UNIT I

CONSTRUCTION SYSTEMS

Structural systems and design: Planning - pre-stressed, concrete constructions

pre-cast concrete and pre- fabrication system - Modular coordination.

CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY

Construction technologies are the ways in which materials are combined to

construct the elements of a building. They can be classified according to the
mass of the system into heavyweight and lightweight construction.

Construction system are the ways in which materials are combined to construct
the elements of a building. They can be classified according to the mass of the
system:

1. Heavy weight construction

2. Light Weight Construction

Heavyweight construction
Characteristics of heavyweight construction include:

• Excellent durability
• Low maintenance
• Good thermal mass
• Most suited to climates with a large diurnal (day/night) temperature range
• Should not be used on remote sites where materials must be
transported for long distances
• Generally high embodied energy
• Generally significant site impact and disturbance because of
substantial foundation system requirements
• Generally quarried raw materials that cause a high impact on the landscape
• Generally require heavy lifting equipment on site.
• Often require temporary support during construction, which can
increase waste.
Lightweight construction
Characteristics of lightweight construction include:

• Less durable than heavyweight construction

• Higher maintenance required than heavyweight construction
• Greater responsiveness to outdoor temperature changes –
this can be beneficial by cooling
• More rapidly at night in warmer climates
Suitable for remote sites where materials must be transported for
long distances
• Generally lower embodied energy
• Generally lower site impact and disturbance than heavyweight construction
• Generally lower environmental impact, for example, sustainably
sourced timber
• Able to be handled without the need for heavy machinery.

STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS
Structural system is an important part of a buildings super
structure, that transfer its loads through inter connected elements or
members (i.e., Columns and beams).
There are different types of structural systems. Appropriate type of
structural system should be used in a design for the efficient use of
materials and to minimise the energy usage.

STRUCTURAL DESIGN
Structural design is the methodical investigation of the stability,
strength and rigidity of structures. The basic objective in structural
analysis and design is to produce a structure capable of resisting all
applied loads without failure during its intended life.
Structural design of any structure can be divided into following types:
• Assessment and distribution of loads which the structural component is
required support or subjected to.
• Proportioning the trial section of the components or appropriate
arrangement of structural elements.
• Computation of bending moments, shear forces and direct forces due to
critical combination of loads to which the structural member is subjected or is
required to carry.
• Selection of proper size and shape of member to resist the forces safely
keeping in view, the economy in the design.
• Preparation of layout of structures and the finished working drawings
with all dimensions for all members which will be required for executing the
construction.
PLANNING
Planning is deciding in advance what to do, how to do it, when to
do it and who to do it. It involves anticipating the future and consciously
choosing the future course of action.

Nature of Planning

 Planning is goal-oriented
 Planning is a primary function
 Planning is all-pervasive
 Planning is a continuous process
 Planning is forward-looking
 Planning involves choice
 Planning is directed toward efficiency

PROCESS OF PLANNING
Step 1- DEFINE THE TASK

Step 2- IDENTIFY RESOURCES

Step 3- CONSIDER ALTERNATIVE

Step 4- CREATE THE PLANNING

Step 5- WORK THE PLAN

Step 6- EVALUATE
Importance of planning
 Focuses attention on objectives and result
 Reduces uncertainty and risk
 Provides sense of direction
 Encourages innovation and creativity
 Helps in co-ordination
 Guides decision-making
 Provide efficiency in operation

WHAT ARE THE VARIOUS TYPES OF BULDING CONSTRUCTION SYSTEMS?

