Lift slab construction From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Lift slab construction is a method of constructing concrete buildings

by casting the floor or roof slab on top of the previous slab and then raising (jacking) the slab up with hydraulic jacks, so being cheaper and faster as not requiring boxing and supports for casting in situ. The Johnstone Hall a dormitory at Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina was erected using this method in 1954. Several of the blocks have now been demolished, and campus legend says that that two other similar structures built elsewhere collapsed before completion. The method was involved in the L'Ambiance Plaza collapse in Bridgeport, Connecticut during construction in 1987, and resulted in a major nationwide federal investigation into this construction technique in the United States, and a temporary moratorium of its use in Connecticut.[1] A patent was issued to Tom Slick for this construction method, called the "Youtz-Slick" method, in 1955.

Lift-slab method of construction "Lift slab" means a method of concrete construction in which floor, and roof slabs are cast on or at ground level and, using jacks, lifted into position. The Vaughtborg Lift Slab System

Basically, the method entails casting floor and roof slabs on or at ground level and jacking them up into position. The traditional lift slab construction sequence is illustrated in Figure 1. Flat plate floors are commonly used because they are so well suited to stack-casting, requiring formwork at only the edges of the slab and at floor openings. Special lifting collars or shearheads are provided in the slabs at the columns. Bond breaking compounds are applied between slabs to separate them. After the slabs have cured long enough to reach a prescribed strength, powerful hydraulic jacks mounted on top of the columns lift the slabs into their respective positions... The big advantage of erecting concrete buildings using lift slab construction is elimination of most formwork, an especially important factor in areas where labor costs are high. Concrete floor construction at ground level is convenient and requires no shores, scaffolds or c ra n e s. Slabs can be cast and protected easily during cold weather without expensive heating and enclosures required for ordinary construction. Another advantage is reduced handling and hoisting of materials and supplies that can simply be placed on top of the slabs and lifted with them.