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UNIT-4
WALLS
1.Write a detailed note on Wall system.
Walls:
Generally classified based on the function as load bearing & non load bearing walls. Eg.
partition wall. They transfer self weight only & they are provided to create barriers that
can be visual, thermal on acoustic.
Stiffening walls:
Provides 3 dimentional stiffness .The load bearing walls which are referred to as
supported walls do not posses foundation o f their own but are either carried by beams or
slabs or directly attached to load bearing walls. The supported walls can form on integral
part of structure or remain as non structural depending on stiffness.
Depending on the orientation of the main beams or load bearing walls relative to long
axis of
the building. Prefabricated wall system are classified as,
Long wall system
Cross wall system
Ring or two way system
Long wall system:
The main beams are load bearing walls are placed parallel to the long axis of building. It
is applied to the building with large prefabricates and is similar to traditional brick work
technique . The longitudinal external walls which carry the floor loads must posses not
only thermal properties but also sufficient load carrying capacity .
The long wall system construction is typical with large blocked structure and special pier
blocks between the windows which carry loads from lintel and the walls above. The
horizontal still blocks are not loaded . In some designs space between the piers is filled
by prefabricated unit consisting of RC window frame complete with window.
The internal wall blocks are normally of full storey height subject to limitations imposed
by lifting equipments available. Both internal and external walls are made of some
materiel.
Cross wall system :
Load bearing walls and beams are placed at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the
building . In this system the floor units are provided with two way structural units which
distributes the to the cross walls and this system is more prominent. The internal walls are
made of ordinary concrete for load bearing walls and the external walls and the external
walls are made of light weight
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concrete to reduce the weight of the structure. Generally the room size is nearly square in
this system.

Ring system :
Load bearing walls and beams are placed in both ways longitudinally and transversely. In
the building with the ring system of support floor are normally supported on all four
edges and span in two directions. In skeleton construction these floors are placed directly
on columns. In this system, the floor slabs are designed to span in both direction and are
loaded on to the supporting walls. For large load panels cross beams are hidden within
the thickness of the panel.

Curtain wall
All wall systems are required to resist many different forces in the provision of a suitable
separation of indoor and outdoor environments. They are required to:
have sufficient structural strength and rigidity
resist the spread of fire
be durable
control odours
control light
control sound and vibration
control heat flow
control air flow
control water vapour flow
control exterior precipitation
control solar radiation
The term curtain wall was first used to describe the outer wall of medieval
fortifications. Its use in a more contemporary sense is seen in Gothic cathedrals with their
large expanses of lightly framed glass walls between load-bearing buttresses. Today the
term curtain wall is defined in most literature to be any building wall of any material that
is designed to resist lateral loads due to wind or earthquake and its own self weight. In
other words, the curtain wall is a non-load-bearing wall.
WALL TYPES
This category for wall classification includes two generic options. Acomparison between
these two wall types is provided below.
STANDARD
Details and components designed and standardized by manufacturer
Manufacturers sell through a dealer network
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Manufacturers stock in standard lengths typically 6.5 to 8.2 m (20 to 27 ft.) in length
Standard finishes although custom finishes available
Typical frame width 50 mm (2 inches) or 63.5 mm (2 12 inches) , frame depth 75 to
150 mm (3 to 6 inches)
Manufacturers catalogue information readily available
Standard designation applies only to components not to potential arrangement of
components
CUSTOM
Details and components designed specifically for a single project or group of projects
Materials generally not available on open market but restricted to single supplier or
installer
Minimum size of project required to justify custom extrusions
Allows optimum use of material and flexibility to meet architectural requirements
Component dimensions and cross sections often architecturally distinct.
ERECTION
STICK:
Likely most common wall system especially on low-rise construction and in smaller
population centres
Each component of wall is installed piece by piece in the field. Installed with one- or
two storey mullion lengths and horizontal rails equal in length to width of the infill panels
Field labour intensive and dependent
Often utilize standard system
Minimum requirements for assembly facilities and shipping
Normally short lead time to arrive on-site, but longer erection/close-in time on-site
Difficult to accommodate in-plane movements due to sway or seismic events
UNITIZED:
Most common to large high-rise buildings although found on buildings as low as four
stories. System has grown in popularity since 1980
Large factory assembled framed units complete with spandrel panels and often with
vision lites installed. Panels typically one-storey high by width of infill panels
Panels designed for sequential installation with interlocking split vertical mullions and
nesting horizontal rails at expansion joint
Significant fabrication facility and shipping requirement. More shop labour dependant
and less field dependant than stick system
Normally longer lead time to arrive on-site, but rapid erection with minimum time to
close in building once on-site
Design potential to accommodate in-plane movements due to sway and seismic events
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Mullion and panel

Consists of grid work similar to stick system and prefabricated framed panels installed
between. Popular through the 1970s but rarely used today
Combines features of stick and unitized wall Systems

