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December 2000
Index
page
1 Background 1
3 Methodology 1
5 Industrial Collaboration 3
References 18
Presentations 19
Behaviour and Design of Industrial Concrete Ground Floors 1
1 Background
Many businesses are reliant on the ground floor industry and are placing growing demands on ground floor performance in
terms of flatness, joint integrity, reduced cracking and resistance to wear. In many buildings the floor forms the working
platform, so any failure in the floor can have a significant impact on the operational performance. Much theoretical and
experimental work has been carried out on the performance of floors under loads - starting with Westergaard [1], however,
there has been little work on the early-life behaviour of slabs. Much of the detail design guidance currently in existence is
based on unsubstantiated empirical values, which also date back to forms of construction which are no longer widely in
use, i.e. long strip.
The purpose of this research was to address this lack of understanding of the early life behaviour of industrial ground floor
slabs, by instrumenting a series of commercial slabs during construction. The data from this large scale monitoring of slabs
will enable the development of more robust design methods based on a combination of full-scale empirical data and
theoretical analysis. This will reduce the number and extent of failures and allow more cost effective slabs to be built.
3 Methodology
An extensive literature review identified: little work on the early-age behaviour of industrial floors; a range of relevant
information on thermal and moisture induced concrete movements; and several material models already in existence which
were suitable for incorporation in either finite element or spreadsheet based models of concrete behaviour.
Initially the ambient temperature, relative humidity (rh) and wind speed were identified as the parameters most likely to
affect the behaviour of the slabs. Instrumentation was chosen to monitor these ambient characteristics as well as the internal
temperature of the slab, and in some cases the internal rh, and dew point of the slab. The movement of the concrete and of
the saw-cut joints were recorded by several types of vibrating wire (vw) strain gauges, which were chosen for their long-
term stability, precision and sensitivity. The instruments were connected to dataloggers which stored the results until they
were downloaded into a portable computer.
An iterative procedure was used to develop the techniques required to locate the strain gauges correctly in the slab and to
connect them reliably and efficiently to the datalogger. This was developed in the laboratory and then further refined on a
trial instrumentation before embarking on a full-scale site instrumentation. Initial problems were quickly overcome leading
to the development of a methodology which is flexible, reliable and sufficiently robust to stand the rigours of site. In order
to overcome problems monitoring movement across day-joints, where existing gauges were unsuitable, a new gauge type
was developed with a removable extension arm (Figure 1). The first part of the gauge could be cast into the first pour,
leaving the extension arm to be fitted just before the second pour was commenced (Figure 2). In order to measure the large
movements sometimes encountered at day-joints in jointless floors, gauge pairs were developed where the second gauge
began to take readings just before the first gauge failed.
Precision level surveys were carried out on some of the floors to allow comparison of floor shape immediately after
construction and at later dates in order to try and identify curling. Where permission was obtained from the client Demec
pips were placed across saw-cut joints. This allowed more points to be monitored, and over a greater range than was
possible with vibrating wire strain gauges.
Meteorological Office weather data has been made available to the research team by the British Atmospheric Data Centre
allowing analysis of long-term strains when data logging of temperatures was suspended or had ceased.
Data collection was carried out on most sites for at least one month after construction resulting in over 40,000 data points
per slab. Monitoring was continued on some sites either by replacing the data logger or one-off site visits, as shown in
Figure 3. Macros were written to process the data before analysis was carried out in Matlab, Origin and MS Excel. A
common set of graph templates was developed to enable the comparison of results from different sites.
Behaviour and Design of Industrial Concrete Ground Floors 2
Figure 2 - Modified day joint with extension arm attached prior to commencement of the second pour
Finite element and spreadsheet based models were used to compare theoretical predictions of behaviour with that actually
measured by the instruments. These used established constitutive models of concrete taking into account prevalent ambient
conditions, the mix proportions of the concrete, the dimensions of the structure itself, and the material which the floor was
cast upon. Using concrete hydration data, the finite element models can determine the thermal changes in the slab, based on
the mix constituents, and use this information to predict the concrete material properties with time. Springs are used to
model vertical edge restraint and frictional boundary elements separate the slab and sub-base elements, allowing analysis of
most slab arrangements.
