Bubble Deck Slab

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1General

In the 1990's, Jorgen Breuning invented a way to link the air space and steel within a
voided biaxial concrete slab. Bubbledeck slab system can be used for storey floors, roofs and
ground floor slabs.[1]

The Bubbledeck slab is a biaxial concrete floor system developed in Europe. In

Bubbledeck slab, High-Density Poly Ethylene (HDPE) hollow spheres replace the ineffective
concrete in the slab, thus decreasing the overall dead weight. These slabs have many
advantages over a conventional solid concrete slab: lower total cost, reduced material use,
enhanced structural efficiency, decreased construction time, and is a green technology.[1]

In Bubbledeck slab, hollow recycled plastic spheres are inserted into the slab and held
in place by reinforcing steel mesh. The geometry of the Bubbledeck slab is defined by the
spheres of a certain size, placed in a precise modular grid for a particular overall deck
thickness.[1]

Through tests, models and analysis from a variety of institutions, Bubbledeck was
proven to be superior to the traditional solid concrete slab. The reduced dead load makes the
long term response more economical for the building while offsetting the slightly increased
deflection of the slab, due to the reduction in stiffness. However, the shear and punching
shear resistance of the Bubbledeck floor is significantly less than a solid deck since resistance
is directly related to the depth of concrete.

The principal characteristic is that hollow plastic spheres are incorporated in the floor,
clamped in a factory-made reinforcement structure. This reinforcement structure constitutes
at the same time the upper and lower reinforcement of the concrete floor.

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The Bubbledeck is a two-way hollow deck in which plastic balls serves the purpose of
eliminating concrete that has no carrying effect. The construction literally creates itself as a
result of the geometry of the two well-known components: welded reinforcing mesh and
hollow plastic balls. The reinforcing mesh locks the balls in exact position, while the balls
shape the air volume, control the level of the reinforcing meshes, and at the same
timestabilize the spatial lattice. When the steel lattice unit is concreted, a "monolithic" two-
way hollow slab is obtained.

Fig. 1 shows the section cut of a Bubbledeck. These bubbles can decrease the dead
weight up to 35% and can increase the capacity by almost 100% with the same thickness. As
a result, Bubbledeck slabs can be lighter, stronger, and thinner than regular reinforced
concrete slabs.

Fig.1 Cut-through section of Bubble deck

For better utilisation of this technique, the structural behaviour of Bubbledeck under
various conditions was studied in order to gain an understanding and was compared to the
current slab systems.

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CHAPTER 2

CONSTITUENT MATERIALS

Bubbledeck is composed of three main materials- steel, plastic spheres and concrete,
as see in Fig. 2.

Steel- The steel reinforcement is a grade of Fe 415 strength or higher. The steel is fabricated
in two forms- meshed layers for lateral support and diagonal girders for vertical support of
the bubbles.

Plastic Spheres- The hollow sphere are made from recycled high-density polyethylene
(HDPE).

Concrete- The concrete is made of standard Portland cement with a maximum aggregate size
of 20 mm. No plasticizers are necessary for the concrete mixture.

In general, Bubbledeck slab contains a reinforcing mesh at top and bottom and a
hollow ball made of recycled plastic in between.

Fig. 2 Components of Bubble deck

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CHAPTER 3

SCHEMATIC DESIGN

Bubbledeck is intended to be a flat, two-way spanning slab supported directly by

columns. The design of this system is generally regulated by the allowed maximum
deflection during service loading. The dimensions are controlled by the span (L) to effective
depth (d) ratio (L/d) as stated by BS8110 or EC2. This criterion can be modified by applying
a factor of 1.5 that takes into account the significantly decreased dead weight of the
Bubbledeck slab as compared to a solid concrete slab. In addition, larger spans can be
achieved with the use of post tensioning as the L/d ratio can be increased up to 30%.

There are five standard thicknesses for Bubbledeck, which vary from 230mm to
450mm and up to 510mm and 600mm for specific designs, which can be found in table 1.

