BUILDING TECHNOLOGY 5

GROUP REPORT: LIFT SLAB

06 October 2010

LIFT SLAB
Lift slab a method of concrete construction in which floor, and roof slabs are cast on or at ground level and, using jacks, lifted into position. This type of method was invented and developed in early 1950s by a collaboration of Philip N. Youtz and Thomas B. Slick (what came to be known as Youtz-Slick Lift-Slab Method of Construction). Originally, lift-slab were reinforced with mild steel reinforcing, which is limited column spacing or required very thick slabs. With the advent of post-tensioning, however, column spacing was increased and the thickness of the slabs was reduced. Contemporarily, all liftslabs are post-tensioned.

LIFTING PROCESS
Shown on the figure is a schematic representation of the lifting process, showing a hydraulic jack, a pair of lifting rods, a column supporting the jack, and the slab in the process of being lifted.

At he beginning of a lifting increment, the nuts on the top and bottom cross-heads are down and the piston is fully retracted (as shown on A). The piston pushes against and raises the top crosshead; at the same time, as a safety measure, the lower nuts (holding nuts) are screwed down on top of the bottom crosshead. When the jack has completed its stroke, (as shown in B) the piston is retracted, the top crosshead drops down with the piston head, and the top nuts (lifting nuts) are screwed down to the top of the of the top crosshead (as shown in C). Then the process is repeated.

THE YOUTZ-SLICK METHOD

Above shows the lifting sequence for the Youtz-Slick method. The first lit of a tier is usually limited to the roof slab; it is raised to the top of the tier (as shown in A), where it may be temporarily guyed. The plumb of the building is checked at this time and corrected if necessary. Then packets of two or three slabs are lifted, dropping off those slabs that reach their permanent positions and temporarily parking the other slabs near the top of the tier (as shown in B). Slabs are supported at the columns, neither permanently nor when temporarily parked, through steel wedges which are driven between the lifting collars and plates welded to the columns during fabrication. These plates (weld blocks) have sloping top surfaces to accommodate the wedges. After all the slabs are lifted in the first tier, the jacks are dismounted from the top of the first tier, the 2nd tier columns are erected and the jacks are mounted on top of them. Then the roof slab is lifted to its permanent position (as shown In C); the 3 rd and 4th floors are lifted so that 3rd floor is placed in its final position (as shown in D); and finally, the 4 th floor is lifted into position, (as shown in E). If there were additional tiers, the process would be similar. The operation of the jacks is normally coordinated by a central console of the roof slab, in order to keep the slabs level within a specified tolerance (a fraction of an inch typically). If necessary, the jacks can be manually operated to adjust the elevation of the slab at individual locations.

Details
The following the details of a typical Youtz-Slick lifting collar. Referring to the plan and section A-A, the lifting rods fit into key hole slots in the lifting angle of the lifting collar. To insert the rod in the slot, centering the sleeve is raised, the rod is slid in and the sleeve dropped down into the round portion of the keyhole, thus preventing the lifting rods from sliding out. Section B-B and C-C show the connection of the lifting collar to the column. The seal block and the weld block are welded to the column flange in the shop. The seal block only occurs at the permanent position of the slab. The guide bars are welded to the to the lifting collar in the shop and are finished flush with the bottom of the lifting collar. As the lifting collar (and slab) is pulled up by the jacks, the guide bars center the the lifting collars on the weld blocks and seal blocks.

LIFT-PLATE METHOD
The Lift-plate system differ from the Youtz-Slick system in that a pair of jacks are mounted on each column, one on each side. This feature makes it possible to have high tiers of many stories, up to about 6 stories. The length of column above the jacks is unloaded and does not affect the stability of the column. Whereas Youtz-Slick lifting collar comes in one piece and needs to be threaded over the column of the first tier, a Lift-Plate lifting collar comes in two pieces which are bolted together after being put in place. It is also the same as the Youtz-Slick system in regard to the construction of the foundations and slab on grade, and the casting and post-tensioning of the slabs to be lifted. Further, the permanently located slabs and the temporarily parked slabs are supported on the columns by driving steel wedges between the lifting collars and weld plates on each side of each column. Welding of these wedges are also th same.

Isometric view of Lift-Plate components

Above shows an isometric view of a lifting collar and its support on a steel column. The concrete is cut away. The lifting collar consist of two arm channels (90) which are placed on opposite sides of the column (1), after which they are bolted together with long bolts the bolts pass through sleeves (94) fitted between the arm channels to keep the channels in place.