Behaviour and Design of Industrial Concrete Ground Floors 3
The project was co-ordinated by a Steering Group consisting of the investigators and representatives from Sprigg-Little,
Burks Green, Somero Enterprises Ltd., Stuarts Industrial Flooring Ltd., Stanford Industrial Concrete Flooring Ltd. and the
Concrete Society. The Group chaired by Andrew Keen (Somero Enterprises Ltd.) met at 3-4 monthly intervals to receive a
formal presentation and report by the Research Assistant, to review the programme (including milestones) and make
decisions on the direction of the research. The level of industrial commitment at these meetings was high and went well
beyond that envisaged in the application.
5.3 m
2 5
mm
300
4 6 8 9
mm
300
7
1 3
mm
300
1m 3m 3m 1m
An initial dormant period was measured after the concrete was placed, during which time more heat was lost to the
environment than was generated by the exothermic reaction of the cement hydrating. The readings from the
thermistors show that more heat was lost to the sub-base under the slab than to the air above. This resulted in a
thermal gradient in the slab which remained until after the slab reached its maximum temperature about 14 hours
after it was cast. At this time the thermal gradient in the middle 120mm of the slab was about 0.5°C, indicating that
the slab hardened in a non-uniform thermal state, resulting in minimum thermally induced stresses as the
temperature equilibriated of 0.1N/mm2.
Behaviour and Design of Industrial Concrete Ground Floors 6
25
26
24
24
23
22
22
20
21
Temperature ( C)
18
0
20
06:00 12:00 18:00 24:00
16
14 B
12 Sensor location
Bottom
10 Middle
Top
8 Ambient
Thermocouple
6
The joints were saw-cut 24 hours after the slab was constructed, although no movement occurred for a further 12
hours. A temperature drop at 37 hours (Figure 5 point B) triggered the contraction joint opening (Figure 6 point B)
which was accompanied by contractions measured by all of the other embedment gauges. These accompanying
movements decreased with distance from the joint, until almost 7m from the contraction joint the movement was
negligible (Figure 7). This demonstrates that not all parts of the slab are going to have the built-up stresses released
by joint movements.
1.00
Gauge Id.
2B
2T
0.75 1B
Measured joint movement [mm]
1T
0.50
0.250
A
0.25 0.125
0.000 B
0.00
The readings from the embedment strain gauges indicate that: the shrinkage increases with distance from the edge of
the slab; the shrinkage decreases with the depth in the slab; and the differential shrinkage between the top and the
bottom of the slab decreases with distance from the joints.
The first trend is indicative of edge restraint provided by the surrounding strips which had been cast prior to the
instrumented strip. The concrete in these strips had already hardened and prevented the fresh concrete from moving
as it attempted to shrink due to cooling and drying. As the distance from the slab edges increased the measured
shrinkage increased for all of the embedment strain gauges, and the movement recorded by the gauges across the
contraction joint increased (Figure 6).
12
10
Measured movement [microstrain]
Data points
8
Linear fit of data
6 95% Confidence limits
-2
-4
-6
-1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Distance from contraction joint [m]
Figure 7 - Measured strain changes as the contraction joint opened 37 hours after construction
The second trend reflects the drying shrinkage in the slab which, because of the polythene slip membrane under the
slab, only occurs from the upper surface of the slab. Figure 8 shows the rate of diffusion of moisture through a
concrete slab demonstrating how the upper levels will shrink more and also the timescales involved in moisture loss
from a concrete member. The measured movement from the strain gauges (which includes thermal effects), along
with the concrete drying shrinkage from two gauges for the long-strip slab can be seen compared to the B3 [2]
theoretical predictions of long-term drying shrinkage in Figure 9. This model uses the mix constituents and the
ambient conditions to predict the drying shrinkage.
The third trend showing a change in differential movement with location in the slab was confirmed by the
measurements from the precision level surveys, the first of which was carried out 24 hours after construction. The
warped surface observed before significant thermal changes is symptomatic of ‘false curl’ which can occur as a
result of the construction method (a vibrating beam). Some changes in the surface profile were measured over the
first couple of weeks, however, the main changes in the slab shape occurred over a period of months. The strain
gauge readings and the level surveys were in agreement that the greatest curling occurred near the transverse joints
(Figure 10). These joints were designed to release moment stresses built up when curling was restrained.