Table1Versions of Bubbledeck

Version Bubble Diameter Minimum Slab Minimum Centre-to-

(mm) thickness (mm) Centre Spacing (mm)
BD 230 180 230 200
BD 280 225 280 250
BD 340 270 340 300
BD 390 315 390 350
BD 450 360 450 400
BD 510 405 510 450
BD 600 450 600 500

CHAPTER 4

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CONCRETE FLOOR SYSTEMS

Reinforced concrete slabs are components commonly used in floors, ceilings, garages,
and outdoor wearing surfaces. There are several types of concrete floor systems in use today,
and are shown in Fig. 3.

1. Two-Way Flat Plate (Biaxial Slab) - There are no beams supporting the floor between the
columns. Instead, the slab is heavily reinforced with steel in both the directions and
connected to the columns in order to transfer the loads.

2. Two-Way Flat Slab with Drop Panels- This system differs from the two-way flat plate
system by the drop panel used to provide extra thickness around the columns. This
strengthens the column to floor connection in consideration of punching shear.

3. One-Way Beam and Slab- This is the most typical floor system used in construction. The
slab loads are transferred to the beams, which are then transferred to the columns.

4. One-Way Joist Slab- The joists act like small beams to support the slab. This floor system
is economical since the formwork is readily available and less reinforcement is required.

5. One-Way Wide Module Joist Slab- This system is a variation on the one-way joist slab
with wider spaces between the joists.

6. Two-Way Joist Slab (Waffle Slab) - This floor system is the stiffest and has the least
deflection of those mentioned since the joists run in two directions.

Reinforced concrete has many advantages for floor systems

i. Resistance to high compressive stresses and to bending stresses

ii. Relatively cheap to produce and construct

iii. Can be moulded into virtually any shape and size.

Disadvantages include a high weight-to strength ratio and difficulty in structural health
monitoring.

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Fig.3 Types of reinforced concrete floor systems.

In the mid-20th Century, the voided or hollow core floor system was created to reduce
the high weight-to-strength ratio of typical concrete systems. This concept removes and
replaces concrete from the centre of the slab, where it is less useful, with a lighter material in
order to decrease the dead weight of the concrete floor. However, these hollow cavities
significantly decreased the slab resistance to shear and fire, thus reducing its structural
integrity. Fig. 4 illustrates several types of hollow-core planks used in the industry. They are
combined on site to form a one-way spanning slab and topped with a thin layer of surfacing.

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Fig.4 Types of hollow-core planks

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CHAPTER 5

TYPES OF BUBBLE DECK

All of the Bubbledeck versions come in three forms, reinforcement modules and
finished planks. They are depicted in Figure 5. For all types of Bubbledeck, the maximum
element size is limited to 3m x 3m because of transportation reasons.

1. Type A Elements

In Bubbledeck type A 60 mm thick concrete layer that acts as both the formwork and
part of the finished depth is precast and brought on site with the bubbles and steel
reinforcement attached. The decks are then supported by temporary supports and concrete is
poured. Additional steel may be inserted according to the reinforcement requirements of the
design. The full depth of the slab is reached by common concreting techniques and finished
as necessary. This type is optimal for new construction projects where the designer can
determine the bubble positions and steel mesh layout.

2. Type B - Reinforcement Modules

Bubbledeck Type B is a reinforcement module that consists of a pre-assembled

sandwich of steel mesh and plastic bubbles, or "bubble lattice". These components are
brought to the site, laid on traditional formwork, connected with any additional
reinforcement, and then concreted in place by traditional methods. This category is optimal
for construction areas with tight spaces since these modules can be stacked on top of one
another for storage until needed.

3. Type C- Finished Planks

Bubbledeck Type C is a shop-fabricated module that includes the plastic spheres,

reinforcement mesh and concrete in its finished form. The module is manufactured to the
final depth in the form of a plank and is delivered on site. Unlike Type A and B, it is a one-
way spanning design that requires the use of support beams or load bearing walls. This class
of Bubbledeck is best for shorter spans and limited construction schedules.

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Fig.5Three types of Bubble deck- Type A, B, & C

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CHAPTER 6

PROPERTIES OF BUBBLEDECK SLAB

Research has been performed at several institutions in Denmark, Germany and

Netherlands on the mechanical and structural behaviour of Bubbledeck. Studies include
bending strength, deflection, shear strength, punching shear, fire resistance, and sound
testing.

