Specification of grout between tilt up panel and footing
Specification of grout between tilt up panel and footing
(OP)
Do I need to specify non-shrink grout between tilt-up wall panel and footing? If not, any special requirements should I specify? Thanks.






RE: Specification of grout between tilt up panel and footing
RE: Specification of grout between tilt up panel and footing
I always had concerns with minor gaps and if you rely on friction or continuous bearing between footing and panel bottom, it may not be there.
I fought the fight and lost every one.
Regards,
Lutfi
RE: Specification of grout between tilt up panel and footing
Lutfi: It is interest to know that you lost every fight. Can you give more details? I assume that you are the Engineer of Record, can you refuse the contractor's work? Did the inspector sign off the work? Can the owner refuse to pay (at least deduct the price difference)?
I worked as an quality assurance engineer for a multi-billion project. When casting slab on grade or on metal deck, all top WWF was stepped to the bottom. The engineer of recore and inspector didn't care. And since the organization is very big, no body in the owner's team cared, too. I'm afraid the same thing will happen for the tilt up panels. If top bars are stepped down, there will be structural cracks under wind.
RE: Specification of grout between tilt up panel and footing
Dik
RE: Specification of grout between tilt up panel and footing
It seems like you could write in your specs to have the grout placed prior to placing the tilt panels if you are worried about the soupy mix. I think you should be able to write in your specs any forbidden construction method if you feel it negatively effects the structural adequacy of the building. If he doesn't like it, tell him he shouldn't have accepted the contract with the way the specs were written.
RE: Specification of grout between tilt up panel and footing
Dik
RE: Specification of grout between tilt up panel and footing
RE: Specification of grout between tilt up panel and footing
Dik
RE: Specification of grout between tilt up panel and footing
If you can achieve the specified concrete cover in your way, it is your means and methods. If you cannot, it is non-compliance.
I don't think bar chair is a practical way to support WWF. To prevent WWF from being stepped down, the chairs may need to be at 6" or 8" spacing. The only way I think will work is to make many "stools". The workers must stand on the stools and move the stools when they need to move. I don't have enough courage to propose this in a real job yet. For slab on grade or on metal deck, top bar location is not a serious structural issue; for tilt up panel, however, it is. I guess that conventional bar chair spacing is for the bar selfweight plus a little bit incidental load. I'm not sure whether it is practical to use bar chairs for #5 bars to support a 200LB construction worker.
The purpose of the grout between the tilt up panel and the footing is to eliminate any possible gap; therefore, it should not be poured before erection.