BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES 5

RESEARCH

24 SEPTEMBER 2019
WALL PANEL SYSTEM

A Wall Panel is a single piece of material, usually flat and cut into rectangular
shape and serves as the visible and exposed part of a wall. It can serve as décor, as
insulation, as soundproofing, as uniformity of appearance, for durability and it is easy
to replace. Wall Panels are cheaper since they do not require other finishing
materials and some companies introduced environment-friendly systems.

- FLAT TYPE

Flat wall panels are exterior or interior panel systems that create a flush appearance
along the surface of the panel. These panels can range in shape and size, and are
often used in both interior and exterior applications

- RIBBED TYPE

- WINDOW TYPE
 A window wall is achieved by placing glazing between a building’s concrete slabs, using
the slabs as structural support. Window walls have a break between the glass, with slab
covers used to conceal the concrete. Window walls are often used in residential applications
as they allow for more customizable sections such as windows and balcony doors. They are
most commonly installed from the inside of a building, which is a safer, more efficient and
more cost effective.

- WALL TYPE

An affordable alternative to tiles and are completely grout-free, making them the
simplest way to keep wet environments hygienic and clean and with a huge choice of
colors, textures and finishes to choose from. Usually used on bathrooms for its
seamless style and removes the need to buy many tiles.

- TILT UP TYPE

With the tilt-up method, concrete elements (walls, columns, structural supports,
etc.) are formed horizontally on a concrete slab; this normally requires the building
floor as a building form but may be a temporary concrete casting surface near the
building footprint. After the concrete has cured, the elements are "tilted" to the
vertical position with a crane and braced into position until the remaining building
structural components (roofs, intermediate floors and walls) are secured.

PRESTRESSED CONCRETE

Pre-stressed concrete is a structural material that allows for

predetermined, engineering stresses to be placed in members to counteract the
stresses that occur when they are subject to loading. It combines the high strength
compressive properties of concrete with the high tensile strength of steel. In
ordinary reinforced concrete, stresses are carried by the steel reinforcement,
whereas pre-stressed concrete supports the load by induced stresses throughout the
entire structural element. This makes it more resistant to shock and vibration than
ordinary concrete, and able to form long, thin structures with much smaller
sectional areas to support equivalent loads.

- PRE TENSIONING METHOD

This process involves the stressing of wires or cables by anchoring them at the
end of a metal form, which may be up to 120 m in length. Hydraulic jacks stress the
wire as required, often adding 10% to accommodate creep and other pre-stress
losses that may be incurred. Side molds are then fixed and the concrete placed
around the tensioned wires. The concrete hardens and shrinks, gripping
the steel along its length, transferring the tension from the jacks to exert a
compressive force in the concrete.

Once the concrete has reached the desired strength, the tensioned wires are
released from the jacks. A typical concrete strength of 28 N/mm2 can be achieved by
24-hour steam curing, as well as using additives. For shorter members, dividing
plates can be placed at any point along the member which, when removed, permit
the cutting of the wires.

- POST TENSIONING
 The concrete member is cast and the prestressing occurs after the concrete is
hardened. This method is often used where stressing is to be carried out on site 
where a series of precast concrete units are to be joined together to form the
required member. Post-tensioning tendons, which are prestressing steel cables
inside plastic ducts or sleeves, are positioned in the forms before the concrete is
placed. Afterwards, once the concrete has gained strength but before the service
loads are applied, the cables are pulled tight, or tensioned, and anchored against the
outer edges of the concrete.

Stressing is carried out after the concrete has been cured by means of hydraulic

jacks operating from one or both ends of the member. Due to the high local stresses
at the anchorage positions it is common for a helical (spiral) reinforcement to be
included in the design. When the required stress has been reached, the wire
or cables are anchored to maintain the prestress. The ends of the unit are sealed
with cement mortar to prevent corrosion due to any entrapped moisture and to assist
in stress distribution.

COMPOSITE CONSTRUCTION METHOD

Composite construction provides a method of using two materials together so as to

utilize each material to its best advantage. A good example is how concrete is good
in compression and stell is good in tension. By joining these two materials together
structurally these strengths can be exploited to result in an efficient and lightweight
design.

The most common composite slab consists of profiled steel decking and concrete
cast in-situ. Another is the pre-cast concrete slab. The slabs must be designed in
such a way that they interact with the beam systems in place. By using pre-cast
concrete decks, hollow core slabs can be used which reduce the weight of the
building but is as effective as solid slabs. Another example of composite floor slab is
the slim floor. This consists of supporting steel beam being encased in the concrete
with the lower flange of the beam supporting the floor.

