The obvious advantages, such as the high

level of environmental compatibility, signi-

ficant saving in costs, reusability of the
shielding material and the substantially
quicker construction method which can be
used all through the year, has led to the
first order which will underline the poten-
tial of the advertised sandwich construction
method. Forster Bau GmbH is providing
the radiation-protection structure for high-
energy therapy for the county hospitals at
Mhldorf am Inn, Germany.
The order was placed at the end of
November 2004 and the radiation pro-
tection building is to be completed in the
spring of 2005. Approximately 460 m
2
concrete double wall precast element
slabs and 70 m
2
precast concrete element
slabs will be used in the building. The
structure will contain approximately 700
tonnes of natural gypsum (calcium sul-
phate dihydrate) as the mineral-based
loose filling material. The construction acti-
vities on the pilot project will also continue
during the winter at temperatures down to
-12C. With this future-oriented construc-
tion method which uses precast concrete
elements, the building will be finished after
eight weeks instead of the usual eight
months it would have taken by using the
conventional construction method.
Radiation protection
according to the current
standard of technology
Until now, linear accelerators which deli-
ver up to 20 MV x-radiation for medical
purposes have mainly been housed in
radiation protection of rooms constructed
from steel-reinforced concrete or solid
concrete. The walls of these rooms can be
as much as 4.00 m thick and have specific
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Efficient precast concrete construction
saves having to build thick concrete walls
The high-energy therapy unit at Mhldorf amInn in Germany is the first radiation
protection building in the world to use the sandwich construction method. The ground
plan of the radiation area of this structure shows how the walls, which can be anything
up to 3.10 mthick, have been substituted by two 30 cmthick outer shells consisting
of double-wall slabs filled with a mineral filler

PRECAST CONCRETE ELEMENTS
120
Sandwi ch constructi on the future for radi ati on protecti on bui l di ngs
On 14th December 2004, the Federal Ministry for
Economics and Labour awarded the 2004
German Material Efficiency Prize in the
Construction Materials section to Forster Bau
GmbH. The occasion for this honour, which had
already led to the Bavarian State Prize and the
Professor Adalbert Seifriz Prize being awarded in
the same year for the successful transfer of tech-
nology between science and trade, was the deve-
lopment of an innovative construction method
using precast concrete elements for the radiation
protection of buildings with radioactive sources.
gravities ranging from 2,300 kg/m
3
to
4,500 kg/m
3
. Only aggregates of high
bulk density are suitable for heavy-aggre-
gate concrete to achieve the required har-
dened concrete bulk densities of more
than 2,300 kg/m
3
.
Suitable examples are as follows:
- Baryte (natural barium sulphate) in the
form of broken, prepared rock with
bulk densities ranging from 4.0 to 4.3
kg/dm
3
- Iron, as scrap iron, processing wastes,
scrap iron and steel shot with a bulk
density to 7.8 kg/dm
3
- Iron ore in the form of broken, prepa-
red rock. Mainly in the form of magne-
tite (4.65 to 4,80 kg/dm
3
); haematite
(4.70 to 4.90 kg/dm
3
) and goethite
(3.50 to 3.765 kg/dm
3
).
The walls and ceilings of conventional
radiation protection structures are lined
with lead in order to reduce the existing
radiation dosage (local dosage).
The up to 4 m thick walls made from this
special concrete, which is difficult to pro-
cess, and the lead linings mean that the
cost of construction and dismantling of a
radiation protection shelter is high and
ranges from e1,200 to 2,400 per m
3
pro-
cessed heavy concrete. The costs are also
affected by the heavy concrete aggrega-
tes which are used in the structure.
Dismantling is particularly expensive.
Rope saws have to be used and heavy
truck-mounted cranes are required to take
away the blocks. Because of the heavy
concrete aggregates, preparation of the
concrete blocks is very expensive. The
crushing machines wear quickly and a
large proportion of the crushed materials
has to be disposed of as special waste,
which is also expensive.
The use of sandwich
walls as a pioneering
development for the future
Because of the well-known cost risks of the
conventional construction method, Forster
Bau GmbH was on the lookout for a more
economical method of construction which
should also include improved radiation
protection if possible. The aim was to
achieve protection even for high-energy
accelerators with particle energies of
several 100 MeV. The result of the deve-
lopment was a radiation protection build-
ing of precast steel-reinforced sandwich
construction with a loose filling consisting
of gypsum (calcium sulphate dihydrate,
CaSO4x2H2O).
