of load transfer/they are generally between ¼-1/3
the depth of the slab and typically spaced every 3.1 to 15m
Isolation joint in concrete

These are joint that isolate the slab from a wall column or drain pipe. They have one very special
purpose i.e to isolate the slab from something else. This can be a drain pipe. Here are a few
things to consider with isolation joint.

1. Walls and columns which are on their own footings that are deeper than the slab subgrade
and not going to move the same way a slab does as it shrinks or expands from drying or
temperature changes or as the subgrade compresses a little.
2. If slabs are connected to wall or column or pipes as they contract or settle there will be
restraint which usually cracks the slab although it could also damage pipe (stand pipes or
floor drains)
3. Expansion joints in concrete pavement are also rarely needed, since the contraction joint
opens enough (from drying shrinkage) to account for temperate expansion. The exception
might be where a pavement or parking lot are next to a bridge or building than we simply
use a wider isolation joint (maybe ¾ inch) instead of a ½ inch.
4. Blows up, from expansion of concrete due to hot weather and sun are more commonly
caused by contraction joints that are not sealed and that fill up with non-compressible
materials ( rocks, dirt) they can also be due to very long un-jointed section.
5. Expansion joints are virtually never needed with interior slabs, because the concrete does
not expand that much and it never get hot.
6. Isolation joint are formed by placing preformed joint material next to column or
wall/stand pipe prior to casting the slab. Isolation joint material typically asphalts
impregnant board, although plastic, coke, rubber and neoprene can be used. Joint must go
all the way through the slab, stating at the sub-base but should not exceed above the top.

Joints in water reservoir and water wall

This joint should be made water proof by inserting a copper strip across the joint. The strip is
kept losses by providing a loop at center and thus it can provide for movement of wall. The loop
is endorsed by soft mastic around it and kept towards the water surface of the wall. The floor
slab is laid separately and a proper joint is given between it and wall base. When the concrete has
hardened the joint is filled with a plastic material which may remain at all time at all
temperatures.

Joints in the road surface.

In this case, the area is divided into panel and each panel is casted separately, from the other.
Some plastic materials e.g bitumen, cork is filled in the joints between the panels. This allows
free movement of each panel and saves it from cracking. The edges of each panel are prevented
from damage by filling enough bitumen in the joints. In case of roads having heavy traffic, the
edges are further reinforcement by providing iron built in the slab during concreting.

Joints in floor and pavements

Proper joints are provided to take care of the cracks developed due to thermal expansion and
contraction they are constructed in alternate base to minimize the early shrinkage of concrete

Horizontal joints [walls and columns]

They should be horizontal and provided at the floor level of lintels or still level of window .no
joints should be made at the corner since it’s difficult to tie corners together.
FIXING OF PRECAST CONCRETE
This provides practical guidance and set minimum standards for the safe handling, transporting
and erection of precast concrete elements

Definition of terms
1. Brace- means a member placed diagonally with respect to the vertical plane of a precast
component and rigidly fixed to provide stability
2. Builder – person who is engaged to do any building works using precast concrete
component
3. Competent – a person who has acquired knowledge and skill through combination of
qualification, training and experiences to perform the task required.
4. Crane – it’s a powered device that is equipped with mechanical means for raising or
lowering loads suspended by means of a hook or other load handling device.
5. Cyclic - a reversing/recurring load.
6. Dunnage – a timber (normally) material stored under or between precast concrete element
to prevent damage or instability during storage and transportation.
7. Riggers – a person who has been instructed in the proper selection of slings and the
slinging of loads and who understands the crane with which he is working
8. Element – an individual precast concrete unit e.g column, beams stairs e.t.c
9. Leveling shim – means a single or series of thin strips of suitable material that are used
under elements to assist with final positioning
10. Prop – means a member of specific design used to support a precast concrete element.
11. Strong back – means a line drawing of a precast element used in the manufacturing
process to describe details.
12. Tag line – a rope attached to the load to be used to control the load during rifting or
positioning
13. Tilt slab – a concrete element normally cast in a horizontal position at or near its final
location. Lifted to the vertical position with one edge remaining on the casting floor.
Precast element design
The design and construction of all precast concrete must be in accordance with the overall
building design loads during construction of precast concrete.