Reinforcement in the bottom of the slab is continuous across the joint, and readings have shown that whilst this was
successful in preventing joint opening, it has little moment capacity and will not prevent joint rotation.
Behaviour and Design of Industrial Concrete Ground Floors 8
100
Elapsed time
(days)
8
90 16
32
Internal relative humidity
48
64
96
128
80 160
240
320
480
640
960
70
1280
1600
2400
60
20
-20
Movement [microstrain]
-40
-60
-80
-5 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Elapsed time since construction [days]
Figure 10 - Precision level survey results along a long strip slab. (4m and 20m are TJs, 12m is a CJ)
10
The results from the other site also showed that only some of the joints opened. This tends to indicate that stresses
are not building up to the levels which are expected – either as a result of sub-base friction being lower than
predicted, because cracks are forming at other locations, or because the initial joints to open are becoming dominant
and opening widely to allow stresses to be released. In the case of this floor the second reason appears likely.
Cracking became apparent in some areas of the slab three months after construction. Inspection of the cracks
revealed that they were discontinuous across the saw-cut joints, with sideways jumps of up to 200mm (Figure 12).
This means that the cracks were not formed until after the concrete had been saw-cut, as they would have been
continuous across the joints otherwise, thus ruling out plastic shrinkage as a method of crack formation. The
cracking was found to be concentrated in areas of the slab which had been constructed as in-fill bays. This means
they will have had greater restraint during their early life from the bays which had already hardened around them.
Although this may not immediately lead to cracking this could leave the slab in a higher state of stress. The cracking
followed a rapid drop in temperature, leading to the conclusion that it was triggered by the resulting thermal
contraction.
Figure 12 - Cracking across a joint in the first mesh reinforced jointed floor
Behaviour and Design of Industrial Concrete Ground Floors 11
One of the major cracks, originating near a loading bay (A in Figure 13), was subject to a precision level survey.
This showed that the crack had not curled, indicating that moment failure was unlikely, whilst the proximity of the
crack to the loading bay means it would have been exposed to rapid temperature changes and a drying environment
from the time of construction.
Figure 13 – Crack locations in the first mesh reinforced jointed floor on the 19th November 1999
Figure 14 - Gauge layout for the first fibre reinforced jointless floor
Once the initial hydration of the concrete had finished very good agreement was obtained between the measured
shrinkage from the embedment strain gauges and the joint movement gauges. This indicates that there is insufficient
frictional resistance in the longitudinal direction to prevent the slab from moving and thus releasing drying
shrinkage stresses. This finding is in agreement with the finite element results, where all parts of the slab were found
to move when a 40m long slab was subjected to shrinkage of over 300 µstrain. The tensile stresses were
approximately 0.7N/mm2, which is not in itself sufficient to cause tensile cracking. Pettersson [4] looked at slabs up
to 60m in length and also found that, even when the coefficient of friction was increased to twice the value
determined in experiments, the stresses would not exceed the tensile capacity of the concrete.
Cracks were found running parallel to the sides of the building at several places, generally more than 9m from the
walls. It is unlikely that these are a result of restrained thermal warping or differential drying shrinkage induced
curling alone, as these effects would require a thermal differential of over 60°C or more than 400µstrain differential
shrinkage in order to make this the critical section [5]. Given that an average thermal differential is closer to 1°C
and the drying shrinkage differential after 1 year is of the order of 100 µstrain this is unrealistic. The stresses due to
these restrained movements increase with distance from the point of restraint until the critical section, from where
they remain constant. They could, therefore, cause cracking of the slab in combination with frictional restraint, or
load induced stresses at some point after the critical section.
Three pours were also instrumented in the second jointless floor, however, on this occasion 57 strain gauges were
used to identify if there was any detectable difference in movement or curling as the distance from the edge of the
slab increased. The movement between the edge of two pours and the adjacent wall of the building was monitored
in addition to the movement from the contraction joints between the pours. The movement from all of these gauges
was uniform and corresponded quite well to a drop in temperature in the short term (first couple of weeks). The
movement was seen to reduce with distance from the edge of the slab at all instrumented points, although the
differential movement was not always greatest closest to the edge of the pour. This is possibly due to the curling
restraint provided by the adjacent pours, which would tend to lead to a deflected shape as shown in Figure 15.
