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TILT-UP CONSTRUCTION
1. INTRODUCTION
Tilt-Up is the technique of site-casting concrete walls or elements,
normally on a horizontal surface and then tilting them vertically into place.The term
Tilt-Up was coined in the late 1940s to describe a method for constructing concrete
walls rapidly and economically without the formwork necessary for poured-in-place
walls. It is a two-step process. First, slabs of concrete, which will comprise sections of
wall, are cast horizontally on the building floor slab, or separate casting slab. Then,
after attaining sufficient strength, they are lifted (tilted) with a crane and set on prepared
foundations to form the exterior walls. Although the method is most often called TiltUp, it is also called tilt-wall, or in specifications and technical papers, site-cast
precast concrete walls. However, Tilt-Up is the preferred and generally accepted
term. Precast concrete is a generic term meaning the fabrication of concrete building
components at a location other than their final position. Tilt-Up, while falling under the
category precast concrete, refers exclusively to site-cast wall elements. The term
Tilt-Up building refers to any type of building that employs the Tilt-Up technique for
constructing the walls.
The Tilt-Up wall panels typically weigh 60 tons or more, averaging only
6 to 8 in. thick. In Tilt-Up construction, formwork is only required for openings and the
perimeter therefore, very little formwork material is needed. When the wall panels have
attained sufficient strength, usually a week to 10 days, a mobile crane is brought to the
job site to lift and set them on prepared foundations. The erected panels are temporarily
braced and typically connected to one another.
The roof structure is then attached to the walls, the braces are removed,
joints are caulked, and the wall finishes are applied to complete the building shell. It is a
fast, simple, and economical method of construction, which has been used extensively
for one-story buildings and has most recently been adapted successfully to multi-story
structures. Today, walls of up to four stories in height are being cast and tilted into
position. Currently there have been several instances of wall panels as high as six
stories being cast and erected as a unit by the tilt-up method of construction. The
economy of tilt-up lies in its simplicity of construction. The critical factors in this
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2. BENEFITS
Flexible finishes and architectural expression
Tilt-up panels can be plain and smooth or visually rich. Grooves, texture
and colour can be employed creatively by the architect, while plain-finished or
painted panels are used for a more subtle effect.
Financial gain
Tilt-up is highly competitive with traditional construction for a wide
range of buildings types. The inherent fire resistance and security of tilt-up may also
result in lower insurance premiums for owners and occupiers.
Tilt-up walls can be insulated economically to give the required U
values, from a normal building to cold stores. Sandwich tilt-up panels incorporate
insulation and minimise follow-on trades. This combination of concrete and
insulation builds into thermal mass which can reduce temperature fluctuations and
provide a durable internal and external finish.
Robust, easily-sealed surfaces
Tilt-up is sealed easily, making it ideal for controlled environments. The
low number of joints in a tilt-up building means exceptional air tightness is
achievable.
Significant sound and noise reduction
The mass of the concrete walls absorbs the sound rather than letting it
through as can occur with lighter forms of construction. Noise can be isolated within
a building and for airborne sound, tilt-up walls can provide a sound reduction index
of at least 52dB compared with about 20 30dB for lightweight cladding.
Fire resistance
Tilt-up panels can be designed easily for up to four hours resistance and
are particularly cost-effective as fire separation/compartment walls.
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Security
Tilt-up panels are frequently used for security walls and prisons because
they are virtually impossible to penetrate.
Fast programme to completion
A key benefit for using tilt-up is the fast programme to complete a
project. After the floor slab is placed, the typical elapsed time from starting to form
panels until the building shell is completed may be only four to five weeks. Materials
for wall panels are procured easily with minimal lead times, allowing a fast start to
this process, which progresses while any products with a longer lead-time are being
fabricated.
Health and safety
With a tilt-up building, much of the work is on the ground; there is no
vertical formwork, no scaffolding, and since the floor slab is poured first, workers
have a safer working surface.
Maintenance and durability
The wider panels minimise the number of joints and length of sealant,
thus reducing maintenance costs. Visual concrete (fairfaced, textured, profiled,
tooled and exposed aggregate finishes) and cast-applied facings (inlaid stone, brick
etc) require little attention, and modern paints have long life spans. Concrete
surfaces are resistant to mechanical damage, and are easily washed down.
Heat Insulation
Concrete mass in tilt-up panels not only slows down heat transfer, it also
stores heat during the daylight hours and releases it during the cooler night hours.
This translates in the need of less costly and more efficient heating and cooling
equipment. Tilt-up panels also provide for an excellent enclosure for passive solar
designs, because of the concretes heat storage properties.
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Metal buildings fill a market niche for low cost enclosures; however,
when they are designed to provide a similar level of performance comparable to a
finished Tilt-Up building, they can cost as much, and still lack the durability, fire
resistance, low maintenance, and other desirable features of a Tilt-Up building.
