Permissible Span of Semi-precast Slabs in Case of Erection

Permissible Span of Semi-precast Slabs in Case of Erection The construction of semi-preacast slabs made of precast lattice girder planks and insitu topping is economic in a large application field. The precast planks consist of a 5 cm thick RC slab serving as permanent formwork for the topping. Lattice girders, set into the slab concrete with their lower chord bars, are used to increase,the bending stiffness as well as the bearing capacity of the planks. Furthermore, the described lattice girders consist of an upper chord bar, two lower chord bars and in between diagonal bars. Due to the upper chord bar located above the concrete slab the section modulus as well as the moment of inertia is increased resulting in clearly enlarged permissible spans in the case of erection. The bearing behaviour cannot be described with common bending and shear design methods due to the divided cross section with a slender compression chord. A structural design according to DIN 1045-1 [1] is not possible, thus the use of lattice girders is regulated by approvals from the German Building Authorities. The lattice girder type E[2] (Fig. 1a) is already approved. Additionally, the diameter of the upper chord bar and the diagonals were enlarged to improve the bearing behaviour in case of erection. The Institute of Structural Concrete at RWTH Aachen University has carried out 78 bending and shear tests to investigate the bearing behaviour of the strengthened lattice girders. The main test results as well as the evaluated permissible spans for the current enhanced approval [3] are presented in this paper.