Behaviour and Design of Industrial Concrete Ground Floors 13
The long-term movements continued the trends seen in the early movements. Although the joint gauges had quickly
reached their full range and failed, visual joint opening readings were taken. This showed that the joints in the
middle of the building were uniform in width and generally more than twice as wide as those at the edges.
6.5 Material performance modelling
Finite element models have been developed to model the thermal behaviour of the slab. The site instrumentation
was modified to include extra sensors in the sub-base and subgrade to allow verification of model predictions. Good
agreement has been obtained between the model and the site measured temperatures (Figure 16).
Several different structural models have been used with increasing complexity allowing more realistic modelling of
the slab behaviour. Initial models treated the concrete as linear elastic, this was then modified to allow non-linear
tensile cracking although the concrete was still treated as homogeneous. Frictional properties were introduced
between the slab and the sub-base using contact elements. This allowed relative movement to occur, although the
results showed that even when the friction coefficient was increased to twice the maximum value determined by
Behaviour and Design of Industrial Concrete Ground Floors 14
Timms [6] and Pettersson [4] experimentally, it was not sufficient to prevent movement in all parts of a 40m long
slab. The contact elements also had non-linear properties in the vertical direction, releasing the slab when contact
forces became negative, which was essential in order to model curling behaviour. A variety of thermal gradients
were applied to the slab to mimic the long term drying based on 1-Dimensional modelling of diffusion carried out in
a spreadsheet. This was done because although several models of drying shrinkage are built in to the finite element
code, these predict an average drying shrinkage across an equivalent section and do not allow the drying shrinkage
at a given point due to its hygral state to be determined. In order to model curling this differential shrinkage due to
the hygral gradient already shown in Figure 8 is essential. The predictions of curling over a couple of meters near
the slab edges agrees with simplified spreadsheet models based on Rollings [7] and Eisenmann & Leykauf [5] and
the data from the precision level surveys and embedment strain gauges.
The inclusion of joints (both brittle and with residual tensile capacity) was made to identify the effects of saw-
cutting. This showed how stress release occurs as the joints open; however, due to the lack of variability in the
material properties, this model behaves perfectly symmetrically (Figure 17). Further development is required to
either bring in phased construction, allowing some parts of the model to be older than other parts (as in real
construction), or to allow variation in the material properties.
Figure 17 - Plot of Sxx stresses in a 40m long slab with four joints as temperature uniformly decreased
Behaviour and Design of Industrial Concrete Ground Floors 16
The research emphasises the benefits of a building being totally weather proof before construction of the slab. This
has implications for project programmes and in many cases may be inconvenient. However, when a cost benefit
approach is taken, a floor which does not require remedial work is far more important to the end user.
Thermal changes, which currently do not form any part of design, should be an integral part of the process. These
changes occur both on an annual and a daily basis causing uniform length changes and warping respectively. These
length changes will either counter some of the early drying shrinkage or add to this effect, causing much higher risks
of cracking, depending on the season of construction (Figure 18 to Figure 21).
500
25
Drying shrinkage [microstrain]
400
20
Temperature [ C]
300
0
15
200
10
100
0 5
Figure 18 - Theoretical drying shrinkage curve Figure 19 - Idealised annual temperature profile
(model B3) [after reference 10]
600
500
Theoretical movement [microstrain]
500
Theoretical movement [microstrain]
400
400
300
300
200
200
100
100
0
0 10 100 1000
-100
1 10 100 1000 Elapsed Time [days]
-100 Elapsed Time [days] -200
Figure 20 - Superimposed drying and thermal effects Figure 21 – Superimposed drying and thermal
for a slab cast in August effects for a slab cast in February
In order to maintain serviceability requirements for long strip slabs, which tend to have a high flatness tolerance, it
may be advantageous for designers to cease detailing transverse joints. The surveys have shown that this is where
the majority of the upward curling occurs, whilst the strain gauges have confirmed that there is no joint opening to
reduce longitudinal stresses at this location. The contraction joints are much better at controlling the vertical
movements due to curling and for this reason it may be more beneficial to place reinforcement in the upper portion
of the slab to try and control moment cracking, but to otherwise leave the slab to crack in this manner. Some small,
distributed cracks would provide less of a serviceability problem for a building operator in the long-term than a
joint with a large degree of curl which could begin to pump.