A characteristic feature of calcium sulphate
dihydrate is that it contains chemically
bonded water. Crystalline hydrates such
as CaSO4xH2O contain waters of crystal-
lisation in stoichiometric amounts. The
bound waters of crystallisation, which re-
present approximately 20% of the total
weight of the gypsum, makes the protons
available during shielding while calcium,
because it has an atomic number of 20,
can absorb gamma radiation. For this rea-
son, calcium is substantially better for
shielding purposes than silicon, which is
the main component of the concrete and
only has an atomic number of 14.
Instead of the metres thick radiation pro-
tection concrete walls, which are heavily
reinforced in order to limit the crack width,
the sandwich method uses a twin-shell
Sandwich structure. This consists of thin
concrete-filled concrete double wall slabs
with limited widths with a loosely compac-
ted filling of gypsum (natural gypsum or
REA gypsum) in between.

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The double-wall slabs of the inner shell during assembly
PRECAST CONCRETE ELEMENTS
122
Gypsum filler between
the sandwich walls provides
a high level of radiation
shielding
Assessments by various independent
experts have produced the following
result: even with a maximum proton ener-
gy of 250 MeV, the protective shell
design of the sandwich structure deve-
loped by Forster Bau with approximately
0.3 m thick outer shells and the gypsum
filling inside showed the same or, in some
cases, an even better radiation shielding
effect. Besides this, the usual 5 cm thick
steel plates, which are usually fitted to the
inner surface of the wall in order to wea-
ken the local dosage rate, are no longer
necessary.
The layout of the gypsum filling in the
sandwich structure is determined using the
Monte Carlo Simulation of radiation trans-
port in non-homogenous media with the
aid of a special program developed by
Professor Reinhold G. Mller, Head of the
Department of Radiation Physics at the
University of Erlangen, Germany. The re-
sults of the first simulation have shown that
the use of gypsum for radiation shielding
is both an effective and economical solu-
tion. The shielding effect of the sandwich
wall can also be further improved with
aggregates according to requirements
(type of radiation, power, energy and
available surface area etc.) and the geo-
metrical wall thickness can be reduced.
This novel sandwich structure can be
implemented with all kinds of walls, cei-
lings and floor slabs, and the whole struc-
ture can be made liquid tight.
Patent protection for the
new method
Patent rights have been applied for natio-
nally and internationally. The author of
this article had already started an initia-
tive for the development of the sandwich
structure filled with loose dry gypsum in
2001 in a patent application for an extre-
mely economical school building consist-
ing of a sandwich structure which could
be disassembled and reassembled. The
external walls of this system building are
made from precast element double wall
slabs filled with foamed and granulated
waste glass and the internal walls are
filled with dry pit gravel.
Since it was possible to supply all the cer-
tificates for fire protection, sound insula-
tion and earthquake loads at the time the
pilot project was set up, Forster bau
GmbH was able to design an extremely
cost effective radiation protection building
using a loose mineral filling when the cus-
tomer asked for it.
Advantages of the
innovative sandwich
construction method
The sandwich construction method used in
the new generation of radiation protec-
tion buildings replaces the metre-thick rein-
forced radiation-protection walls with a
light twin-shell structure. Since the con-
crete double-wall slabs are prefabricated
at the factory, they have almost crack-free
surfaces which effectively block the pene-
tration of radiation. Likewise, because
there is no heat of hydration to set up a
temperature gradient across the thickness
of the concrete, unlike solid concrete,
there are virtually no problems from
cracks due to shrinkage. The user is there-
fore provided with a crack-free, uniform
radiation protection structure.
Placement of the mineral wall filling can
be continuously monitored on site. The
desired wall area can also be custom made
and subjected to a system of quality assur-
ance inspections. The previous problems,
such as the demixing of heavy concretes
during processing or crack formation due
to the heat of hydration, are considerably
reduced.
Construction can continue all-year round
due to the novel use of prefabricated thin
concrete double-wall slabs as lost wall
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The double wall slabs of the
outer shell. Continuous slots
have been provided in the
outer shell for projecting floor
discs.
PRECAST CONCRETE ELEMENTS
124
shuttering for radiation protection build-
ings and staff costs are also reduced
during construction.
When this construction method has been
considered scientifically tested and techni-
cally established, the enormous savings
potential for the investor and user will be
confirmed in black and white. The main
factors which are responsible for achiev-
ing these savings are the extremely cheap
material and the pronounced decrease
in construction time as a result of using
prefabricated elements and fillers which
are placed dry. By using loose REA
gypsum, it is possible to reuse the sorted
materials during construction and after
dismantling. Other advantages are the
extremely high level of environmental
compatibility and the saving of available
resources. This can produce other cost
savings for the source of finance (health
insurance company in Germany) of onco-
logical radiation treatments.
