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FRP Moulds have been specially designed
for the construction of waffle floors
and may be carried on the minimum
of support work.
Although the ribs produced by these
moulds are at equal centers in both
directions, the moulds themselves
are square in plan. They are designed
to be used with a quick-strip support
system, enabling the moulds and 50%
of the support work to be removed
2 or 3 days after casting concrete.
This unique feature gives a faster
turnaround of equipment, reducing
hire charges and site storage space.
FRP Moulds are contact moulded F.R.P.,
light in weight, easy to handle and
form a waffle floor with a module
of 900 to 1500mm C to C.
They are produced in four sizes ranging
from 900 to 1500mm and depths from
300 to 600mm. Adjusting the depths
of the concrete over the top of the
mould can vary the total depth of
the floor cast upon them.
KAE Engineers offers FRP Moulds for
sale and on turnkey basis can arrange
for their erection and support on
contract basis.
Architectural
considerations
FRP Moulds are smooth and impart a
good finish where they are in contact
with the concrete. Where the architect
wishes to leave the underside of the
floor exposed he should be aware that
the normal as-struck finish may not
be considered "fair faced".
The soffit of the floor formed by
the FRP Moulds is smooth but the joints
between adjacent moulds and between
moulds and their bearers are visible.
For industrial structures such as
warehouses, car parks,commercial building,Institusional
building, multistorey residential
flats etc., the "as-struck"
soffit of an FRP Mould floor should
be quite acceptable but where emphasis
is laid upon the appearance of the
underside, special care must be taken
in staging & casting and finishing
treatment will probably be necessary.
The architect should consider whether
any particular detail should be used
at the head or foot of the partition
and walls to allow for the movement
of the floor under load. During construction
the floor may be erected with an upward
chamber, but the chamber cannot prevent
deflection taking place under load.
This aspect of the design needs particular
attention with floors of long span.
Advantages
The floors are designed to span in
two directions and having ribs on
each direction. They offer the most
economical form of long span floor
construction.
The deeper the floor the greater the
saving in materials and weight.
Since the floor is an in situ construction
it offers the engineer the best opportunity
to use the floors as an integral part
of the structure.
FRP Moulds have the following advantages
over other moulds:
-
The
deformation of the surface under
pressure of the concrete is greatly
reduced by the inclusion, on the
inner face, of stiffening ribs
and by the uniform thickness of
the walls of the mould obtained
by the contact moulding process.
-
The shape has been designed to
allow a "quick-strip"
method of construction, so that
fewer moulds need be stored on
site and more rapid re-use can
be obtained.
-
The
floors can remain propped while
the moulds are removed and erected
elsewhere in the structure.
-
The
moulds are very accurately made
(plus or minus 1% at 25C) and
are intended to fit into metric
modular dimensions.
-
Of
the light material, two men can
carry mould easily and they are
easy to place in position. During
stripping the mould can be supported
by one man.
-
KAE Engineers maintain the stock
of many mother moulds in all sizes
from which large quantity of FRP
Moulds can be produced in short
periods. We also hold large quantity
of new and used FRP Moulds available
for immediate despatch.
Mould
Characteristics
The mould are available in thee plan
sizes and varying depths as shown
in the table below. A uniform rib
size can be obtained by staging the
mould on equal distances in two directions.
The total depth of the floor is dependent
upon the thickness of the topping
over the crown of the mould, which
is designed to support up to 150mm
of wet concrete.
The moulds are intended to be striped
from concrete by air within three
days of casting and the best results
would be obtained under these conditions.
The boss is provided in the center
of the lower surface of the crown
of the mould receives a standard Schraeder
nozzle for an air line. A short blast
of air is sufficient to break the
bond between the mould and the concrete
allowing the mould to be drawn freely
from the floor. Air release is often
unnecessary with the smaller depths
of FRP Moulds. |
