Future of Construction Process: 3D Concrete Printing

Concrete Printing Process developed at Loughborough University in the UK is capable of producing building components with a degree of customisation that has not yet been seen. It could create a new era of architecture that is adapted to the environment and fully integrated with engineering function. Web: www.buildfreeform.com

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Why Are Concrete Buildings Moved?

Generally speaking, the reasons behind concrete building moving are the same as they would be in any other move. It is a job of enormous risk and requires great attention to detail as well as a fair amount of patience. The decision to undertake concrete building moving is not an easy one as many parameters and variables must be considering before a final decision is made.

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Precast Prestressed Concrete (11/20/2009) - Part 2

Marty McIntyre of PCI and Mark Greiner of High Concrete speak to Eastern Illinois students about the PreCast Concrete Industry and the work process involved. (Part 2 of 7)

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Concrete Modular Buildings

Concrete modular buildings, also called as pre-cast or pre-fabricated concrete buildings, are the next step to steel modular buildings. Concrete is considered to be a tougher and less elastic material than steel. Also, concrete is less resistant to expansion and contraction due to weather and more adhesive bonding. However, the most important factor in making concrete win over steel in modular building designs is that concrete can be made to look more appealing and can be given many more creative designs than steel.

Companies that manufacture concrete modular buildings design them according to a proper scrutiny of the site and the floor plan of the building. Each module is designed in a factory. The module consists of initially placing a railing, on which a steel grid is placed. In this a concrete foundation is poured, and the railings are removed. The next step consists of erecting the walls, with apertures for doors, windows, ventilation, etc. Lastly, the roof is placed. The unit is finished by giving it a desired coat of paint and other fixtures. Such units are separately made at the factory, which are transported by trucks to the site and assembled there. Single units can be joined together using cement and mortar.

Concrete is a base material for conventional construction. Hence, modular buildings made with concrete appear no different from traditional buildings. For this reason, concrete modular units are popular choices for adding to older buildings.

Today a vast number of school buildings, office buildings, church buildings and even residential buildings are modular concrete buildings. Several architects and engineers are studying specialization courses in modular building technology, so the craft is improving day by day. Contemporary concrete modular buildings are creative in design and much safer than their earlier counterparts.

The biggest pros of concrete modular buildings vis-à-vis traditional concrete constructions are that they can give the same quality and look with less investment of time and money. Another factor is that concrete modular buildings can be dismantled and relocated, unit by unit, to another place. Hence, this type of structure becomes ideal for temporary establishments and moving businesses.

The cons are that, if improperly built, the structure may have cracks which may cause leakage in the long run. This, in turn, would harbor the growth of mold and mildew.

Pre-cast concrete buildings are cheaper than conventional buildings; they can cause a reduction of about 30 to 40 percent in the total building costs. Most companies price them on a per-square-foot basis. Their charges may vary from $75 to $100, depending on their features and textures.

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Concrete Foundation Repair - What You Need to Know to Keep Your Structure Strong

There are a number of instances where a concrete foundation repair is necessary in order to maintain the structural integrity of a building.

These could be a partial collapse of the building, as a result of water intrusion or an earthquake, or damages caused by overloading a structural deck or slab, or a failure of the foundation due to an improper installation.

In any instance where it appears the concrete footings need to be repaired, a detailed evaluation of the problem, followed by repair recommendations from a structural engineer, is the first step.

Most likely, the building or structure exhibited some signs, or there were indications that pointed to a problem with the concrete foundation.

Typical signs could be a sagging roof line, cracks in the plaster or stucco, or the building is unstable under certain loads.

In the worst-case scenario, a building might be red-tagged, and the inhabitants would have to vacate until the building inspector released the building as safe.

Once the structural engineer has generated a set of repair plans, a licensed concrete contractor will be employed to perform the repairs.

The contractor will start by excavating in order to expose the damaged sections of the foundation, and depending on the extent of the repairs, shoring may be needed to support one, or more sections of the building while the repairs are accomplished.

With the shoring in place, the damaged foundations can be removed using a jack hammer, or heavy equipment if necessary.

A typical concrete foundation repair will include embed rebar dowels, that are installed into the adjacent, undamaged concrete using a commercial, two-part epoxy.

Depending on the type of concrete foundation that's in place, it may be necessary to cut the adjacent concrete slab in order to remove the damaged section of foundation.

A smooth saw cut will allow for embed dowels to be installed per the engineer's specifications.

In addition, the repair will require embed dowels at either end of existing foundation.

The next step will be to install forms for the new section of foundation, and install the steel rebar in the footing.

The rebar is either tied or welded to the dowels to form the continuous reinforcing system.

Once the forms and rebar have been inspected, the foundation concrete can be poured in place, and the anchor bolts and structural hold-downs can be located in the fresh concrete.

When the concrete has initially set, the forms can be stripped and the excavation can be hand back-filled.

However, the back-fill cannot be compacted until the concrete has cured to a specified strength.

With many commercial buildings, samples of the concrete are sent to a lab for testing, and the test reports will indicate at what point the concrete foundation will sustain a load.

When the concrete has achieved the specified strength, the back-fill can be compacted, and any walls or other parts of the structure that were removed can be replaced.

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Foundations - The First 'Concrete' Step in Prepping Land For Construction

A building is only as good as its foundation, especially since you cannot build anything on land that is not strong enough to support a heavy structure. This is essentially the first real step you will take in converting raw land into buildable land, and this involves the following basic steps:

Assessing the strength of the soil

Some structures can be built with minimal foundation changes, while others might require you to dig up a few meters into the ground to provide a solid-enough foundation.

This is a task best left to a geotechnical engineer. Such engineers are trained to identify the properties of the soil, from its bulk density to its porosity, and they will be able to come up with a plan for you to work with the land your property is sitting on.

Just make sure, however, to listen carefully to the engineers. The last thing you want to do is spend a million dollars on a home only to see it collapse because of your stubbornness.

Breaking and digging up the land

The next step in the foundation-laying process is to break and dig up the land itself, which involves a lot of manual labor and power tools to get the job done.

Though the concept is simple enough, it is the execution of the digging that complicates matters. Soil composition, rocks, roots and even water can pose technical and practical problems in the construction process, requiring more time and specialized equipment to deal with.

This is especially true if you plan to build a heavy structure upon loose or rocky land. Such terrain might support a light building, but heavier structures need to have deeper foundations if they are to last for a long time to come.

Adding reinforced steel

This process is also known as rebarring, and will serve to hold the concrete in place while adding to the overall strength of the established foundation.

Concrete can handle a very large amount of vertical stress as it compresses down on the stuff. The problem with concrete, however, is that it does not fare too well if it is pulled in an outward direction. Reinforced steel is then shaped into square forms, welded unto vertical bars and then placed before the concrete is poured in.

This 'holds' the concrete together, allowing it to bear a heavy load without cracking due to the horizontal pressure exerted by 'squeezing' or other external forces. This is especially important for deep foundations, where a slight change in the direction of forces can tear down an entire building.

Pumping in the concrete

The last step in the process is the actual pouring of the concrete, which will then be left to dry and harden.

The tough, malleable properties of concrete make it an ideal choice for foundations, with the reinforced steel addressing the tensile weakness of concrete. Crushed rocks and stones can even be added to the concrete to give it even more tensile strength, making the mixture ideal for lighter structures like houses and cottages.

Keep all this in mind when you are looking at a piece of land, and you will be able to give a quick assessment of its ability to hold a structure in place.

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