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Chapter 15 Precast Concrete Framing Systems

Precast, Prestressed
Concrete Structural
Elements
Precast Concrete Slabs
The most fully standardized precast
concrete elements are those used for
making oor and roof slabs (Figure
15.3). These may be supported by
bearing walls of precast concrete or
masonry or by frames of steel, sitecast
concrete, or precast concrete. Four
kinds of precast slab elements are
commonly produced: For short spans
and minimum slab depths, solid slabs
are appropriate. For longer spans,
deeper elements must be used, and
precast solid slabs, like their sitecast
counterparts, become inef cient because they contain too much deadweight of nonworking concrete. In
hollow-core slabs, precast elements suitable for intermediate spans, internal
longitudinal voids replace much of
the nonworking concrete. For the
longest spans, still deeper elements
are required, and double tees and single
tees eliminate still more nonworking
concrete.
For most applications, precast
slab elements of any of the four types
are manufactured with a rough top
surface. After the elements have been
erected, a concrete topping is poured

over them and nished to a smooth

surface. The topping, usually 2 inches
(50 mm) thick, bonds during curing
to the rough top of the precast elements and becomes a working part of
their structural action. The topping
also helps the precast elements to act
together as a structural unit rather
than as individual planks in resisting
concentrated loads and diaphragm
loads, and it conceals the slight differences in camber that often occur in
prestressed components. Structural
continuity across a number of spans
can be achieved by casting reinforcing bars into the topping over the
supporting beams or walls. Underoor electrical conduits may also be
embedded in the topping. Smoothtop precast slabs are sometimes used
without topping, as is discussed later
in this chapter.
Either normal-density concrete
or structural lightweight concrete may
be selected for use in any of the precast slab elements. Lightweight concrete, approximately 20 percent less
dense than normal concrete, reduces
the load on the frame and foundations of a building but is more expensive than normal-density concrete.
There is considerable overlapping of the economical span ranges
of the different kinds of precast slab
elements, allowing the designer some

latitude in choosing which to use

in a particular situation. Solid slabs
and hollow-core slabs save on overall
building height in multistory structures, and their smooth undersides
can be painted and used as nish
ceilings in many applications. For
longer spans, double tees are generally preferred to the older single-tee
design because they do not need to
be supported against tipping during
erection.

Precast Concrete Beams,

Girders, and Columns
Precast concrete beams and girders
are made in several standard shapes
(Figure 15.4). The projecting ledgers
on L-shaped beams and inverted tees provide direct support for precast slab
elements. They conserve headroom
in a building by supporting slabs near
the bottoms of the beams, compared
to rectangular beams without ledgers,
where slab elements must rest on top.
AASHTO (American Association of
State Highway and Transportation
Of cials) girders were designed originally as ef cient shapes for bridge
structures, but they are sometimes
used in buildings as well. Precast
concrete columns are usually square
or rectangular in section and may be
prestressed or simply reinforced.

Figure 15.3
The four major types of precast concrete slab elements. Hollow-core slabs are produced by different companies in
a variety of cross-sectional patterns, using several different processes. Single tees are much less commonly used than
double tees because they need temporary support against tipping until they are permanently fastened in place.

Precast, Prestressed Concrete Structural Elements

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FOR PRELIMINARY DESIGN OF A PRECAST CONCRETE STRUCTURE

Estimate the depth of a precast solid slab at 1/40 of its span.
Depths typically range from 3 to 8 inches (90 200 mm).
An 8-inch (200-mm) precast hollow-core slab can span
approximately 25 feet (7.6 m), a 10-inch (250-mm) slab 32
feet (9.8 m), and a 12-inch (300-mm) slab 40 feet (12 m).
Estimate the depth of precast concrete double tees at
/ of their span. The most common depths of double tees
are 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 24, and 32 inches (300, 350, 400, 460,
510, 610, and 815 mm). Some manufacturers can provide
double tees that are 48 inches (1220 mm) deep.
1 28

A precast concrete single tee 36 inches (915 mm)

deep spans approximately 85 feet (926 m) and a 48-inch
(1220-mm) tee 105 feet (32 m).
Estimate the depth of precast concrete beams and girders at 1/15 of their span for light loadings and 1/12 of their
span for heavy loadings. These ratios apply to rectangular,
inverted-tee, and L-shaped beams. The width of a beam or
girder is usually about one-half of its depth. The projecting ledgers on inverted-tee and L-shaped beams are usually
6 inches (150 mm) wide and 12 inches (300 mm) deep.

