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PROJECT PROFILE: STRUCTURAL COLUMNS TO SUPPORT A SUSPENDED FLOOR IN A 185-ft. SILO.

Four 2-6 by 2-6 by 55 ft tall columns were manufactured with Ductal FM to support an elevated floor in a 185 ft tall cement silo in Detroit, Michigan. The columns contained no reinforcement steel with the exception of four inch diameter pre-stressing strands. The columns were cast in one continuous pour in a 55 foot long form. The material was fluid enough to flow the entire length of the form without vibration or manual manipulation. While the batching of Ductal material to enable one continuous pour took a total of six hours, the actual casting of the column with Ductal took less than 15 minutes. The columns were delivered to site where they were erected using a crane and connected using a bolted connection detail through an embedded steel plate cast into the bottom of the column. The four columns were erected in a single day. By using Ductal with a compressive strength of 26,000 psi, the cross sectional area of the column was reduced to a quarter the size of columns made with conventional concrete which resulted in an increase in truck bay clearance for the loading of tanker trucks.

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