Polystyrene blockouts attached to upper surface of precast concrete stay-in-place slab forms are
available in several widths to produce voided slabs up to 20 inches deep.
Precast panels
are stay-in-place forms
for slabs
Small trusses stiffen panels for
handling
P recast concrete panels stiffened by small, integral
steel trusses can be used as stay-in-place forms for
floor and roof slabs—either solid flat plates and slabs
or deeper slabs with voids. As an integral floor compo-
nent, the reinforced concrete panels act as both the sof-
fit of the floor and as the forms for a cast-in-place top-
ping. Since they contain all or most of the bottom
reinforcing steel, field work for bar setters is reduced.
Panel construction
The 21⁄4-inch-thick, 8-foot-wide panels are formed in
polished steel casting beds to produce a dense, smooth
u n d e r s u rf a c e. The 4000-psi concrete panels are rein-
forced with either conventional Grade 60 re i n f o rc i n g
steel or, for better control of deflections, with 270,000-psi
p re s t ressing strand. From 4 to 25 strands can be cast
within each 8-foot-wide panel. Whether prestressed or
conventionally reinforced, though, the factory-precast
panels ensure the accurate placement of the slab’s bot-
tom steel.
Four small trusses resembling open-web steel joists
are also cast into each panel to facilitate handling and
to ensure the interconnection of the precast and cast-in-
place deck components so that the finished slab per-
forms as one unit. Available in 21⁄2- to 61⁄ -inch heights,
these trusses also serve as chairs for the slab’s top rein-
forcing steel.
Solid panels are used for 5- to 7-inch-thick slabs. To re-
duce the weight of thicker slabs, howe ve r, panels are al-
so available with polystyrene or metal blockouts at-
tached to the top surface, thereby eliminating
unnecessary concrete. These void inserts are available in
various widths to produce total slab depths up to 20
inches. Between 2 and 31⁄2 inches of concrete cover is re-
quired over the voids. The concrete strength of the top-
ping is specified at 3000 to 5000 psi.
Design data and examples indicate spans up to about
50 feet for voided slabs with 100 pounds per square foot
service load.
Slab construction
Using a conventional medium-size crane, up to 10
truck-loads of panels or 15,000 square feet of floor can be
placed in a normal workday. Each unit can be complete-
ly installed in a building in only about 5 minutes.
Shoring can be spaced up to 13 feet apart for prestressed
units and up to 8 feet for those conventionally rein-
forced, and the field crew can be reduced to a crane op-
e ra t o r, one man on the truck and two men to position
the slabs.
Immediately after placement, the panels, complete
with prefabricated floor penetrations, provide a strong,
stable platform for the installation of conduit, pipe, wire
chases and other utilities to be encased in the concrete
overlay. After the utilities are positioned, the top rein-
forcing steel is laid over the projecting panel trusses, and
the concrete is placed.
Cutaway view of stay-in-place precast form panel, showing
Flush joints and a factory-made undersurface pro-
bottom steel, small truss stiffeners. Concrete cast on top of
duce a ceiling ready for finishing, with reportedly no this panel completes the floor slab depth.
need for grinding and patching, though joints may be
taped and spackled if desired. A monolithic deck built
in this fashion can provide the same structural, fire rat-
ing and sound attenuation characteristics as a conven- PUBLICATION #C820355
tional, cast-in-place floor, but without the assembling, Copyright © 1982, The Aberdeen Group
disassembling and cleaning of forms. All rights reserved