▪ Concrete Frame structure
▪ Light gauge steel construction
▪ Pre-stressed Concrete constructions
▪ Pre-cast concrete
▪ Pre- fabrication system
▪ Modular coordination

CONCRETE FRAME STRUCTURES

▪ Concrete frame structures are a very common or perhaps the most
common type of modern building internationally.
▪ Horizontal members of this frame are called beams and vertical
members are called columns .Humans walk on flat planes of
concrete called slabs.
▪ Of these, the column is the most important, as it is the primary
load carrying element of the building.
▪ If you damage a beam or slab in a building, this will affect only one
floor, but damage to a column could bring down the entire
building.
LIGHT GAUGE STEEL CONSTRUCTION
• Light gauge steel construction is very similar to wood framed
construction in principle the wooden framing members are replaced
with thin steel sections.
• The steel sections used here are called cold formed sections,
meaning that the sections are formed, or given shape at room
temperature.
• This is in contrast to thicker hot rolled sections, that are shaped
while the steel is molten hot.
• Cold formed steel is shaped by guiding thin sheets of steel through
a series of rollers, each roller changing the shape very slightly, with
the net result of converting a flat sheet of steel into a C or S shaped
section.
LOAD BEARING MASONRY CONSTRUCTION
• It is very rarely used today for large buildings, but smaller residential
scale structures are being built.
• It essentially consists of thick, heavy masonry walls of brick or stone
that support the entire structure, including the horizontal floor slabs,
which could be made of reinforced concrete, wood, or steel
members.
• The key idea with this construction is that every wall acts as a load
carrying element. In a load bearing structure, you cannot punch holes
in a wall to connect two rooms
• you would damage the structure if you did so.
• The immense weight of the walls actually helps to hold the building
together and stabilise it against external forces such as wind and
earthquake.

PRE ENGINEERED BUILDINGS

• Pre engineered buildings are factory built buildings of steel that are
shipped to site and bolted together.
• What distinguishes them from other buildings is that the contractor
also designs the building a practice called design & build.
• This style of construction is ideally suited to industrial buildings and
warehouses;
• It is cheap, very fast to erect, and can also be dismantled and
moved to another site more on that later.
 • These structures are sometimes called 'metal boxes' or 'tin sheds'
by laymen they are essentially rectangular boxes enclosed in a skin
of corrugated metal sheeting.

STEEL FRAME STRUCTURES

• Most steel construction is done with a type of steel called mild steel.
• This immense strength is of great advantage to buildings.
• The other important feature of steel framing is its flexibility.
• It can bend without cracking, which is another great advantage, as a
steel building can flex when it is pushed to one side by say, wind, or
an earthquake.
• The third characteristic of steel is its plasticity or ductility.
• Failure in steel frames is not sudden a steel structure rarely
collapses. Steel in most cases performs far better in earthquake
than most other materials because of these properties
TIMBER FRAME CONSTRUCTION WOOD FRAME CONSTRUCTION
Light wood framed construction is one of the most popular types of
building methods for homes in the United States and parts of Europe.
It has the following characteristics:
1. It is light, and allows quick construction with no heavy tools or
equipment. Every component can easily be carried by hand a house
essentially becomes a large carpentry job. The main tool is a handheld
nail gun.
2. It is able to adapt itself to any geometric shape, and can be clad with a
variety of materials.
3. There are a huge variety of products and systems tailored to this type
of construction.
Pre-Stressed Concrete Constructions

Pre-stressed concrete is reinforced by pre tensioning or post tensioning high-

strength steel
tendons within their elastic limit to actively resist a service load.

A more technical definition is ("Structural concrete in which internal

stresses have been introduced to reduce potential tensile stresses in the
concrete resulting from loads)."

.• Placing of concrete around reinforcing tendons that have been

stressed to the
desired degree.
• It's basically like this, concrete is strong in resisting compressive
forces but is very weak in resisting tensile forces (the compressive
strength of concrete is nearly 10 times its tensile strength for a particular
grade).
• The pre-stressing strand is stretched across the casting bed. About
30,000 pounds of tension will be applied to the cable before it's
surrounded by concrete.
Pre-tensioned concrete
Pre tensioned concrete is a variant of pre-stressed concrete where the
tendons are tensioned prior to the concrete being cast. The concrete
bonds to the tendons as it cures, following which the end anchoring of
the tendons is released, and the tendon tension forces are transferred to
the concrete as compression by static friction.