The advantages of the innovation can
basically be summarised under the follow-
ing five headings.
(1) Cheaper method of erecting radia-
tion protection buildings
The amount of concrete and concrete rein-
forcing steel used for the wall thicknesses
which are designed for 20 MeV is
decreased significantly. The filler material,
gypsum or REA gypsum, is significantly
cheaper than steel-reinforced concrete.
The waste product, REA gypsum, is very
cheap and available in various forms all
over the country. Concrete-reinforcing
steel, which has almost doubled in price
since the beginning of 2004, is not nee-
ded for a large part of the structure and,
as a scarce material, can be used more
wisely in the economic cycle.
(2) Shorter construction period
Due to the extensive use of precast ele-
ments and filling materials which are at
least earth-dry, the carcass structure dries
out more quickly. This shortens the time
between the start of construction and com-
missioning by months and significantly
reduces the intermediate financing costs.
Conventional methods often require an
allowance of nine to twelve months for the
carcass to dry out ready for use.
(3) Variable layout due to different fill-
ing materials
Different minerals can be used as filling
materials depending on the shielding
requirements and type of radiation used.
For example, nature gypsum CaSO4x2H2O,
REA gypsum or even limestone CaCO3 or
anorthite Ca(Al Si2O8) is suitable for use
as a filler material in radiation protection
construction for medical accelerator
systems producing x-rays up to 20 MeV.
With high-energy radiation from particle
accelerators (proton accelerators etc.),
both the gamma radiation and fast neu-
trons must be effectively shielded. While
normal concrete contains silicon as the
main component with an atomic number
of 14, calcium with an atomic number of
20 has a better shielding effect against
gamma radiation. For this reason, the gyp-
sum filled sandwich structure is more effec-
tive than a concrete structure.

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The section shows that Precast slabs Nos. 4 +6+7 +1 are part of the inner shell. Slabs 14 +15 +23 envelop the structure as the
outer shell. Slabs 26 +27 function as border elements for height differences in the area of the overspill and load-bearing suspender
beams of the ceiling at the same time
PRECAST CONCRETE ELEMENTS
126
Since different layers containing different
materials can be combined, the design
possibilities are numerous. The shielding
effect of the sandwich wall can be improved
or the geometrical wall thickness reduced
with other suitable aggregates or other
sandwich layers depending on the re-
quirements (type of radiation, power,
energy and available floor space). A filler
can also be replaced with an alternative
material at a later date.
(4) Cheaper demolition and dismantling
of radiation protection structures
Once the period of economic use of the
radiation protection building has elapsed,
the majority of thin steel-reinforced concrete
elements of the wall skins can be easily
pulverised with the usual demolition tool.
The mineral filler is removed from the cavi-
ties using conventional loading equipment
and stored sorted according to type.
Here, the enormous economic difference
between this and the dismantling of con-
ventional radiation protection structures
becomes obvious.
Until now, the metre-thick walls had to be
cut to pieces using rope saws, removed
using heavy and expensive lifting equip-
ment and then the blocks, which are den-
sely packed with steel and heavy concrete
aggregates, broken up. All of this expense
is eliminated with the sandwich method.
(5) Less environmental pollution
After exposure to radiation up to 20 MeV,
the filling material consisting of gypsum,
REA gypsum or lime rock can be regarded
as non-polluted. Particularly because of
the high purity of chemically pure REA
gypsum, the long-lived radiation activities
from elements with higher atomic numbers
produced in the high energy ranges are
only small.
Thus, the gypsum can be used again after
the technical life of the investment is over.
This saves the high disposal costs and
avoids pollution of the environment by the
inestimable problems of hazardous waste.
Research programme with
the University of Erlangen,
Germany
In a research project, Forster Bau GmbH
together with the Department for Radia-
tion Physics at the Institute of Medical
Physics is examining a special medical
application for the sandwich method in
the hospital and out-patients department
of Erlangen University Hospital, Nurem-
berg, Germany. The objective is to deter-
mine the nuclear physical and structural
physical properties of gypsum or REA
gypsum and structural elements made from
gypsum in radiation protection for medici-
nal accelerator systems, in this instance,
initially for operation with x-ray radiation
up to 20 MeV.
On the pilot project high-energy therapy
Mhldorf am Inn, the theses in regard to
the shielding properties of gypsum or REA
gypsum in the form of a loose filling mate-
rial in a sandwich structure consisting of
concrete double wall slabs are being
scientifically examined and verified. This
research project is being used as a scien-
tific confirmatory test for the general use
of loose, compacted gypsum for structural
radiation protection in medicine.