Recognizing the advantages of a concrete wall, some metal building contractors are
using Tilt-Up panels attached to the steel frame. The prefabricated, pre-engineered
metal building industry has aggressively marketed their product. They sell the concept
of economy through standardized manufactured components. You can almost pick your
building from a catalog. Metal buildings have their place for low cost shelter; however,
comparing features such as durability, maintenance, fire resistance, insulation, security
and others discussed above, there is little comparison. Additionally, a metal building
fitted for office use, with drop ceilings, finished walls, insulation, and other features,
can cost as much as a Tilt-Up building.
The metal building industry has recognized the advantages of Tilt-Up by
offering exterior walls of Tilt-Up concrete as an option rather than metal siding. Many
other countries have active and growing Tilt-Up markets, including Canada, Australia,
New Zealand, South Africa, South America and Mexico.
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After attaining full strength the panels are tilted up using a crane.
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7. CONSTRUCTION STEPS
Foundation Construction
Deck Diaphragm
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9. Check for excessively wide cracks or joints. Route, fill, and patch as required.
7.2 FLOOR SLAB CONSTRUCTION
The floor slab of a Tilt-Up building is especially important since it not
only functions as the floor surface for the life of the building, but also as a casting base
for the panels and a platform supporting construction equipment. Service loads during
the life of a manufacturing or warehouse building rarely exceeds 500 lbs. /sq. ft. and
usually does not exceed 100 lbs. /sq. ft., particularly in office buildings. Construction
loads are the heaviest loads applied to a Tilt-Up building's floor. These loads include
the weight of concrete trucks and the crane when lifting panels from the floor slab. In
contrast to service loads, construction loads can exceed 40,000 lbs. from the rear axles
of a ready-mix truck. Also important is the area over which these point loads are
applied. For example, a 5,000 lb. single wheel load from a forklift truck, using hard
rubber tires, may be supported on an area only8 in. wide by 2 in. long. In this case the
bearing area is only 16 square inches and the pressure under the hard rubber tire is over
300 psi, which explains why hard rubber tire forklifts are so hard on joints in a floor. In
contrast, the unit pressure applied by a ready mix concrete truck, or a pneumatic tire
forklift, will not exceed the tire inflation pressure, which may average 75 psi. The
pressure under crane tires can be as much as 150 psi.
Various steps in designing a floor slab include:
1. Determine what loads will be on the floor during its life, or at least the foreseeable
future. This may include steel storage racks, forklift trucks, palletized storage, stacked
goods, or other types of loads but not crane loads (addressed later).
2. Determine the required thickness of the floor slab.
3. Specify the concrete, including aggregate size, cement content, water-cement ratio,
28-day compressive strength, slump, and any admixtures.
4. Decide whether to include a granular base, and if a vapor barrier or retarder is
required.
5. Decide whether or not to reinforce the slab either with welded wire fabric (also
referred to as mesh) or reinforcing bars.
6. Select joint spacing.
7. Select type of joints to be used, as well as dowel sizes and spacing.
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Loads
A Tilt-Up panel is subjected to forces from three directions:
Vertical (downward) forces from loads imposed by roof or floor framing, and
from the weight of the panel itself, tend to cause the panel to buckle like a
column, or be overstressed in compression. The thinner the panel, the more
likely the tendency to buckle.
Lateral (sidewise) forces, from wind or seismic, tend to bend the panel. To resist
this bending, the panel spans like a flat slab between points of support, which
are usually provided by the floor and roof diaphragm. Alternatively, the panel is
designed to span horizontally between pilasters, but this is rarely done.
The third force acts in the plane of the panelparallel to itand tends to cause
the panel to shear, or slide on its foundation. In this case the panel acts as a
shear wall.
Resistance to all three forces is provided by the thickness of the panel and its
reinforcing. The forces that nearly always control the design, and determine the panel
thickness and reinforcing, are the lateral forceswind and seismic.
Panel with Openings
Panels with openings are becoming more and more popular. These
panels can be analyzed by finite element methods, but this is a very expensive and time
consuming process. An approximate analysis generally provides results that are
sufficiently accurate for most designs. Local codes should be consulted to meet
requirements. Where openings occur, the lateral and axial loads, including self-weight,
on the entire panel must be carried by the continuous vertical legs on each side of the
openings. If there is more than one opening, vertical legs should be able to carry all
loads. Often, it is only necessary to increase the loads acting on the legs by the ratio of
the total panel width to the leg width. Some designers may assume point loads are
exerted by door and window frames.