Post-tensioned concrete
Post-tensioning is a form of pre-stressing.
• Pre-stressing simply means that the steel is stressed (pulled or tensioned)
before the concrete has to support the service loads.
• Most precast, pre-stressed concrete is actually pre-tensioned-the steel is pulled
before the concrete is poured.
• Post-tensioned concrete means that the concrete is poured and then the
tension is applied-but it is still stressed before the loads are applied so it is still pre-
stressed.
Pre-stressed

Pre-stressed

ADVANTAGES
Pre-stressed concrete has the following advantages
1. These members are free from cracks as concrete is under compression.
2. It is more durable than Reinforced concrete.
3. The sections are smaller compared to reinforced concrete sections hence
they can also be used for longer spans.
4. Also as sections are smaller they can be transported easily.

DISADVANTAGES
Pre-stressed concrete has following disadvantages also
1. It needs specialist construction tools like jacks, anchors, wedges etc.
2. Very strict supervision and qualification as per normative documents
(example ETAG 0130 etc.)
3. High tensile strength steel with ultimate strength of 1850 MPa needed for
cables. Hence the cost is more.
4. Skilled labour is needed for construction.
PRE-STRESSED Application

Pre-stressed concrete is used in a wide range of building and civil

structures where its improved performance can allow for longer spans, reduced
structural thicknesses, and material savings compared with simple reinforced
concrete.
Typical applications include
• high-rise buildings,
• residential slabs,
• foundation systems,
• bridge and dam structures,
• silos and tanks, industrial pavements
• nuclear containment structures

Pre-Cast Concrete

The concept of precast construction includes those buildings where the

majority of structural components are standardized and produced in plants in
a location away from the building, and then transported to the site for assembly.
These components are manufactured by industrial methods based on mass
production in order to build a large number of buildings in a short time at low
cost.
All the parts of the building can be made as Pre-Cast Concrete. Walls,
Foundation, Columns and Beams, Floor Slabs, Roof Slabs.
The main features of this construction process are as follows:
• The division and specialization of the human workforce
• The use of tools, machinery, and other equipment, usually automated, in the
production of standard, interchangeable parts and products

This Technology can be implemented on such Projects in two ways,

1. Site based precast Plant
2. Dedicated precast Plant

CATEGORIES OF PRECAST BUILDING SYSTEMS

Depending on the load-bearing structure, precast systems can be divided into the
following
categories:
• Large-panel systems
• Frame systems
• Slab-column systems with walls
• Mixed systems

Advantages of Pre-Cast Concrete

• Since precast is manufactured in a controlled casting environment it is easier to

control the mix, placement, and curing.
• Quality can be controlled and monitored much more easily.
• Weather is eliminated as a factor-you can cast in any weather and get the same
results, which allows you to perfect mixes and methods.
• Less labour is required and that labour can be less skilled.
• Repeatability-it's easy to make many copies of the same precast product; by
maximizing repetition, you can get plenty of value from a mould and a set-up.
• Accelerated curing, by heating the precast parts, greatly increases strength
gain
reducing the time between casting the part and putting it into service

Disadvantages of Pre-Cast Concrete

• Very heavy members
• Connections may be difficult
• Somewhat limited building design flexibility
• Because panel size is limited, precast concrete cannot be used for two-way
structural systems.
• Need for repetition of forms will affect building design.
• Joints between panels are often expensive and complicated.
• Skilled workmanship is required in the application of the panel on site.
• Cranes are required to lift panels.

