STEEL CAGE PREPARATION/ REINFORCEMENT CAGE

The structure of the fabricated steel cage of reinforcement cage should comply with the
method of statement, fabrication and drawings.
Machinery include:
1. Lifting appliances and gear (such as electric or manual chain hoisting blocks and
cranes)
2. Bar bending and shearing machine
3. Welding machine

Equipment needed:
1. Ground plate
2. Arc-shaped fabrication frames
3. Tie bracing
4. working platform inside and outside the cage
5. wrenches and fastening U-bolts

Material needed
1. Steel bars
2. Stiffeners rings

Procedure
1.
2. Upon fixing re-bars with tie wires at a span between 120 to 240 at the bottom of the
stiffener rings, immediately fasten all the re-bars (both inside and outside the cage) by
U-bolts to the stiffener rings.

3. (iii) Use U-bolts to fix at least 2 tie-bracings at the top positions of the stiffener
rings at both ends of the cage, and then use U-bolts to fasten sufficient tie-bracings
with other stiffener rings inside the cage

4. At about 45 and 315 above the stiffener rings, fasten at least one re-bar both inside
and outside the cage by U-bolts.
5. At the top of stiffener rings (i.e. 0 / 360), fasten at least two re-bars both inside and
outside the cage by U-bolts

6. After fixing tie-wires on the top positions of stiffener rings, fasten re-bars at both
sides (i.e. at a span from 45 to 315) inside and outside the cage by U-bolts

7. Outside the cage, use tie-wires to fix remaining re-bars at both sides of the stiffener
rings, and then use U-bolts to fasten
8. Repeat the above procedures to finish fabrication of all remaining re-bars inside the
cage
9. Fasten re-bars with U-bolts at suitable positions of the cage both inside and outside in
accordance with the fabrication drawings and complete all the fabrication processes

10. The temporary tie-bracings should only be removed upon inspection and verification
of the reinforcement cage by the Bar Fixing Foremen in accordance with the
fabrication drawings (including proper fastening of all U-bolts involved).
MOULD PREPARATION
A proper mould preparation should also be focused so that mistake and error in the
production of precast could be identified and can be reduced. Besides, the quality of a precast
concrete also can be increased due to high inspection during the precast.
Here are the step to prepare a mould:
1. Mould surface cleanliness
Mould should be completely free from any debris, dust or leftover from the previous
cast.
If failure to completely clean the whole surface, the risk of coating failing for the next
cast which can result in sticking castings and or defective casting surfaces.

2. Mould Temperature
A suitable temperature can produce a good quality of concrete. If the concrete do not
reach the appropriate temperature, the concrete may leads to thermal shock and
thermal cracking.
Mould temperature can effect a fresh concrete of workability, setting time,
compressive strength and cement hydration.

In Malaysia, there are some suggestion to avoid thermal shock and cracking :
- Minimize the temperature difference between the mould and the concrete mixture.
- Use supplementary cementitious to control the temperature.
- Spray water on aggregate to control internal concrete temperature and control
appropriate moisture content.

3. Mould coating
The example of mould coating is silica and alumina. The thickness of coating is
1
1 1 2 mm depending the surface of the structure.

4. Mould maintenance
Fasteners and wedge pins is maintained in good working condition and sized correctly
for their task.

5. Apply shuttering oil

Applying shuttering oil helps on easy removal of assemblies for column,
Without affecting the finish of the surface of column, when the full set is achieved by
concrete, its adhesion with the inner surface can be reduced.