Building a house is a very serious matter. Taking into account all the nuances will ensure the strength and reliability of the structure, its durability. For example, if you plan to build a building in several floors, it is better to use hollow core slabs. Naturally, it is better to deal with this material as much as possible.
What is a product?
So, hollow core slabs are special panels made of reinforced concrete. They have a strictly specified thickness and dimensions. They can be used both in low-rise and in high-rise construction. It should be noted that today this material is very popular. At the same time, it does not matter what the structure will be built from: brick, blocks, concrete.
Naturally, hollow slabs have some advantages and disadvantages, which we will consider later. It is very important to buy material from reliable suppliers. The fact is that the stability and strength of the building, as well as your personal safety, depend on its quality.
Benefits
So, hollow slabs have such advantages:
- Relatively light weight. This provides savings in the transportation of material, since at one time you can transport about 200 sq.m. In addition, such panels do not burden the building.
- Profitability during production. It is necessary to spend less raw materials on such plates than on corpulent ones.
- The cost of the product.
- Good insulation due to voids. This feature allows you to save money on space heating.
Types of plates
It is possible to classify hollow reinforced concrete slabs as follows:
1. Products intended for support from two, three or four sides. They have a relatively small thickness (22 cm) and round voids (diameter 15, 14 or 12.7 cm).
2. Hollow core reinforced concrete slabs with round voids. The thickness of such products is 26 cm. At the same time, they can be supported on two, three or four sides. The diameter of the voids is 16 or 18 cm.
3. Panels having voids in the form of a pear. They usually rely on two sides. The thickness of such a product is about 26 cm.
If you need to know the dimensions in accordance with GOST, hollow core slabs generally have such dimensions: width - 1.8 m, length - from 1.6 to 12 m, height - 16-40 cm. The cost largely depends on the presented indicators panels.
Features of material production
A plate is made using only high-quality raw materials. For example, plants use only two types of concrete in their work: light but dense structural, as well as silicate (heavy). Please note that the quality of raw materials is determined by state standards. Naturally, not only concrete is used in production, but also reinforcement. It can be ordinary or intense.
In order for the plates to work well in shear in all planes, they should be made with grooves or recesses. They are usually placed on the side faces. If the panels will rest only on 3 or 2 sides, then they must be tensioned. The ends are required to be reinforced.
Material installation
So, hollow core slabs (you already know their sizes) must be correctly installed. It’s impossible to do such an installation with your hands, so you need special equipment - a truck crane. Before starting the installation, you must definitely check how smooth the walls are in the horizontal plane. If there are problems with the level, then your plate will be skewed. This will cause your rooms to have an uneven floor or cracks will quickly appear in the stove, which will only increase over time. At the same time, the cost of heat increases, condensation begins to collect in the room, and it is very difficult to finish the damaged surface.
During construction, it is important to calculate the load that will be placed on the hollow core slabs. Product dimensions also depend on this. That is, the more pressure is exerted on the panel, the thicker it should be.
It is especially important to consider these nuances in the event that your house is built in an area where seismic activity is recorded. At the time of purchase, pay attention to whether the stove is new. Used products should not be purchased.
Operational Features
In order to build a reliable house, you should use hollow core slabs. Dimensions (GOST 9561-91 strictly regulates the dimensions and composition) depend on the total area of the structure, as well as the estimated roof load (upper floors). Such panels are used for the construction of roofs, load-bearing structures, as well as partitions between floors.
The use of such products also has certain features. For example, if the stove is used for the construction of an attic, it must be insulated. Improper transport of the material may result in cracking or damage. Therefore, during transportation between the panels should be laid wooden blocks. He will not let the plates touch each other.
If you need to strengthen the product, you can additionally use fittings. It is laid on the underside of the panel between the voids. If the panel was slightly damaged, then the defect can be eliminated by yourself. It will not reduce the functionality of the product as a whole.
As you can see, the materials presented are in high demand and are used in the construction of almost any type of structure. Naturally, you only need to choose, calculate and mount hollow slabs correctly.