When the remaining panel width besides the opening is significantly
large, the width of the leg carrying the additional loads should be restricted to
approximately 12 times the panel thickness in design calculations. The use of a greater
width may fail to detect the danger of buckling. For very wide openings, it is
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recommended to design the panel legs or segments as beam columns extending the full
height of the panel. In some cases design loads may be substantial. Items to consider in
the design are:
-of-plane forces
-plane shear and frame action
Since the panel reinforcement around the openings, and determined by
analysis, is often considerable, added crack control reinforcement may not be necessary.
Lifting Stress
As the tilt-up panel is picked up for erection, it is immediately subjected
to bending that causes both compressive and tensile stresses which must be resisted by
the panel. Manufacturers of inserts locate the picking points so that the overhanging
portions of the panel will reduce the bending moments between pickup points, therefore
reducing the compressive and tensile stresses in the concrete. The flexural stresses can
be determined by treating the panel as a beam supported by tension loads on the inserts
and the ground reaction. The gross concrete section of the panel is used as lifting
analysis. The load applied along the beam is the normal component of the panel selfweight. The tension and shear loads on insets vary as geometry in the rigging changes.
Maximum stress usually occurs at 0 degrees and between 30 and 50 degrees for two and
four row lifts. In the case that the allowable stresses are exceeded, additional
reinforcement, higher strength concrete, strongbacks, or another lifting arrangement
should be considered.
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used as the work table for all tilt-up panel forming, casting, bracing, and erecting. If
the floor slab is not available or there is simply not enough space available for casting
the panels, panels can be stack-cast one on top of another or in a temporary casting
platform or casting bed on an accessible location outside of the building. The floor slab
must be level and smoothly troweled for a high quality finish. A smooth surface is
important to prevent mechanical bonding and is necessary for clean cleavage when
lifting. A properly constructed floor slab should have a compacted subgrade with
adequate strength and thickness to carry the loads of material trucks and heavy mobile
cranes that may be needed in the erecting process. Floor slab jointing should be located
between panels whenever is possible. If the floor contains openings for pipes or other
utilities, a -inch skin coat over sand fill can be used to close up the openings
temporarily.
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need to be braced and squared. A recommended method for securing panel edge forms,
is to make L-shape forms on the site or use prefabricated steel angles, then anchor them
to the floor slab by drilling 3/8-inch holes through the forms (prefabricated steel angles
should already have these holes) into the casting slab, and anchored with double headed
form nails wedged into the hole in the concrete. Using pieces of plastic wedged
between the nail and the concrete also facilitates the stripping of the forms when
removing the nails from the casting bed. Holes can be patched with epoxy at
completion of the work.
In constructing panel forms it is important to avoid variations in form
measurements and insure a good straight line in the panel sides and from panel to panel.
It is recommended to use a chalk line for laying out the forms, and spraying a sealer
over the chalk so weather will not wash the lines away.
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panel is to cast directly against the steel sash or frame. All opening forms should be
held down on the casting slab with either weight or by the method described above.
Exposed surfaces of sash or frame should be given a coat of bond-breaking compound
to prevent concrete adhesion.
7.4.3 Bond Breakers
A good bondbreaking agent is also essential in tilt-up construction to
obtain an easy lift from the floor slab. There are three basic bondbreaker types.
might have on the final appearance of the panels. For example, some bondbreakers
leave residue, especially when applied excessively to the casting surface. Residues
affect the coloration of the panels and can prevent adhesion of paint, adhesive, sealers,
or any other treatments. If the possible effects of the bondbreaker on the panels are
unknown, it is recommended to consult the manufacturer before using it.
It is very important to test the bondbreaker agent with the curing agent
for compatibility, usually before casting the slab. The bondbreaker coat should be
applied prior to placement of the reinforcing steel. Care should be taken to ensure that
the bondbreaker is not sprayed over dirt, sawdust, dew, frost, or surface water. An easy
method for testing separation is to sprinkle water on surface were the bondbreaker was
applied. If the water beads as on a newly waxed floor, the panels will separate. If the
water is immediately soaked into the floor, the panels need re-spraying. Bondbreakers
that have been heavily exposed to rain or to weather for longer than three days should
be checked. Re-spraying might be necessary. Bondbreakers not applied correctly will
result on panel surfaces that stick. Not being able to separate the panels can result in
damaged and cracked panels, pull out of lifting inserts, or exceed crane load capacity
creating schedule delays and panel re-construction costs.
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In hot and cold climates, energy consumption is significantly reduced over that
for a similarly sized low mass building.
Because the mass is adjacent to the interior of the building, energy demand can
be moved off-peak periods because energy storage is controlled through correct
sizing of the mass and interaction with the HVAC system.