The project should provide users of this
innovative construction method with guide-
lines for the thickness of the shielding
structure which can be used to enable the
wall thicknesses to be calculated easily
even during the planning phase. German
industrial standard DIN 6847/2 [Me-
dical electron accelerator systems Part 2:
Radiation protection rules for the building]
will be amended as part of this work.
Economical prospects
The economical potential, scope of appli-
cation and other applications of the results
in other areas show that the economical
prospects for the Sandwich are exten-
sive. These include applications such as
the protective shell of atomic reactors or
applications in the high-energy sector as
well as the medical application. The follow-
ing applications look particularly promis-
ing.
Medical accelerators up to 20 MV
In Germany alone, 400 accelerators are
currently being used in radiation therapy.
There is a need for approximately 5 more
of the usual linear accelerators per 1 mil-
lion citizens and approximately 1 device
with heavy particles (protons and carbon
ions) per 10 million citizens. In the Euro-
pean market, there is a demand for ap-
proximately 3,000 more radiation de-
vices with linear accelerators. Because
the radiation protection law has recently
been tightened up, there is also a need for
existing radiation protection systems to be
replaced.
Commercial radiation equipment
Another area of application is commercial
radiation equipment such as sterilisation
systems or non-destructive materials
testing systems in industrial companies
and research facilities.
Protective installation for intermediate
atomic storage or disposal atomic storage
facilities
Discussions with power station operators
are currently under way on how to set up
intermediate storage facilities cost effec-
tively. Suggestions have already been
submitted.
Radiation protection upgrading of exist-
ing atomic reactors and nuclear power
stations
The provision of older nuclear reactors
with additional sandwich protection against
aircraft crashes and exposure to very
serious fires from kerosene is being consi-
dered and now seems to be technically
feasible. With the Chernobyl reactor, the
protective shell which was added after the
accident is already beginning to disinte-
grate. The cause of this is the high level of
radiation. With the sandwich system, a
protective shell could be erected which
could be refilled, besides which, the shield-
ing effect of a gypsum filling is significant-
ly superior to that of a concrete jacket.
Structural radiation protection in the
high-energy range up to GeV
The Association of Heavy Iron Research
(GSI) at Darmstadt in Germany have asked
Forster Bau GmbH to include the sand-
wich system in the plans for the new inter-
national research centre FAIR with a total
investment of around 675 million euro. In
the new FAIR facility, physicists want to
unravel the mystery of how the masses of
particles develop by making very dense
nuclear matter.

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PRECAST CONCRETE ELEMENTS
128
The state of the matter which existed for a short time, fractions of
a second after the Big Bang during the emergence of the universe,
will also be examined more closely by producing a quark gluon
plasma. The GSI is planning an experiment for this purpose
called CBM (Condensed Baryonic Matter) in a joint international
collaborative project. This will involve directing a stream of heavy
ions on to matter. During this process, there will be an enormous
amount of radiation released which must be shielded in accor-
dance with the radiation protection regulations. The radiation pro-
tection structure (which conventionally consists of concrete walls
up to 21 m thick) could be replaced with a sandwich system. The
advantages of erecting the planned building using the new
method in comparison to conventional radiation protection build-
ings are currently being investigated.
If the research produces the desired results, which is assumed to
be the case by several radiation protection officers, the economi-
cal risks will be zero.
Impetus for industry and the environment
Discussions about the disadvantages for a German site are usual-
ly focused on the personnel costs. The effect of the material costs
on the competitiveness of the company should also be discussed
at the same time. With its Sandwich from Ingolstadt, Forster Bau
GmbH has demonstrated how much impetus a construction com-
pany can give to the market, industry and environment at relative-
ly little expense.
www.cpi-worldwide.com CPI - Concrete Plant International # 1 - February 2005
PRECAST CONCRETE ELEMENTS
Further information:
Forster Bau GmbH
Mercystr. 5, 85051 Ingolstadt, GERMANY
T +49 841 97367-0, F +49 841 97367-20
info@forster-bau.de, www.forster-bau.de
Dipl.-Ing. Jan Forster
born 1951
Studies of Civil and Struc-
tural Engineering at Munich
Technical University
Diploma in 1977, worked several years in an office for
structural planning; later own office for structural calculation,
engineering, and design.
Since 1996, technical CEO of Forster Bau GmbH.
Since 1998, also CEO of Forster System-Verbau
Engineering GmbH. Holds several patents.