Pre- Fabrication System

The term prefabrication also applies to the manufacturing of things other than
structures at a fixed site.
• It is frequently used when fabrication of a section of a machine or any movable
structure is shifted from the main manufacturing site to another location, and the
section is supplied assembled and ready to fit.
• The term prefabrication can apply to any construction method where a significant
part of the construction takes place off-site in a factory that produces relatively large,
complex pieces that are then assembled at the site into the finished building.
• Prefabrication can be referred to by other names such as off-site fabrication,
off-site
construction or off-site manufacture.
• Prefabrication covers a range of different systems and processes.
• These will include structural, architectural and services
Characteristics of prefabrication
• Light weight
• Thermal insulation property
• Easy workability
• Durability in all weather conditions
• Non combustibility
• Economy in cost
• Easy availability
• Sound insulation element

Advantages of Pre-Fab system

• Creating high quality, innovative buildings
• Increasing efficiency, precision, productivity and affordability
• Decreasing time frames and costs
• Reducing construction waste
• Embracing new technologies
• Advancing the Australian manufacturing sector

Limitation of prefabrication
• Large prefabricated sections require heavy-duty cranes and precision
measurement
and handling to place in position.
Larger groups of buildings from the same type of prefabricated elements tend to
look drab
and monotonous.
• Careful handling of prefabricated components such as concrete panels or steel
and
glass panels is required.
• Attention has to be paid to the strength and corrosion- resistance of the
joining of
prefabricated sections to avoid failure at the joint.
• Leaks can form at joints in prefabricated components.
• Transportation costs may be higher for voluminous prefabricated section than
the materials of which they are made, which can often be packed more compactly.
OPEN PREFABRICATION SYSTEM
1) Partial prefab open system
2) Full prefab open system

LARGE PANEL PREFABRICATION SYSTEM

1) Wall System
2) Precast floors
3) Staircase systems
4) Box type construction

Materials can be used for pre-fabrication

Structural Insulated Panels:
Modular Coordination

Modular Coordination ~ a module can be defined as a basic dimension

which could for example form the basis of a planning grid in terms of
multiples and submultiples of the standard module.

Typical Modular Coordinated Planning

Grid ~ Let M = the standard module

Structural Grid ~ used to locate structural components such as beams

and columns.
Planning Grid ~ based on any convenient modular multiple for regulating space
requirements such as rooms.
Controlling Grid ~ based on any convenient modular multiple for
location of internal walls, partitions etc.
Basic Module Grid ~ used for detail location of components and fittings.

All the above grids, being based on a basic module, are contained one
within the other and are therefore interrelated. These grids can be used in
both the horizontal and vertical planes thus forming a three dimensional
grid system
.
If a first preference numerical value is given to M dimensional coordination is
established,
the practical aims of this concept are to:-
1. Size components so as to avoid the wasteful process of cutting and fitting on
site.
2. Obtain maximum economy in the production of components.
3. Reduce the need for the manufacture of special sizes.
4. Increase the effective choice of components by the promotion of
interchangeability.

Dimensional Grids † the modular grid network defines the space into
which dimensionally coordinated components must fit.

An important factor is that the component must always be undersized to

allow for the joint which is sized by the obtainable degree of tolerance and site
assembly:
MODULAR COORDINATION: AN APPLICATION IN
CONSTUCTION INDUSTRY
▪ A modular building is a pre-engineered structure that is
flexible enough to satisfy virtually any requirement
tougher than standard drywall construction,
expandable, can be relocated and completely re-
usable.
▪ It has been found that Modular coordination is an
outstanding choice having a minimum on-site
modification and material wastage.
▪ Modular coordination differs from the traditional
building methods, reducing the overall time of
completion.
▪ Modular coordination facilitates sustainable benefits
towards waste minimization and increases efficiency
of productivity in the construction industry.
▪ The speed with which a building is completed its key
advantage of modular coordination.
▪ With increasing industrialization to the building industry,
steadily larger parts of buildings are made up of
prefabricated components, delivered to the building site
from the factories. Dimensional coordination of these
component themselves and with the design are of
paramount importance. The full benefit of the
industrialization is impossible without
standardization.
▪ No effective standardization is possible in the building
industry, without dimensional coordination and modular
coordination is a way to it.