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What Is Wafflemat

Wafflemat is a concrete foundation system that uses plastic boxes called Waffleboxes to form voids under the slab. This creates a series of narrow concrete beams in two directions that directly support the foundation on the soil. The voids allow expanding soil to move into the spaces immediately after pouring, minimizing uplift effects on the structure. Wafflemat foundations are built directly on graded sites without disturbing the native soil layer. When soil expands, it moves into the pre-formed voids, while the narrow beam design minimizes expanding force on the foundation.

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161 views3 pages

What Is Wafflemat

Wafflemat is a concrete foundation system that uses plastic boxes called Waffleboxes to form voids under the slab. This creates a series of narrow concrete beams in two directions that directly support the foundation on the soil. The voids allow expanding soil to move into the spaces immediately after pouring, minimizing uplift effects on the structure. Wafflemat foundations are built directly on graded sites without disturbing the native soil layer. When soil expands, it moves into the pre-formed voids, while the narrow beam design minimizes expanding force on the foundation.

Uploaded by

An
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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What is Wafflemat?

Wafflemat is a concrete foundation forming system used on expansive soil and on other
types of soil where greater slab rigidity is required. Wafflemat creates a pattern of deep
voids on the underside of concrete foundation slabs. The voids are formed with
Waffleboxes that are made with polypropylene co-polymer plastic–the same tough
material used in automotive parts such as bumpers and battery boxes. Concrete is poured
over the Waffleboxes to form the slab, and to form a series of narrow beams in two
directions between the Waffleboxes. The beams have center-to-center dimensions that do
not exceed 4’-2”, and that support the foundation directly on the soil. They create a very
rigid foundation slab.

It’s important to observe that a 4” thick concrete slab with closely spaced beams, as used
in the Wafflemat foundation, is much more rigid than a 4” thick concrete slab with widely
spaced beams, as is commonly used in Texas.

Note: Foundations using the Wafflemat system must be designed by a licensed Civil or
Structural Engineer experienced in the design of concrete foundations on expansive soil,
using soil test data provided by a licensed Geotechnical Engineer.

How Does Wafflemat Work?


In a Wafflemat foundation, voids are created under the slab immediately after the
concrete is poured. There is no waiting time, such as with carton forms that require the
paper in the forms to disintegrate, in order to create voids. With Wafflemat, expansive soil
can start expanding into the voids immediately after the concrete sets. By absorbing the
expanding soil volume, the Wafflemat foundation minimizes the uplift effects of expanding
soil on the foundation and house structure.

The following drawings show how Wafflemat works:


The above drawing shows how the Wafflemat foundation looks when it is
constructed. Wafflemat foundations are usually built on a flat graded building site. The
native soil is not disturbed. Only the top layer of vegetative material has to be removed, just
as in any foundation. No removal of the expansive soil on the site and its replacement with
a non-expansive soil cap is usually required with Wafflemat.

The above drawing demonstrates the simple principle of Wafflemat. When soil under a
Wafflemat foundation expands, it moves into the voids created by the Waffleboxes. The
width of the beams in contact with the soil is minimized in the foundation design, so that the
force of expanding soil on those beams is also minimized. Yet, the beams are designed to
be wide enough so that the load of the foundation on the soil does not exceed the
allowable soil bearing pressure.

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