To estimate the size of a precast concrete column, add

up the total roof and oor area supported by the column.
A 10-inch (250-mm) column can support up to about 2300
square feet (215 m2) of area, a 12-inch (300-mm) column 3000 square feet (280 m2), a 16-inch (400-mm) column 5000 square feet (465 m2), and a 24-inch (600-mm)
column 9000 square feet (835 m2). These values may be
interpolated to columns in 2-inch (50-mm) increments.
Columns are usually square.
These approximations are valid only for purposes of
preliminary building layout and must not be used to select nal member sizes. They apply to the normal range
of building occupancies, such as residential, of ce, commercial, and institutional buildings, and parking garages.
For manufacturing and storage buildings, use somewhat
larger members.
For more comprehensive information on preliminary selection and layout of structural system and sizing
of structural members, see Edward Allen and Joseph Iano,
The Architects Studio Companion (4th ed.), New York, John
Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2007.

Figure 15.4
Standard precast concrete beam and
girder shapes. The larger dots represent
mild steel reinforcing bars, and the
smaller dots represent high-strength prestressing strands. The broken lines show
mild steel stirrups. Stirrups usually project above the top of the beam, as shown,
to bond to a sitecast concrete topping for
composite structural action.

RECTANGULAR
BEAM

L-SHAPED BEAM

Precast Concrete Wall Panels

Precast concrete panels, either prestressed or conventionally reinforced,
are commonly used as loadbearing
wall panels in many types of low-rise
and high-rise buildings. Solid panels typically range from 3 to 10

INVERTED TEE
BEAM

AASHTO BEAM

inches (90 to 250 mm) in thickness

and can span one or two stories in
height. When prestressed, strands
are located in the vertical midplane
of the wall panels to strengthen the
panels against buckling and to eliminate camber. Ribbed or hollow-core
panels, or sandwich panels with inte-

gral rigid foam insulation, may be as

deep as 12 to 24 inches (305 to 610
mm) and can span up to four stories
(Figure 15.12).
A number of manufacturers produce proprietary precast concrete
wall panels for residential foundation construction. Vertical ribs, or

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Chapter 15 Precast Concrete Framing Systems

so-called concrete studs, spaced at

24 inches (610 mm), provide surfaces
with sheet metal or wood strips for the
attachment of conventional interior
nishes and create cavity space that
can accommodate insulation or the
routing of building services. Some
manufacturers integrate rigid foam
insulation or reinforced footings into
the design of the panels.
Nonloadbearing precast concrete wall panels are discussed in
Chapter 20.

Assembly Concepts
for Precast
Concrete Buildings
Figure 15.5 shows a building whose
precast slab elements (double tees
in this example) are supported on
a skeleton frame of L-shaped precast girders and precast columns.
The slab elements in Figure 15.6 are
supported on precast loadbearing
wall panels. Figure 15.7 illustrates a

building whose slabs are supported

on a combination of wall panels and
girders. These three fundamental
ways of supporting precast slabs on
a precast concrete skeleton, on precast loadbearing wall panels, and on
a combination of the two occur in
endless variations in buildings. The
skeleton may be one bay or many
bays deep; the loadbearing walls are
often constructed of reinforced masonry or of various con gurations of
precast concrete; the slab elements

Figure 15.5
Double-tee slab elements
supported on a frame of precast
columns and L-shaped girders.
(Courtesy of Precast/Prestressed
Concrete Institute)

Figure 15.6
Hollow-core slab elements supported on
precast concrete loadbearing wall panels.
(Courtesy of Precast/Prestressed Concrete
Institute)