Large panel
Typically consists of steel truss type frame one storey in height by 10 to 15 m (33 to 50
feet) in length. Frame supports all of wall elements
Not as popular due to handling issues. Used on smaller specialized projects
Window wall
Consists of wall system spanning between floor slabs with slab edge cover. Almost
entirely restricted to residential applications
Framing lightweight residential type inside stop glazed. Can utilize either stick or
unitized framing. Often use older technology with inherent reliability problems.
2. What is the classification of precast large panel?
Cross wall system
Longitudinal wall system
Two-way system
3. What are types of Cross wall system?
Longitudinal wall system
Homogeneous walls
Non-Homogeneous walls
4.What is meant by box type construction?
In this system room size units are prefabricated and site. Toilet and kitchen blocks could
also be similarly prefabricated and erected at site. This system derives its stability and
stiffness from the box units which are formed by four adjacent walls. Walls are jointed to
make rigid connections among themselves. The box units rest on plinth foundation which
be of conventional type or precast.
5. Write briefly about Types of Wall Panels?
The single way of classification of precast wall panel is based on their size or the
materials of which they are made. They can be classified. According to size, as small and
large, or as narrow vertical stirrups or as broad horizontal bands. The material that are
used for precast wall panel are bricks, hollow clay blocks, normal density concrete, light
weight metal, gypsum, plastic, and timber.
6.What is the classification of precast concrete walls?
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Based on size
Based on materials used
Based on function
Based on location
Based on cross section
Based on stressing

7. Define Long Wall System?

The main beam (or) load bearing wall are placed to the long axis of building. It is applied
to the building with large prefabricated and similar to traditional brickwork. The
longitudinal wall crosses the floor load must possess not only thermal.

8. What is ring system?

Load bearing walls and beams are placed in both ways longitudinally and transversely. In
the building with ring system of support floors are normally supported on all four edges
and span is two direction. In skeleton construction these floors are placed directly on
columns.
9. Explain the behaviour of large panel construction with suitable sketches.
Large panel structure
All the main part of a building, including exterior wall and interior wall, floor slab, roofs,
and staircase, may be made up from large panel structure are used in two main design
schemes, frame-panel and panel building. In frame-panel building, all the base loads are
borne by the buildings frame, and as enclosure element. Frameless buildings are
assembled from panels that perform the load bearing and enclosing functions
simultaneously.
Large panel structure for Exterior wall
Large panel structure for Interior wall.
Large panel structure for floor slab
Large panel structure for Roof element.
a) Large panel structure for Exterior wall;
Large panel structure for exterior walls consist of panel one or two stories in
height and one or two rooms in width. The panel may be blind (without openings)
or with window or door openings.
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In terms of design, the wall panels may be single layer (solid) and multilayer(sand
witch) Solid panels are manufactured from materials that have insulating
properties and at the same time can perform supporting functions for example,
light weight concrete, cellular concrete, and hollow ceramic stone.
Sandwich wall panels are made with two or three layers: their thickness depends
on the climate conditions of the regions and the physic technical properties of the
materials used for the insulating layer and for the exterior layer.
The surface of exterior wall panels is covered with decorative mortar or is faced
with ceramic or other finishing tiles.
After assembly, the joints between panel are filled with mortar or with lightweight
or ordinary concrete and then sealed with packing and special mastics.
b) Large panel structure for Interior walls:
The large panel structure of interior walls may be non load bearing or load
bearing.
In the first case, they are made from gypsum slag concrete or from other materials
that act as enclosures. In the case of load bearing structure, the wall panels, which
combine enclosing and load bearing function, are made from heavy or lightweight,
silicate or cellular concrete, or vibration set brick or ceramic work.
The dimensions of the panels are determined by the dimensions of the rooms (in
apartment houses), their height is equal to the height of a story, the width is equal to the
depth or width of a room, and the thickness of the walls between rooms is usually 10-14
cm(between apartment 14-18 cm)
10. Write briefly about types of wall panels.
Classifications of wall panels:
Based on size:
Large
Small
Based on materials:
Bricks
Hollow clay blocks
Normal density concrete
Light-weight metal
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Gypsum
Plastic and

Timber

WALL SYSTEMS

The main types of precast concrete wall systems are as faades and interior cross-walls.
Walls can be classified as bearing and non-bearing walls. Bearing walls are used to
support bridging components like floors, roofs or beams
The connections of these systems are:
wall to wall at interior and exterior vertical joints
wall to wall at interior and exterior horizontal joints
wall to base/foundation

Non-bearing walls are normally designed to carry their dead weight, which means that
the connections at horizontal joints need to resist the weight of the wall elements above
this level of the wall. However, as an alternative, non-bearing faade walls might be fixed
to the adjacent load bearing system in such a way that the dead weight of each wall
element is supported by the main system. Prefabricated walls can be used as part of the
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stabilising system to resist horizontal loads in its own plane. In that case the prefabricated
wall should behave as one structural unit composed of interacting wall elements. This
structural interaction within the wall needs to be secured by structural connections that
resist the required shear forces, tensile forces and compressive forces.