There is a continuing need to educate building operators, owners and engineers as to what is an acceptable floor.
Clients are often promised perfect floors with no cracks, but concrete is liable to crack in both the plastic and
hardened states due to stresses which it intrinsically sustains by the nature of its constituent materials and
environment. All concerned need to accept that such cracks are almost inevitable and specify appropriate
performance levels.
Finally designers must be encouraged to take a more holistic approach to the design of a floor. All too often the
implications of different aspects of the design are not considered, e.g. the impact on the floor of two adjoining areas
Behaviour and Design of Industrial Concrete Ground Floors 17
of a building being at different operating temperatures. Additionally the effects of adjacent bays and bay pouring
sequences should be considered. The research has shown that edge restraint causes differential movement in slabs,
and also indicates that infill bays are at higher risk of cracking. Many of the cracks encountered could have been
avoided with more consideration at the design stage.
The most apparent immediate benefits of this research will be:
• Raised awareness amongst engineers of the need for a holistic approach to design. A whole life cost benefit
approach must be taken as initial savings for the client, made by constructing a very thin slab, may be lost in
later life due to loss of service if remedial work is required. Special attention must also be paid to areas where
restraint could arise or conditions may dictate different behaviour, i.e. dock-levellers tied into slabs, or chill
stores adjacent to ambient storage areas.
• A readily available source of performance information (with commentary) covering all types of ground
supported floors commonly under construction in the UK published by the Concrete Society and the ACIFC.
This can be used by engineers when assessing the points mentioned above.
• A direct input to the re-write of TR34 which will assist engineers in other parts of the world as well as the UK
when designing all forms of ground supported industrial floors.
These will in the longer term improve operation and reduce disruption and maintenance costs for clients and
building owners.
Behaviour and Design of Industrial Concrete Ground Floors 18
References
1. Westergaard, H.M. (1926): Stresses in concrete pavements computed by theoretical analysis, Public Roads.
Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 25-35.
2. Bazant, Z.P. et al. (1995): Creep and shrinkage prediction model for analysis and design of concrete structures -
model B3, Materials and Structures. Vol. 28, No. 180, pp. 357-365.
3. Lachemi, M. and Aïtcin, P.-C. (1997): Influence of ambient and fresh concrete temperatures on the maximum
temperature and thermal gradient in a high performance concrete structure, ACI Materials Journal. Vol. 94,
No. 2 (March/April), pp. 102-110.
4. Pettersson, D. (1998): Stresses in Concrete Structures from Ground Restraint. Ph.D. Thesis, Department of
Structural Engineering, Lund Institute of Technology, Sweden. 113 pps.
5. Eisenmann, J. and Leykauf, G. (1990): Simplified calculation method of slab curling caused by surface
shrinkage. In: 2nd International Workshop on the Theoretical Design of Concrete Pavements. 1st ed. Vol. 5.
(Ed: PIARC Committee on Concrete Roads - Cembureau) Centre ROW, Ede, pp. 185-197.
6. Timms, A.G. (1963): Evaluating subgrade friction-reducing mediums for rigid pavements, Highway Research
Record. No. 60, pp. 28-38.
7. Rollings, R.S. (1993): Curling failure of steel-fiber-reinforced concrete slabs, Journal of Performance of
Constructed Facilities. Vol. 7, No. 1(February), pp. 3-19.
8. Barnbrook, G. et. al. (1994): Technical Report 34: Concrete Industrial Ground Floors - A guide to their
Design and Construction. Second ed. The Concrete Society, Slough. 145 pages.
9. Saraf, C.L. and McCullough, B.F. (1986): Controlling longitudinal cracking in concrete pavements,
Transportation Research Record. Vol. 1043, pp. 8-13.
10. Thomlinson, J. (1940): Temperature variations and consequent stresses produced by daily and seasonal
temperature cycles in concrete slabs, Conc. & Const. Eng. Vol. 35, No. 7 (July), pp. 352-360.