CABLE/TENSILE STRUCTURES

A tensile structure is a construction of elements carrying only tension and

no compression or bending. Most tensile structures are supported by some form of
compression or bending elements, such as masts, compression rings or beams.
A tensile membrane structure is most often used as a roof, as they can economically
and attractively span large distances. Tensile membrane structures may also be
used as complete buildings, with a few common applications being sports facilities,
warehousing and storage buildings, and exhibition venues.

Surface-stressed tensile structures are tension bearing members. Fabric tensile

structures are the great examples of Surface-stressed tensile structures, where the
vertical pillars hold the special designed fabric which is in tension.

Conical Tension Structures are easily identified by its tent-like shape. Conical
designs can feature either single or multiple masts. For both design options,
membranes are tensioned between a ring at the pinnacle and the lower perimeter
support columns.

Hypar/ Anticlastic Structures have the hypar (hyperbolic paraboloid) shapes which
are notable for their excellence with shape retention and water runoff. These
structures rely on two opposing curvatures, also known as anticlastic, for their
stability. This type of structure is ideal for shade over seating areas or high traffic
walkways.

Parallel Arch/ Barrel Vault Structure are symmetrical curved parallel arch designs
that form an incredibly functional tensioned membrane canopy that can span long
distances such as a sports arena or smaller areas such as an entryway. 

Cable Net and Membrane Structure are for long-span tensile membrane roofing
applications typically found in stadiums or large spaces, these are an efficient
solution for lightweight tensile architecture.

SHELL STRUCTURES
 Shell structures are also called plate structures. They are lightweight
constructions using shell elements. These elements, typically curved, are assembled
to make large structures. They are usually used for aircraft fuselages, boat hulls and
roofs of buildings.

Folded Plates is a type of concrete shell

structure that made up of thin flat slabs.
These slabs are jointed along their edges to
construct three-dimensional structure.

Folded plate spans up to 30m with only 60mm

thickness. nonetheless, folded plate structure
with greater spans can be constructed.
Added to that, it is aesthetically pleasing,
reduce material and construction
cost.However, difficult shuttering, requirement
for extensive labor work and supervision, high
cost, and difficulty in rising roofs are
drawbacks of this type of plates.

Prismatic Folded Plates consists of planar thin

slabs joining along their longitudinal edges to
form a beam-like structure spanning between supports.

Non-prismatic Folded Plates consists of planar thin slabs joining along their
longitudinal edges to form a beam-like structure spanning between supports.
Faceted Folded Plates consist of triangular or polygonal planar thin slabs joining
along their edges to form thin plate structure.

MODERN CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

3D Volumetric Construction

As the name implies, the 3D volumetric construction involves the manufacture

of 3D units in the form of modules in off site. At the time of installation, they are
brought to the site and assembled module by module. Each modular unit
manufactured are 3D units, hence this construction is called as 3D volumetric
construction or modular construction.

Precast Flat Panel Modules

These are primarily wall and floor modules which are manufactured away
from the actual site and then transported to site for erection. Load bearing
components like decorative cladding and insulation panels can also be produced.
Also called cross-wall construction, the technology has gained momentum due to
seamless adherence to specifications and ease as well as swiftness of construction.
Hybrid Concrete Building Technique

This technique expedites construction turnaround time by blending the

advantages of concrete pre-casting with the in-situ building. Quality improves,
whereas the cost of construction plummets. Hybrid concrete structures are easy to
build, competitive in nature and perform consistently.

Thin Joint Masonry Technique

Utilization of this technique leads to the reduction of the quantum of mortar

applied by slashing it depth from 10mm to lesser than 3mm. Consequently, mortar
can be laid swiftly with enhanced productivity on the longer wall panels. With large
sized concrete blocks, higher construction efficiency along with significant cost
reduction can be achieved. Within a single day, the number of mortar courses laid is
higher as curing of mortar takes place quickly without compromising on bonding
 strength resulting in the elimination of floating problem.

SOURCES:

https://www.lenmak.com/curtain-window-wall/

https://www.bridgersteel.com/flat-panels

https://www.multipanel.co.uk/products/walls

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilt_up

https://www.concretenetwork.com/post-tension/

https://theconstructor.org/structural-engg/tensile-structures-types-shape/5816/

https://theconstructor.org/concrete/concrete-thin-shell-structure-types-forms/6003/

http://sanchetibuilders.com/8-modern-building-construction-techniques/