The first step in sandwich panels is to pour and level the exterior layer of
concrete. Then the insulation panels or sheets are arranged on top of the unhardened
concrete according to the individual panel drawings. The insulation panels can be prefabricated and pre-drilled by the manufacturer. Connectors are inserted through the
insulation sheets. Most connectors are made from a fibre composite material. In the
past, it was common to use steel to hold the panel together, but testing has proved that
fiber composite connectors are better suited for sandwich wall construction because
steel conducts heat energy at a rate over 50 times greater than that of fiber composite
ties.
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exceeding 5,000 lbs., shear capacities as great as 2,500 lbs. each, and a tensile strength
up to 140,000 psi.
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grade. After panels have been erected, it is important to backfill and compact the
perimeter strip. The perimeter strip is a 3ft to 5ft wide and 4ft to 6ft deep strip at the
edge of the finish floor. After backfilling, grout is used to fill the voids between the
panels and the finish floor.
Bracing should be done prior to erection of the panel. Bracing done after
erection and while the crane is holding the panel in position is a costly procedure as it
requires the use of additional equipment such as lifts or temporary scaffolding.
Additionally, it places personnel in a hazardous position. Figure 10 above illustrate how
complex the bracing layout can be on a given project. The braces should be adjustable
and positively anchored to imbedded inserts of sufficient strength to resist both
horizontal and vertical forces acting on the panel. The angle between the brace and the
finish floor should be between 45 degrees and 60 degrees, all connecting bolts must be
checked to ensure tightness and prevent movement of the braces.
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between panels are usually made by welded chord bar splices, or splicing the steel
ledger, at the roof line. This type of connection affects a continuous tie along the length
of a wall for resistance to lateral forces imposed by the roof and floor diaphragms. In
areas of low seismic risk the structural ties between panels are sometimes omitted. In
the earlier days of Tilt-Up the panels were joined by poured-in-place concrete pilasters
or stitch joints. In this method, which is rarely used now since it is more costly and
often resulted in cracking, a one-foot gap is left between panels and the horizontal wall
reinforcing projects into this gap. Concrete is then placed to make the closure.
Fig: 13 Common panel joint with backer and rod partially placed
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be seeded. Once the structural concrete has been screeded to the proper level and
consolidated, the aggregate is seeded carefully by shovel or by hand to completely
cover the concrete layer.
Sand Bed Method
The sand bed method is recommended when the aggregate selected for
exposure is 1-inch or more in diameter. This includes large field stone materials. The
two most common methods of utilizing the sand bed method to expose aggregate are:
(1) Place the aggregate on the casting bed and sprinkle sand between the aggregates
(2) Spread a layer of fine sand over the bottom of the form and then imbed the
aggregate.
8.2 TEXTURED LINE
A variety of patterns may be produced in large tilt-up panels by using
plastic materials as form liners. Common liners used are vacuum-formed
thermoplastics, fiberglass-reinforced plastics, or plastics formed into shape by heat and
pressure. Some advantages of using this method is that liners can eliminate the extra
care of preparing the casting bed so that joints, cracks, block-outs, etc will not be
reflected in the panel. Liners also provide a wide range of textures and appearances.
Finishes obtained with liners include simulated sandblast, ribbed finishes, boarded
textures, bush-hammered finished, and many more.
The use of liners in tilt-up construction is usually limited to larger
projects where higher utilization of liners can be obtained. Liners are expensive and
usually require a minimum of three to four uses to be economically comparable with
other finishes. An important aspect to consider is that plastic does not bond to concrete,
so parting agents are frequently not needed.
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9. CONCLUSIONS
Tilt-up construction has been around for a long time, but it was not until
the late 1940s that it really started gaining popularity with the introduction of the
mobile crane. Since then, tilt-up construction has undergone many innovations and
refinements, and has now developed into a building method commonly used by many
concrete contractors in the construction industry.
In the design of a tilt-up structure the panels should always be designed
to withstand the in-place loads, live loads, wind loads, and most importantly, lifting
loads. The designer should take into account the lifting inserts layout and all
architectural features incorporated into the final design of the structure.
Good planning is the key part to all successful construction work, but it is
especially critical in tilt-up construction if all the cost, schedule, and safety benefits are
to be realized. It is important for the contractor to develop a panel casting layout to
ensure the most efficient casting. The floor slab can be used efficiently as the work
table for panel forming, casting, bracing, and erecting. The lifting or erection of the
panels is a critical phase during tilt-up construction. It is imperative that the designer,
contractor and usually an erection sub-contractor plan and check all rigging and tilting
procedures carefully to ensure panel erection is done safely and efficiently. The correct
crane should be selected based on the panel design. A wide range of colored coarse
aggregates and sands, several possible colors of cement, etc available offer an array of
possible colors, textures, and finishes that can be applied to tilt-up panels.
In
conclusion,
tilt-up
construction
basically
involves
job-site
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