Wall & Floor Panels

1. Thickness of wall panels ranges from 120 mm for interior walls to 300 mm for
exterior walls.
2. Floor panel thickness is 60 mm.
3. Wall panel length is equal to the room length, typically on the order of 2.7 m to
3.6 m.
4. In some cases, there are no exterior wall panels and the faade walls are made of
lightweight concrete.

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Precast interior wall panel with steel dowels and grooves

Connections for panels

1. Based on their location within a building, these connections can be classified
into vertical and horizontal joints.
2. Vertical joints connect the vertical faces of adjoining wall panels and
primarily resist vertical seismic shear forces.
3. Horizontal joints connect the horizontal faces of the adjoining wall and floor
panels and resist both gravity and seismic loads.

JOINTS AND CONNECTIONS

Joint Sealants
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Sealants were used many hundreds of years ago. The Tower of Babel was reportedly built
with mortar and tar or pitch as a sealant. Naturally occurring bitumen and asphalt
materials have been widely accepted as sealants for many centuries. 1900's most sealants
evolved from vegetable, animal, or mineral substances. The development of modern
polymeric sealants coincided with the development of the polymer industry itself,
sometime in the early 1930s.Joint sealants are used to seal joints and openings (gaps)
between two or more substrates, and is a critical component for building design and
construction. The main purpose of sealants is to prevent air, water, and other
environmental elements from entering or exiting a structure while permitting limited
movement of the substrates. Specialty sealants are used in special applications, such as
for fire stops, electrical or thermal insulation, and aircraft applications. Sealants are used
for a variety of commercial and residential applications. Common sealants include
silicone, acrylic, urethane, butyl and other polymeric types.
Various formulations have been developed over the years, which meet
performance specifications established by industry standards, as well as for the specific
and unique needs of the end user.
Typical considerations for selecting a sealant type for use in the construction industry are:

Joint Design: The specifics of a joint design must match up with a sealant's
movement capabilities for the installed conditions. The practicality of installation
of the sealant and other joint elements and the desired aesthetic appearance also
need to be considered.

Physical and Chemical Properties: Properties of the sealant such as, modulus of
elasticity, its stress/strain recovery characteristics, tear strength, and fatigue
resistance are all factors that influence sealant performance in a joint. The sealant
polymeric type along with additives such as fillers and plasticizers will affect the
performance of the product.

Durability Properties: The adhesion of a sealant to a specific substrate(s) and its

aging characteristics as they relate to resistance to among others ultra-violet
radiation, moisture, temperature, cyclic joint movement, movement during curing,
and bio-degradation can profoundly influence the service life of the installed
sealant.

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Application/Installation

Properties:

Important

considerations

include

the

consistency of the sealant (pourable or gunnable), pot life and tooling time, tack
free time, application temperature range, and low temperature "gunnability" (i.e.
ability to be dispensed easily by sealant gun). Sealants used for interior
applications, even in high-rise or light commercial structures, will have properties
and needs different from those used in other applications, such as structural sealant
glazing or exterior building facade seals.
Application
Sealants are used to seal joints and openings in various architectural applications, which
include:

High- and low-rise commercial buildings:

Exterior and interior perimeter of windows

Roofing and flashing penetrations and terminations

Building and material expansion joints

Interior perimeters of doors, baseboards, and moldings

Plazas and parking deck joints in traffic surfaces

Joints between tilt-up concrete exterior panels

Airport runway and apron pavement joints

Bridge and highway pavement joints

Sidewalks, parking lots and flat work joints

Water and wastewater treatment facility joints (including in submerged

environments)

Part of a fire and smoke stop assembly for joints and penetrations

Structural sealant glazing

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Progressive Collapse:
Concrete building structures whether, insitu or precast, is required to perform in
the event of accidental damage or explosion by meeting the design criteria set out
in BS8110 for progressive collapse.
Within the building structure, ties are incorporated to resist calculated forces determined
by a variety of factors, including:

number of stories
centres of walls / size of spans
total loads carried
These are achieved by the use of the following ties incorporated into the precast cross
wall design:
vertical ties
horizontal ties
peripheral ties
internal ties
Joints between panels are tied together using pre-shuttered insitu-fill to create a robust
joint with minimal finishing required. The joints use wire ties designed to meet the
specific tie-force criteria, but also to allow flexibility in assembly tolerances during
erection.
Peripheral and internal ties use high strength steel strand within the nominal insitu joints
at cross-wall locations and around the perimeter of the building to create a continuous tie
arrangement.
Building design is analysed for structural stability by Precast Structures consultants
who have extensive knowledge in the design stability of cross-wall building structures.

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11. Explain the use of large panel prefab systems with suitable example

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