6.1Flexural Strength and Deflection

In Bubbledeck slab a significant volume of concrete is removed from the central core
where the slab is principally un-stressed in flexure. In slabs, the depth of compressed concrete
is usually a small proportion of the slab depth and this means that it almost always involves
only the concrete between the ball and the surface. So there is no sensible difference between
the behavior of a solid slab and Bubbledeck. A standard beam stress block is shown in Figure
6. In terms of flexural strength, the moments of resistance are the same as for solid slabs
provided this compression depth is checked during design so that it does not encroach
significantly into the ball (a 20% encroachment has been shown to be insignificant).

Fig.6 Standard Stress Block (Euro Code 2).

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It is also important to note that the voids in Bubble Deck are discrete volumes that
contain HDPE spheres and are not prismatic like other hollow core slabs where the void runs
the entire length of the floor. Because of the three-dimensional structure and the gentle
graduated force flow the hollow areas will have no negative influence and cause no loss of
strength.
For the same strength, Bubbledeck has 87% of the bending stiffness of a similar solid
slab but only 66% of the concrete volume due to the HDPE bubbles. As a result, the typical
deflection is marginally higher than that of a solid slab. However, lower dead weight
compensates for the slightly reduced stiffness, and therefore gives Bubbledeck a higher
carrying capacity. Table 2 summarizes the above properties.

Table2 Comparison of Bubbledeck and solid deck

Bubble Deck/Solid Strength Bending stiffness Concrete volume

slab
(Expressed in %)
Strength 100 105 150
Bending stiffness 87 100 300
Volume of 66 69 100
concrete

6.2Shear Strength

Shear strength of any concrete slab is mainly dependent on the effective mass of
concrete. Due to the inclusion of plastic bubbles, the shear resistance of a Bubbledeck slab is
greatly reduced compared to a solid slab. From theoretical models, the shear strength of the
voided slab is determined to be 60-80% of a solid slab with the same depth. Therefore, a
reduction factor of 0.6 is to be applied to the shear capacity of all Bubbledeck slabs. Since
shear is also a major concern for the design of solid slabs, several groups have performed
tests on the shear capacity of Bubble Deck slabs in various situations.

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For all flat plate systems, the floor to column connection is a region of high shear. The
design for Bubbledeck section closely follows that of typical flat slabs. The designer must
first determine whether the applied shear is greater or less than the shear capacity of the
Bubbledeck. If it is less, no further checks are needed; if it is greater, the designer shall omit
the spheres surrounding the column and then check the shear in the newly solid section. If the
shear resistance of the solid concrete portion is less then shear reinforcement is required.

6.3Punching Shear

It is a phenomenon associated with failure from extreme, localized forces. Thisis a

common concern for flat plate floor systems since there is a highly concentrated reaction from the
column onto the slab. The design of a Bubbledeck section for punching shear closely follows that
of a typical flat slab. The punching circle seemed to be smaller, influenced by the existence of the
bubbles as shown in Figure 7. A close look at the cross-section after the slabs have been sawn in
the middle axis could disprove this first impression as shown in Figure 8. The hollow bodies did
not influence the crack pattern compared to that of a solid slab. The angle between the horizontal
and the internal crack was in between 30 and 40. As expected, the value of the punching
resistance is smaller than the one of a solid slab.

Fig.7 Crack Pattern (Top View)

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Fig.8 Crack Pattern (Cross Section)

Other options to mitigate this problem are to widen the column, use drop panels or flared
column heads, or increase the depth of the slab. A modified column connection is illustrated
in Figure 9.

Figure 9 Floor to column connection modification

6.4Thermal Resistance

The presence of plastic spheres within the slab, Bubbledeck achieves between 17% to
39% higher thermal resistance than an equivalent solid slab of the same depth. Table 3 shows
a comparison of thermal properties of solid slab with Bubbledeck slab.

