Introduction
Being one of the most commonly and best used methods, hollow core flooring provides the ideal structural fragment by providing extreme structural adeptness inside the slab depth while reducing the structural section by decreasing the dead weight. Using the chain of longitudinal voids of the hollow core concrete slabs, also known as hollow core planks or voided slabs, an economical and structural design result is gotten and that comes with a thermal mass advantage. This kind of flooring can be used in any kind of construction, either residential or commercial.
Advantages of using hollow core flooring in a construction
- Being tender, the pre-stressed hollow core slabs assist in the construction of thinner floors. The more the floors are thin, the more they can be constructed one on top of each other in commercial buildings, which mostly have a number of floors.
- The pre-stressed and precast hollow core concrete planks are easy to fit in, therefore, offering an instant platform for working after completing fitting them in.
- Hollow core concrete slabs are efficient in energy as their mass assist in controlling internal temperatures. Especially during hot summers, they assist in the sustaining of cooling units thus avoiding the use of air conditioners.
- With their thermal mass advantage, hollowcore flooring acts as a good fire resistance ensuring the safety of the inhabitants within a building. These kinds of floors provide a much longer time for the residents to escape the fire as compared to wooden floors, which catch fire very fast.
- Being easy to fit in, the hollowcore concrete planks take up less time as well as less labor. This saves the construction a lot on the cost of production as well as time.
Reasons for increasing demand in hollow core flooring in the global market
There are a lot of reasons for increasing the demand on hollow core flooring in the market today. Some of the reasons for both residential and commercial building owners to use this kind of flooring include:
- Speed in the erection of a building
- Fast unpropped platform for working
- Use of the least possible in-situ concrete in a site
- Long lengths
- Diaphragm action
- Design flexibility
- Services performed by site
- Efficiency in structural
- Factory produced to demanding quality standards
Future market for hollow core slabs in constructions
Two years ago, 2011, a market survey was done on the potential for hollow core concrete planks and it was found that there was a great demand for these products. In the world today, these products give an ideal solution to the current market challenges and demands for the construction industry: low consumption of materials, structural efficiency, thin floors, environmentally friendly and highly automated production process, and the possibility of recycling and reusing them after their life cycle.
Conclusion
Precast hollow core concrete slabs provide a lot of advantages over the other different flooring methods such as timber, in-situ and metal deck. Hollow core flooring provides the most cost effective floor solutions for the broadest selection of situations in masonry, concrete and steel structures, hereby providing a lot of advantages on the speed of construction.