Prefab slabs

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DR ARMIN WUENSCH: The system is proven by millions of metres already produced around the world.

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Rapid growth means rapid construction. And if a product can reduce building time and the number of workers on site, builders can save costs. That's where prefabricated concrete slabs come in.

Dr Armin Wuensch, managing director of Emirates Filigran, tells Construction Week how demand for hollow core slabs has revolutionised the industry.

Why are you bringing this new floor system into the market now?

Firstly, Filigran slabs are not a new system. It became popular 30 years ago when more and more factories for such products were built in Europe. The parallel development of handling-robots, suitable software and factories producing lattice girders were all important.

Secondly, the UAE construction boom resulted in the erection of a large number of factories producing hollow core slabs, which indicated a huge market for pre-cast floors.

Can you describe what your system actually is?

Filigran slabs are pre-cast slabs with a statically incorporated layer of in situ concrete.

The 5cm - 7cm thick pre-cast concrete element contains the bending resistant reinforcement required for both assembly and the lateral bending tensile reinforcement in the finished construction in the form of lattice girders.

All required recesses, ceiling apertures, electrical sockets, drip noses, slopes and fixtures are taken into account. The prefabricated slab acts as shuttering during the building phase and after the addition of in-situ concrete is effectively a single slab.

How do you manufacture these slabs?

Filigran slabs are produced in CAD/CAM controlled pre-cast concrete plants using the most modern methods to achieve the highest quality standards in regard of concrete, reinforcement and size precision.

The computer gives the planning information to the production plant.

Here the robot sketches the shape and recesses of each slab on a thoroughly cleaned steel mould of 2.5m or 4m width and 12.5m length. The robot cuts and bends the required reinforcement and lays it precisely at the right place.

Consequently the concrete is poured to the final thickness. The pallet with concrete is then vibrated and subsequently transported to the closed curing chamber where the slabs harden under controlled humidity conditions.

How do you handle a 5cm thick concrete slab of several square metres without risk of it cracking?

The basic elements of Filigran slabs are lattice girders, which stiffen the slabs during handling. The system is proven by millions of m² already produced all over the world.

You mean the lattice girder is a lost item just needed for transport?

Not really. Lattice girders guarantee the bond between slab and concrete during assembly and the two lower bars can be added to the structurally required reinforcement.

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