(Click here for a printable version of this article) The most common concrete floor type is the ground-supported slab, also known as slab on ground or slab on grade. Second in popularity, at least in North America, comes the composite slab, a type of suspended floor made of concrete over a steel deck. The two [...]
(Click here for a printable version of this article) Some people like steel fibers in their concrete floors, and some people don't. Those who like steel fibers cite different reasons. One person is interested in wide-slab construction, using steel fibers to eliminate joints. Another favors steel fibers over wire mesh because it saves labor and [...]
How Steel-Fiber Length and Strength Affect Concrete Floors (Click here for a printable version of this article) Suppose you had to choose between two products, sight unseen. One is said to be long and strong; the other, shorter and not as strong. No further information is provided. Given that choice, you might be tempted to [...]
(You can click here to download a printable version of this article.) Steel fibers and rebar have some things in common. Both are made of steel. Both are used to reinforce concrete, and both can be found in floor slabs. Because of those common features, it is tempting to think of the two products as [...]
(You can click here to download a printable version of this article.) The designer of a ground-supported, industrial floor has to answer many questions. One question is always on the list: How thick must the concrete slab be to support the intended loads? It's an important question, because getting it wrong can bring severe consequences. If [...]
Click here for a printable version of this article. Some people like to live on the edge. They say the most interesting things happen there, and they are right. But there is a catch: not all those interesting things are good. When it comes to ground-supported concrete floor slabs, lots of interesting things happen at [...]
Architects and Engineers uttered a sigh of relief now that the International Building Code 2015 (IBC-2015) has adopted SDI C-2011 allowing the use of steel fibers in place of welded wire fabric to control temperature and shrinkage cracking in composite metal deck applications. The Steel Deck Institute (SDI) has had standards in place to accommodate [...]
It was a very busy schedule at the recently concluded spring ACI convention in Kansas City. The ACI 302/360 meetings offered insight into the future of our industry and I had the opportunity to hear several informative presentations, as well as participate in some great discussions. A lot of information was shared and I’m still [...]
This myth deals with a common misconception regarding how you determine steel fiber dosage for temperature/shrinkage reinforcement. It is commonly thought that since the amount of mesh must increase as slab thickness increases, the same would be true with fibers – as the slab thickness increases so would the fiber dosage. But this is not [...]
We live in a society of mass information, where anyone with a computer can publish and share their thoughts with the world. The downside to this rapid finding and sharing of information is that it is easy for misinformation, or flat out wrong information, to be repeated enough to be perceived as fact. From this [...]