Introduction
- It is the recycled polypropylene formwork technology used for construction purposes.
- One of the obstacles with concrete constructions, in case of horizontal slabs, is the high weight, which limits the span.
- It creates lighter economical design for structure.
- For this reason major developments of reinforcement concrete have focused on enhancing the span.
- This is used to construct two way slab, large span slab, mushroom slab and raft foundation in RCC structure.
- It is suitable for high rise building, hospitals and parking management residential and industrial buildings.
- In U Boot Technology, slabs are created with large span and makes floors thinner by reducing the weight while maintaining the performance of reinforced concrete slabs.
What is U-Boot Technology?
- U-Boot beton is a formwork made of recycled polypropylene.
- Void form work placed in between the top and bottom reinforcements of slab.
- U-Boot Beton is used to create slabs with large span or that are able to support large loads without beams.
- U-Boot Beton is a recycled polypropylene formwork that was designed to create lightened slabs and rafts.
- U-Boot system can be combined with other technologies like pre-fabricated with other technologies like pre-fabricated slabs and post tensioned steel. The technology of hollow slabs with post tensioned steel reduces the weight of slab and its thickness.
Materials for U-Boot Technology
- Cement
- Steel
- Fine aggregate
- Course aggregate
- Water
- Recycled plastic mould (u-boot shells)
Types of U-Beton
- Single U-Beton
- Double U-Beton
Installation Process
- Place lower reinforcement above the formwork.
- Now place the U-Boot above the lower reinforcement at the specified intervals provided by the horizontal link connectors.
- Now complete the upper reinforcement which above the U-Beton.
- Now pouring of concrete is being done.
- Now concrete is poured and slab is ready.
Advantages of U-Boot technology
- Increased number of floors.
- Large span.
- Reduced slab thickness.
- No beams between pillars.
- Reducing in the number of pillars.
- Reduction in the overall load of the structure weighing on the pillars and the foundation.
- Reduced foundations- less deep foundation excavation.
- Improved acoustic behavior.
- Economic
- Pillars spacing is increased
- Thickness of the slab is reduced
Applications of U-Boot technology
- Used in public buildings, hospitals, industries, etc.
- Used in raft foundations.
- Used in two way slabs.
- Overall thickness of the slabs reduced.
Benefits of the system
- Design freedom
- Down stand beams and bearing walls eliminated
- Reducing overall costs
- Reduced dead weight
- Longer spans between columns
- Construction is less weather dependent
- Reduced foundation sizes
- Reduced concrete usage
- Environmentally green and sustainable
Conclusion
- By using this technology we can save more concrete and steel by that structure is more economical for us.
- Less use of iron in the slabs, pillars and foundation up to a total of 15%.
- There are anti-seismic advantages connected to reduced building weight slimmer pillars and foundations, there are low chance of seismic effect on the buildings.
- Due to the fact, that the structural behavior of this new kind of monolithic flat slab is the same as for solid slab, excluding slab-edge column connection, we surely can talk appropriateness of use and advantages of the new technology.
- This technology is very prospective in modern construction and perhaps future of civil engineering belongs to this new kind of hollow slab.