MRes Urban Sustainability and Resilience Student: Jaylina Rana Supervisors: Dr C.Arya Dr P.

Domone

Connectivity of Components in Hybrid Structural Systems

UCL Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, Gower St, London ,WC1E 6BT

Hybrid Concrete Construction ... The New Trend

Current trends in the construction industry show a move towards greater prefabrication, more efficiency, reduced site activity and safer and faster construction. The term Hybrid Concrete Construction (HCC) was devised by Goodchild (1995) to describe the combination of cast in-situ and precast concrete construction, the word hybrid meaning from two parents. HCC integrates precast concrete and cast in-situ concrete to take best advantage of their different inherent qualities which provides: Faster construction Cost effective construction Simple, buildable structures Excellent fire performance Sustainability benefits associated with high thermal mass Exceptional acoustic performance
PRECAST CONCRETE Precast concrete for quality of finish and speed of erection. INSITU CONCRETE In-situ concrete for flexibility and economy. HYBRID CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION Hybrid concrete construction for all the benefits of concrete in the optimum form.

Left : Propped Twin wall; Right: Cast-in lifter Source: LOR Design Guide (2010)

How does the Twin Wall work?

Composite action is through the lattice girder which ensures mechanical bond between the cast in-situ and precast concrete (Elliot, 1996). Each leaf carries the required wall reinforcement and is obtained from traditional reinforced concrete wall analysis and design theory for both loadbearing and non-loadbearing walls. Windows, doors and service openings are designed into the each wall element, while services can also be accommodated if required.
For a structural system that offers One of the main benefits of HCC is speed. The 2005 London Home Office Headquarters project constructed 4200m2 in an eleven day cycle, with three cranes, using insitu concrete for vertical elements and floor toppings, and precast beams and slabs. Anne Gate Property plc (2005) BUILDABILITY AND SIMPLICITY OF CONSTRUCTION... GREATER SPEED AND LESS COST COMPARED TO OTHER SYSTEMS... AND ALL THE BENEFITS OF CONCRETE..... Hybrid Concrete Construction is the right choice! Concrete Centre (2009)

The New Twin Wall

The twin wall system is a fresh, relatively new and effective alternative to traditional load bearing block work and cast in-situ concrete walls which have been used extensively in the UK.
Twin walls are lighter than other single wall systems, easy to manufacture, and can be erected quickly without the need for formwork whilst providing a high quality finish. The three main components of the insulated twin wall are: Permanent concrete formwork comprising two 50 to 75mm thick precast concrete leaves. Steel lattice girder to form a core between the plates. Polyurethane insulation between the concrete leaves.
TWIN WALL SYSTEM

The Project
This project seeks at analysing and developing the new insulated twin wall technology structurally. This form of Hybrid Concrete Construction is greatly dependent on the degree of composite action taking place and therefore it can sometimes be difficult to establish this boundary. There is a clear lack of information or standardised building codes providing design guidance of such systems. The research is currently analysing the longitudinal shear behaviour of the twin wall panels. Test specimen will then be tested under single point loading and the longitudinal shear behaviour observed and measured by strain gauging. The Ultimate Limit State (flexural strength, shear strength, bearing/anchorage and, interface shear transfer) and the Serviceability Limit State (cracking, deflection, differential shrinkage) will be also explored.

Advantages
Precast quality finish for walls and soffits No formwork for vertical structure Structural connection between wall and slabs is by standard reinforced concrete detail: inherently robust and, for basements, watertight No permanent sealing at connections between precast units Flexible for casting-in items

References
Goodchild CH, Glass J (2004), Best practice Barrett P.S (2003), Hybrid concrete: improved processes and performance, Structures & Buildings Guidance for Hybrid Concrete Construction, The Concrete Centre, Surrey 156 Issue SB2, Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, pp 193-203 Goodchid CH (1995), Hybrid Concrete Construction: combining structural materials for speed, quality and Concrete Centre (2005), Hybrid Concrete economy in buildings, BCA, Crowthorne, Construction combining precast and in-situ concrete for better value structural frames, The Whittle R, Taylor H (2009), Design of Hybrid Concrete Centre, Surrey Concrete Buildings- A guide to the design of buildings combining in-situ and precast concrete, The Elliot K (1996), Multi Storey Precast Concrete Concrete Centre, Surrey Framed Structures, Blackwell Science, UK Glass, J. and Baiche, B. (2001), Perceptions of Hybrid Concrete Construction in the UK Construction Industry, Engineering, Construction and Architecture Management, Vol. 8 No. 1, pp 67-77

Disadvantages
The smaller dimension of the precast units can be a maximum of 2.8m, so joints in walls and soffits must be dealt with: expressed or concealed Reduced flexibility of layout as there are walls rather than columns

Proponents of this system claim:

Twice

as fast as in-situ concrete Cost neutral compared to in-situ and cheaper than fully precast