Elements may include (but may not be limited):-

i. Variation in load distribution (with time) during construction e.g variation in

propping loads due to the effect of pre-stressing.
ii. Loading on the bracing inserts, lifting inserts, lifting gear and precast elements
from the dead load, the sling angle and any extra – ordinary dynamic load or impact load
applied through handling

A. Lifting from casting bed

When lifting pre-cast concrete element from a casting bed, an allowance should be made from
suction or de-moulding forces. This allowance typically add 10 -50% to the weight of the
element. When determining the size and shape of pre-cast element, consideration should be
given to factors affecting safety including:-

i. Size of crane available to undertake erection.

ii. Access to and around the site
iii. Propping and bracing requirements
iv. Transport restrictions

Where element are designed to be cast offsite, the designer should consider the effect of
authority limit on length, width, height and weight. Consideration also needs to be given to the
availability of suitable and adequate transport equipment. Joint widths between adjacent precast
elements should be sufficient to allow self-alignment during erection and to accommodate
tolerances.

B. Reinforcement design
Addition reinforcement may be required in the following instance for safe handling and propping
of elements

a) A temporary support point

b) Where temporary support conditions results in stress greater than those on the final
structure that was designed for
c) For handling elements which do not achieve their full strength until built in e.g partial
heights precast beams

C. Thin panel
Generally designed as un reinforced element for handling and erection unless pre-stressed. The
designer should consider the consequences of inadvertent overloading and cracking of such
element during handling and should provide reinforcement where necessary to limit sudden
catastrophic collapse. When panel are being handled, flat off a casting bed or trunk. The center
of the lifting inserters should coincide with the center of gravity of the pre-cast element. When a
panel is to be lifted and then tilted to a vertical position, in one operation, the panel may only be
lifted using two cranes hooks. This panel and the lifting inserters must be designed for that
purpose. To tilt up panels, the center of the lifting inserters should normally be at least 300mm
closer to the top of the panel than the COG of the panel so that the suspended panel will hang
near the vertical

D. Lifting inserts
When choosing the number of lifting inserts to be used in elements consideration should be
given to the lifting inserts capacity. The total weight of the element, their length and height, the
position of any cast out and opening and rogging arrangement. Additional lifting inserts are
often added for multiple lifts for de-molding from the bed. Handling transportation and erection.
Lifting inserts should be designed with a minimum factor of safety of three unless they are to be
used for multiple lift application e.g re-usable manhole cover, concrete counter weights, in which
case, they should be designed with a factor of safety of five. All lifting inserts requires adequate
embendement/ anchorage to function effectively.

Anchorage is affected by:-

1. Proximity to edges
 2. Proximity to hole, recesses or edges rebates
3. Proximity to other lifting devices that are loaded concurrently
4. Concrete thickness
5. Embedded depth
6. The presence of cracks
7. Tension on stresses in the concrete around anchorage
8. The proximity of reinforcement/ pre-stressing tendons

BRACING DESIGN
They shall be designed for winds and construction load. Is a common practice to adopt design
wind load of 0.5kpa per temporary condition during erection

Where the temporary bracing is expected to provide support extended periods (more than two
weeks) considerations must be given to a more accurate determination of wind load in
accordance with appropriate code.

Consideration should be given to the risk and consequence of failure. Awareness should be made
for higher loads due to local effect such as wind funneling

BRACE ACCESSORIES
1). Pin
A 16mm steel pin that slides through the inner and outer sleeve to hold the
brace at the correct length. One end is bent so that the pin cannot slide right
through and the other end has a small hole drilled right through to take the lock.
2). Lock
It passes through the drilled hole in the pin to prevent the pin from being removed. Designed to
keep concrete slurry out of the lock.
 3). Lock key
A Key to unlock the brace pin lock.

4). Knee Brace bracket

Bracket to hold the smaller brace to the main brace

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS OF BRACING A CONCRETE ELEMENT

The designer must analyze all limit states and failure mechanisms.

Strength Considerations:

1. Brace strength:
A number of components contribute towards a Braces’ capacity.
i). Connection to the element
ii). Connection to the dead man/ slab or footing
iii).Brace pin
iv). Welds on the brace
v). Brace foot bolt
2. Concrete strength:
If the concrete ruptures it will cause the bottom or top connection to fail. The concrete strength
must have the capacity to withstand the brace load.

3). Design for brace strength:

Select the appropriate Brace to match the total load of the element.
When a Knee Brace is installed with a Brace, consideration must be given to the working load limit
(WLL) of both Brace & Knee Brace (AS3850, AS1170, AS4100 & AS3600).