Table3 Comparison of Thermal properties of solid slab with Bubbledeck slab

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Bubbledeck Slab Thickness Thermal Bubbledeck

Type (mm) Resistance m2K/W Percentage
Improvement
Bubbledeck Solid slab
BD 230 230 0.1111 39%
BD 280 280 0.1375 34%
BD 340 340 0.1659 27%
BD 390 390 0.1905 22%
BD 450 450 0.2205 17%

6.5Sound Insulation

A comparison was made between Bubbledeck and one way prefabricated hollow deck
of similar height. The noise reduction with Bubbledeck was 1 decibel higher than the one
way prefabricated hollow deck. The main criterion for reducing noise is the weight of the
deck and therefore Bubbledeck will not act otherwise than other deck types with equal weight

6.6Vibration

Bubbledeck slab is light and not immune from vibration in all cases so this must be
checked just as it should be in appropriate solid slab applications. Where deflections are
large, as indicated by the static design, it is often an indication that the structure is sensitive to
vibration issues.

6.7Durability

The durability of Bubbledeck slab is not different from ordinary solid slabs. When the
slabs are manufactured, the reinforcement module and balls are vibrated into the concrete and
the standard and uniformity of compaction is such that a density of surface concrete is

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produced which is at least as impermeable and durable, to that normally produced on site.
Bubbledeck slab joints have a chamfer on the inside to ensure that concrete surrounds each
bar and does not allow a direct route to air from the rebar surface. This is primarily a function
of the fire resistance but is also relevant to durability.

Cracking in Bubbledeck slab is better than solid slabs designed to work at the same
stress levels. In factBubbledeck slab possesses a continuous mesh, top and bottom,
throughout the slab and this ensures shrinkage restraint is well provided for and that cracking
is kept to a minimum.

CHAPTER 8

ADVANTAGES OF BUBBLEDECK

7.1Material and Weight Reduction

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The dominant advantage of a Bubbledeck slab is that it uses 30-50% less concrete
than normal solid slabs. The HDPE bubbles replace the non-effective, thus reducing the dead
load. The building foundations can be designed for smaller dead loads as well. Overall, due to
the lighter floor slabs, the several downstream components can be engineered for lower loads
and thus save additional material.

7.2Structural Properties

Due to the lower dead weight of the slab and its two-way spanning action, load-
bearing walls become unnecessary. Bubbledeck can also be designed as a flat slab, which
eliminates the need for support beams and girder members. As a result, these features
decrease some of the structural requirements for the columns and foundations. As
summarized by Table 4, the dead load-to-load carrying capacity of a solid slab is 3:1 while a
Bubbledeck of the same thickness has a 1:1 dead load-to- load carrying capacity ratio.

Table.4Comparison of Load carrying capacity of Bubbledeck and Solid Slab

Relative % of Solid slab Bubbledeck with Bubbledeck with

solid slab same thickness same capacity
Load Carrying 25 50 25
capacity
Dead load 75 50 40
Dead load to Load 3:1 1:1 1.5:1
carrying capacity
ratio

7.3Construction and Time Savings

On site construction time can be shortened since Bubbledeck slabs can be precast.
Type A includes a 60 mm precast concrete plate as the base and formwork for the slab.
Experience has shown that the most cost effective application of the technology is with semi-
precast panels. On most projects this approach eliminates over 95% of expensive formwork
compared with traditional concrete structures. With virtually no formwork, no downturn

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beams or drop heads, and fast coverage, using Bubbledeck means floor cycles up to 20%
faster than traditional construction methods. Similar to modern precast concrete flooring
modules, Bubbledeck can be fully shop fabricated and transported on site for installation as
well. Figure 8 shows an example of how Bubbledeck sections can be lifted into place at the
construction site. With the use of Bubbledeck, mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP)
lines and fixtures are easily installed within the floor. Individual through-hole areas can be
coordinated and installed within the precast panels rather than at the job site to speed
construction time.

Fig.10Lifting a section of Type A Bubbledeck

7.4Cost Savings

In relation to the savings in material and time, cost reductions are also typical with the
Bubbledeck system. The decreased weight and materials mean lower transportation costs, and
would by more economical to lift the components. With less on-site construction from the
full and semi-precast modules, labour costs will decrease as well. In addition, money can be
saved downstream in the design and construction of the building frame elements like columns
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and walls for lower loads. There is a slight rise in production costs for the Bubbledeck slab
due to the manufacturing and assembly of the HDPE spheres. However, the other savings in
material, time, transportation and labour will offset this manufacturing price increase. The
Bubbledeck building is significantly less expensive than the traditional system. The total
savings is in the order of 20 %.

