Lift-Slab Construction is a precast method of construction of slab on the ground and then lifting it to the structure.

A type of precasting used in building construction involves casting floor and roof slabs at or near ground level and lifting them to their
final position, hence the name lift-slab construction. It offers many of the advantages of precasting and eliminates many of the storing,
handling, and transporting disadvantages. It normally requires fewer joints than other types of precast building systems. Typically,
columns are erected first, but not necessarily for the full height of the building. Near the base of the columns, floor slabs are cast in
succession, one atop another, with a parting com-pound between them to prevent bond. The roof slab is cast last, on top. Usually, the
construction is flat plate, and the slabs have uniform thickness; waffle slabs or other types also can be used.

Openings are left around the columns, and a steel collar is slid down each column for embedment in every slab. The collar is used for
lifting the slab, connecting it to the column, and reinforcing the slab against shear.

To raise the slabs, jacks are set atop the columns and turn threaded rods that pass through the collars and do the lifting. As each slab
reaches its final position, it is wedged in place and the collars are welded to the columns.
The traditional lift slab construction sequence is i l l u s t rated in Fi g u re 1. Flat plate floors are commonly used because they are so
well suited to stack-casting, req u i ring form w o rk at only the edges of the slab and at floor openings.

Fi g u re 3 shows the
construction pro c e d u re
at seve ra l s t a g e s. In
the background is a
building already lifted;
little finishing work is re q
u i red. On the roof of
the building in the fore g
round are the diesel
pumping unit (the console
is just out of sight on the
ro o f) and two “balance
b e a m s” with tra p
ezoidal ends show i n g
PROCESS
Concrete

To begin, a concrete slab is first poured on the ground level. Lifting collars are set around each of the columns and cast into place as
the slab is poured around them. The lifting collars will later be used to support the slab as it is raised and secured in place. Subsequent
floors and the roof are then poured and formed on top of the initial ground slab. Bond breakers are used between each floor plate to
allow the slabs to separate as they are raised. Along with reducing the formwork required to create the slabs, slabs can be easily
protected from inclement weather since all of the slabs remain together during the curing process.

Lifting

Once the slabs have been raised to their desired height the lifting collars are welded to the columns, along with shear blocks to support
the slab from beneath. To assure the security of a structure during the raising of the slabs, the hydraulic jacks, attached to the top of the
columns, use synchronized consoles to lift the slabs at an even rate. Conventional methods of mounting the jacks to the columns require
that the jacks are removed before continuing to raise the slabs. More recent approaches utilize welded plates, separated from the
columns, to support the jack.