4. Design for concrete strength:

Correctly installed Braces transfer the applied load to the concrete element. Should the applied load
exceed the Brace capacity and concrete strength the connection will fail and the concrete element
will fall.
Extra reinforcement or increased concrete strength may be required to prevent connection failure.
The design may still be limited by serviceability.

5. Connection Limit State

The WLL of the specified connections between the concrete element and the Brace must be sufficient
to withstand the factored load. This connection could be a cast in ferrule and high tensile bolt or a
mechanical expansion anchor. When a mechanical expansion anchor is used the Ultimate Load Limit
must be total by 1.5 times. Factoring is not required when the Working Load Limit of the anchor is
used in calculations.

6. Brace Anchoring Limit State

The WLL of the specified base support for the Brace must be sufficient to withstand the factored load
on the Brace. This could be a dead man specifically poured for the job or existing slab or footing. A
design engineer must specify the Brace anchoring system.

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR CONCRETE LIFTING SYSTEMS

The design engineer must take into account all limit states and failure mechanisms.
The following limit states are to be considered during the design process.
1). Anchor strength
2). Concrete strength
3). Combined anchor strength If a tension bar is to be installed with the anchor, their joint capacity must be
considered.
4). Design for concrete strength
5). Serviceability
6). Anchor robustness and flexibility
7). Fatigue due to multiple lifting and corrosion Provided the Conlift anchor is showing no signs of corrosion
or damage the are safe for multiple lifts.
8). Atmospheric Corrosion All Conlift foot and eye anchors are galvanized (hot dipped) to ensure they are
resistant to atmospheric corrosion. Stainless steel anchors are available for more aggressive environments.

Configuration of loads/ factored load

1. Generally a minimum of two braces should be used for each panel or element. Where one
brace is used an additional element should be incorporated to safe ground against collapse
wall panel or column, it is common to use two braces at right angle.
2. The designer should note that the recommended support for a brace from a floor to the
wall panel is when the brace forms 3:4:5 triangle i.e a base 3M from panel and extending 4M
up the panel in practice 500 – 600 from horizontal is acceptable.
 3. In the case of a wall panel, bracing points in the wall should ideally be not less than 67%
of the height of the panel from its base. Under no circumstances should wall panel be placed
below mid-panel height unless this being carried out under strictly controlled condition with
special provision having been made to prevent the base kick-out or panel failure due to
bending at the bracing point as shown below.

FW X 0.5 H
FW =
N X 0.67 H
From force = pressure x area

Then force on the wall be pressure of the wind on the wall say FØ

FØ – Must be less than capacity of the brace

FH
FØ
COSØ

H – Panel height

W – Panel width

Ø – Brace angle ( 450 – 600)

Fw – wind loads/ pressure determined by acceptable code

N – number of braces per panel

Braces
All brace:

i). Should have a known safe working load available. In the case of adjustable brace, the
safe working load, at zero extension and maximum extension should be available.
ii). Adjustable brace should have stops in the threads to prevent over extension.
iii).Should have a 0.5 to 2 against ultimate failure.
iv). Should be fixed to solid, flat concrete or other surface that are capable of resisting applied
loads.
v). Expansion anchors for brace fixing shall be load controlled i.e an achor where an increase
of loads will result in an increasing wedging force. The permissible loads shall be limited to
65% of the load at which the anchor exhibit first slip.

Construction methods
Building stability
The builder should ensure the stability of the whole of the building or part of the building being
constructed this is checked by a registered engineer to limit the possibility of collapse at any
stage during erection or construction.

Erection platform
The builder must determine that the erection platform (floor slab) suspended slab or surrounding
ground) can carry the construction and erection loads and provide verification to the crane owner
or operator prior to the commencement of the work.

Suspended slabs are not normally designed to support cranes or transporters. If a suspended slab
is used to support the crane, the slab shall be designed for the point loads applied by the crane’s
outriggers wheel loads or any other construction loads. A temporary propping system may be
required for a suspended slab.

Fixing inserts
1). Where permanent fixing or connection are to be utilized, for temporary use during
construction. The builder should verify that the fixing are suitable for the temporary use and
will not compromise their long term performance.
2). To ensure correct fitting, each component of the complete lifting system, anchorage,
lifting eye or clutch and recess formed shall be compatible with each other.
3). The strength of lifting inserts is affected by:
i) Proximity to edges.
ii) Proximity to hole, recess or edge rebates
iii) Proximity to other lifting devices that are loaded co – currently.