Details

The following are the plans and sections through the Lift-Plate lifting collar. Section AA show the attachment of the lifting rods (pull rods) to the lifting collar. Now, referring to the figure above (isometric view of Lift-Plate components), Bar (92) is a hook block. There are four of them two welded on each arm channel. The separate assembly consisting of (112), (113), and (114) is a temporary hook-up device which provides the method for attaching the pulling rods. The hook-u device is inserted in a concrete packet between the hook blocks (92). The hook blocks fit into recesses at the ends of the hook-up device (the ends of (112); hook blocks (92) and plate (112) are in one place). After the hook-up device is in place, the pull rods with nuts at the bottom are inserted into the slots in (114), and then the wedge (115) is placed between the edges of plates (113) and the face of the concrete packet. Section B-B and C-C show the connection of the lifting collars to the column. This connection is similar to that of the Youtz-Slick method. The differences are in the location of the guide bars and the omission of a seal block. Referring to the plan and to the isometric drawing, the guide bars (92A) control movement of the lifting collars (and slab) relative to the column (1) in one direction, and the backs of the hook blocks and hook-up devices control movement in the other direction.

SPRING LIFT SLAB CONCRETE FLOATING FLOOR SYSTEM

Application
Lift slab floating floor systems that incorporate spring isolator assemblies to decouple concrete slabs from non-isolated structural floors are used where vibration and

impact are critical and of greater concern than airborne noise transmission. In instances when vibration and/or impact noise control are severe, the air space beneath the springisolated floor is vented. This enables the composite construction to yield the lowest natural frequency (fn) possible thereby enhancing performance against lower disturbing frequencies. If additional control of airborne noise is needed for a vented floating floor, the floor/ceiling composite will require partitions on the floating floor at the perimeter and/or an isolated ceiling. Representative examples of projects that can justify the use of spring lift slab isolators are bowling alleys, weight rooms, gymnasiums, aerobic activities, and dance studios. Spring isolators also are incorporated into lift slab floors supporting sensitive measuring equipment in order to mitigate vibrations that could compromise performance. While the bulk of isolated slabs can be supported using fiberglass or neoprene pads, most often in formwork systems, spring-isolated lift slabs are needed for the most critical vibration and impact noise isolation requirements. Typically, the Model LSM system supports a four inch (4") thick standard weight (150 PCF) concrete slab using spring isolator mounts spaced up to 54" on center. First, Perimeter Isolation Board (Model PIB) is adhered to the perimeter of the floating floor area. Then, one (1) layer of 6-mil thick poly sheeting is rolled-out across the structural slab and up Model PIB, serving as a bond breaker between the non-isolated concrete structure and the concrete floor being floated. Next, isolator mounts are located and placed on top of the poly sheeting according to approved submittal drawings. Isolator mount spacing and capacity can vary depending on load requirements across the floating floor. Extra mounts may be required to carry additional loads imposed by, for example, walls and heavy equipment placed on the slab after it is lifted. Once the isolator housings are in place, steel concrete reinforcement bars are used to interconnect the mounts. Additional reinforcement as dictated by conventional concrete slab design requirements may be required before concrete is poured level to the tops of the mounts. Up to 30 days may be required for the concrete to cure to strength. Once the concrete has cured properly, spring assemblies are inserted into the housings and the slab is lifted to the specified height. When the slab is lifted to specified height, the composite construction typically includes a 1" or 2" air cavity. Complete installation guidelines and isolator array plans and details are included in the project submittal package.

Benefits
Fabricated, non-cast isolator housings permit flexible product and system design that maximizes application opportunities for any slab thickness, air cavity, and/or load options. Spring isolator natural frequencies (fn) of 3.13 Hz for 1" rated deflection springs and 2.21 Hz for 2" rated deflection springs. Other rated deflection springs available. In-field acoustical testing yielded results of FIIC 72, FSTC 61 for a vented (non-vented floors can yield higher FSTC values) floating floor. Spring/neoprene cup combination improves performance against low-frequency noise. Proven effective for vibration isolation applications ranging from floors for sensitive lab measuring equipment (e.g., metrology and surgical labs) to sports floors over retail/commercial spaces. Factory installation and/or supervision available.

Engineering Consideration for Lift-Slab Construction. Rubin M. Zallen and David B. Peraza