Manufacture of hollow slabs
Manufacture of hollow slabs
(OP)
How are hollow slabs manufactured ?
When was the last time you drove down the highway without seeing a commercial truck hauling goods?
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Manufacture of hollow slabs
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RE: Manufacture of hollow slabs
The holes in the slab are formed by long tapered tubes called cores. Some machines simply force concrete between the cores while the machine moves down the bed. The more fancy machines will oscillate the cores alternately in opposite directions while tamping the concrete into place. This is all a very low tech operation. In fact some of these machines are based on engineering concepts that are decades out of date.
Regards,
-Mike
RE: Manufacture of hollow slabs
mrMikee described the extruded method (Spancrete, Dycore, etc.). There are even variations of this where some are cast with the top up and bottom weld plates are tied to the bed and top weld plates are dug into the wet surface after the machine passes by. Some plank are cast with the top down, so the method of cast in plates is just the opposite. The beds are typically 600 or 700 feet in length.
Fabcon extrudes plank with stone creating the cores until the concrete has hardened. I understand it is then removed. The core inside has a very rough surface.
The wet cast method (Flexicore) is poured like normal site cast concrete in steel forms. I believe the hollow cores are done with infatible forms.
I am not sure how much these methods have changed over the years.
Plank comes in many different widths, 48" being the most common.