11. Bishop, J.W. (1998): Behaviour and Design of Concrete Industrial Ground Floors, Concrete Day ’98, Concrete
Society and the ACIFC, June 1998, Brunel University.
12. Behaviour and design of concrete industrial ground floors, Concrete Engineering International, Vol.2, No.8,
p.59.
13. Austin, S.A., Robins, P.J. & Bishop, J.W. (1998): Behaviour and design of concrete industrial ground floors,
Concrete, Vol. 32, No. 6, pp 8-10. (Invited)
14. Austin, S.A., Robins, P.J. and Bishop, J.W. (1999): Techniques for the early-life in-situ monitoring of concrete
industrial ground floor slabs. In: Specialist techniques and materials for concrete construction - Proceedings of
the International Conference held at the University of Dundee on 8th to 10th October. 1st ed. (Eds: Dhir, R.K.
and Henderson, N.A.) Thomas Telford, London, pp. 317-329.
15. Austin, S.A., & Bishop, J.W. (2000): Monitoring of concrete industrial ground floor slabs, Seminar on
Developments in Industrial Concrete Ground Floors, 31st October 2000, Aston University, England.
16. Bishop, J.W., Quarterly Internal Reports Nos.1-9, Department of Civil and Building Engineering,
Loughborough University, U.K, November 1997-July 2000.
17. Austin, S.A., Robins P.J. & Bishop, J.W. (2000): In-Situ Instrumentation of Industrial Concrete Ground Floor
Slabs, Submitted to The Structural Engineer.
18. Austin, S.A., Robins, P.J & Bishop, J.W. (2001): Technical Report: Early-life behaviour of concrete industrial
ground floor slabs, Concrete Society in association with the ACIFC.
19. Project web page, maintained by J.W.Bishop. Http://www-staff.lboro.ac.uk/~cvjwb/index.html
20. Robins, P.J., Bishop, J.W. & Austin, S.A. (2001): Analysis of joint movements from industrial ground floors,
Proceedings of ICE: Structures and Buildings. (In preparation)
21. Bishop, J.W., Austin, S.A. & Robins, P.J. (2001): Temperature effects in industrial ground floors, Cement and
Concrete Research. (In preparation)
22. Austin, S.A., Robins, P.J. & Bishop, J.W. (2001): Early-age finite element modelling of industrial ground
floors, The Structural Engineer. (In preparation)
23. Robins, P.J., Bishop, J.W. & Austin, S.A. (2001): A statistical study of the impact of altering the saw-cut
depths in industrial ground floors, Materials and Structures. (In preparation)
Behaviour and Design of Industrial Concrete Ground Floors 19
24. Better concrete floors (Trade News), Concrete, Vol. 33, No. 2, February 1999, p.42.
25. Concrete floors take the strain, Measurement News – (Campbell Scientific Magazine) No. 18, January 1999,
pp. 4-5.
26. Louch, K (2000): Floors claims (response to article in Nov/Dec Concrete), Concrete, Vol. 34, No. 2, February,
p.6.
27. News from the ACIFC, Editorial, Concrete, Vol. 34, No. 2, February 2000, p.26.
28. ACIFC looks forward, Editorial, Concrete, Vol. 34, No. 3, March 2000, p57.
29. Hulett, T (2000): Concrete project gets off the ground, Concrete, Vol. 34, No. 8, September 2000, pp. 20-21.
30. Constructive floors forum, Editorial, Concrete, Vol. 34, No. 8, September 2000, p.37.
31. The research project has been cited as an example application for the datalogging equipment used on the
Campbell Scientific web site. The web address is : http://www.campbellsci.com/centers/structure-zcement.html
Presentations
1. ACIFC Conference “Optimising Lifetime Performance of Industrial Concrete Floors”, September 1997
Loughborough University.
2. The Concrete Society / ACIFC “Concrete Day 98”, Brunel University June 1998
3. Gazeley Properties, Milton Keynes August 1999
4. “Creating with Concrete” Conference, Dundee. September 1999
5. ACIFC & The Concrete Society “Technical Report 34 Forum”, Loughborough University. May 2000
6. Seminar on “Developments in Industrial Concrete Ground Floors”, Aston University. October 2000