Lifting precast elements

Procedure:-

1). Where element are being handled flat off a casting bed or truck, the center of the lifting
insert should coincide with the center of gravity of the precast element. The lifting hook
should be directly above the center of gravity of the element. Running rigging must not be
used it would permit the element to tilt in an uncontrolled manner.
2). Whenever possible, inserts for tilt panel should be designed to suit the common rigging
configuration. The builder shall check that the configuration proposed suit the panel designs.
3). Running rigging is commonly used with tilt panel. The bottom edge must remain on the
ground or platform to maintain control of the element
4). The lifting inserts and the rigging should be so arranged that when the element is lifted, it
remains stable and the bottom edge remains horizontal.
5). Hoop of reinforcement steel shall not be used for lifting, however, the length of pre-
stressing strand are used in some circumstance for handling precast element. They may need
to be used with a special lifting mandrel. To ensure that the strang is not bent around a tight
radius. Lifting loop must not be used when complex tilting maneuvers are being carried out.
6). If precast elements are large or awkwardly shaped, it may be necessary to use strong
backs to limit concrete stress to acceptable levels.
7). If the strong back itself is to be used for lifting, it must be necessary and specifically
designed for this purpose.
8). Strong back connection to the panel should be by way of cast in insert or structural
expansion anchor if structural expansion anchor are used, the working loads should be less
than the clamping force provided by the anchor.

Propping
Propping of beams
1). Propping for beams should allow for possible changes to the distribution of loads during
the construction process.
2). Where beams are post – tensioned, the stressing process can change the shape of the
member thereby reducing the loads on same props and increase the loads to others. This
particularly applied where the stressing induce a camber into the beam which can lift the
beam off prop at mid-span transferring all the loads to the props at the end.
3). Pre cast shell beams are normally pre-stressed which induce a natural camber into the
units. In some cases, propping is lowest slightly at mid-span to allow the beams to deflect to
a more labeled shape during placing of the concrete core and topping to the floor. This will
result to much higher than anticipated load being carried through the temporary props at the
ends.
4). The sitting for precast beams may not be suitable to transfer high loads during
construction and the beams will normally require full propping at each end.
 5). If the designer of the structure requires the beams to be supported without the use of mid-
span props to reduce the end support dead loads bending (moment) then the requirement
must be clearly noted on the contract drawing and on the precast layout drawing
6). Where beams are to have floor system placed on them prior to the beams, being fully
built into the structure, allowance should be made to the fact that the beam may not be evenly
loaded by the floor units during construction. Long span floor units placed on one side only
of a beam may cause the beam to roll on the props, for this reason each edge of the beam
may require temporary propping.
7). Where beams are to support floor unit, allowance must be made for the beams to carry an
appropriate proportion of the construction load from floor. Propping for floors may in some
case be intended to only even out the level of the underside of the floor units and not to take
any significant floor load during construction. This leads to higher anticipated load being
carried through the beam propping unless specifically noted otherwise all temporary
propping should be in place , adjusted to the correct levels allowing for any requires camber
and fully braced prior to commencement of erection of any precast beams.

Propping of precast floor system

Refers to the floor system design for the number and position of temporary support point, if any
required for each unit, during erection and construction of the floor loads to the propping should
be calculated by a competent person unless specifically noted otherwise temporary propping
should provide full support of all construction load including the full self-weight of the
completed floor system and possible local concentration of load during construction.
Construction loads may include a pullets of fill stacked on the partially constructed floor,
reinforced steel mech, excess concrete before being spread and leveled and other loads

Unless specifically noted otherwise, all temporary propping should be in place, adjusted to the
correct level allowing for any required camber and fully braced prior to commencement of
erection of any floor unit.

Props should be adequately seated, leveled and capable of transferring the full loads through
whatever structure they are bearing on and into the ground without an acceptable settlement.

Props if required, should be vertical, they should also be braced to prevent side way of the whole
assembly and the buckling of individual props.

Props to floor units should have a suitable top bearer which should be located in the header of the
props in such a way as to prevent rolling of the bearer and to ensure that the loads from the
bearer is transferred concentrically into the prop. The top bearer should be over the center line of
the prop otherwise, it may cause the prop to bend leading to failure.

Floor unit such as the various hollow core systems which are normally erected without
temporary props, may require some amount of temporary propping at mid-span principally to
even out natural variations in camber of the units or for other structural or concentric reasons,
with the specific approval of the floor systems suppliers in each particular instance, it may be
satisfactory to erect the temporary props after the precast floor units are in place and for the
props to take only a portion of the full construction load.