7.5Environment Friendly

According to the Bubbledeck Company, 1 kg of recycled plastic replaces 100 kg of

concrete. By using less concrete, designers can save up to 40% on embodied carbon in the
slab. Carbon emissions from transportation and equipment usage will also decrease with the
use of fewer materials. Additionally, the HDPE bubbles can be can be recycled.

Generally, for every 5,000 m2 of Bubbledeck floor slab, the owner can save:
1. 1,000 m2 of on-site concrete

2. 166 concrete truck trips

3. 1,798 tonnes of foundation load

4. 1,745 GJ of energy used in concrete production and transportation

5. 278 tonnes of CO2 emissions

Better social environment:

1. Improvement of working conditions

2. Reduced building time means less disturbance of surroundings

3. Less emission of noise - in production, transport and assembly

7.6Safety

1. Fire – Fireproof construction

2. Earthquake – The impact of seismic forces imposed on a building is proportional to the

horizontal accelerated mass, which has to be absorbed by the stiff vertical columns. A
Bubbledeck slab with its substantially reduced dead weight will consequently reduce these

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forces. A Bubbledeck slab and column system is without singularities and act like an elastic
membrane, sufficient to transfer the horizontal forces to stiff cores or walls.

Other advantages for the Bubbledeck are:

a. Freedom of design with non-rectilinear plan forms

b. Construction is less weather dependent as there is no need to erect load-

bearing block work to support floor slabs

3. Conduits and cooled slab systems can be incorporated into the elements in the fac

CHAPTER 8

PRODUCTION AND CARRYING OUT

1. Pre-fabricated plastic bubbles (hollow balls) made of (recycled) plastic.

2. Production of the bubble-lattice by welding the top and bottom reinforcement together
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3. The diagonal girders keep the bubbles fixed between the top and bottom reinforcement

4. Preparation of concrete for filigree-bottom at the assembly line.

5. The bubble-lattice is lowerinto the concrete.

6. Vibration of the concrete.

7. Finishing of a filigree-element.

8. Finished Bubble Deck filigree-element.

9. Bubble Deck filigree-element at stock.

10. Transportation of Bubble Deck filigree elements.

11. Transport on trucks.

12. Transport in the air.

13. Fitting the elements.

14. Placing reinforcement between the Bubble Deck filigree-elements

15. Concreting.

16. Vibrating.

17. Surface finishing.

CHAPTER 9

CONCLUSIONS

Bubbledeck slab distributes force in a better way than any other hollow floor structures
because of its three-dimensional structure. This indicates a positive influence of the balls.

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The tests reveal that the shear strength is even higher than presumed. The practical
experience shows a positive effect in the process of concreting. The balls cause an effect
similar to plasticization additives. It uses recycled plastic and considerable saving in concrete
is attained, hence eco-friendly

All tests confirm the that Bubble-Deck, in a way act as a solid deck with reduced mass and
further leads to considerable savings in materials, cost and time. Also, the applicability of
Bubbledeck slab as pedestrian bridge is very poor. Henceforth in a country like India, where
flat slabs are not that common, application of Bubbledeck slab is very limited, even though it
can be provided as ground floor for Industrial buildings.

REFERENCES

1. L. V. Hai; V. D. Hung; T. M. Thi; T. Nguyen-Thoi; N. T. Phuoc (2013). “The

Experimental Analysis of Bubble Deck Slab using modified elliptical balls” Issue date 2013-
09-13 pp.1-9

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2. Teja, P. P et al. (2012). “Structural Behavior of Bubbledeck Slab.” IEEE- International

Conference on Advances in Engineering, Science And Management (lCAESM-2012),
pp.383-388.

3. SaifeeBhagat ,PDr. K. B .Parikh. (2014 march). “Comparative Study of voided Flat Plate
Slab and Solid Flat Plate Slab.” IJIRD- International Journal of Innovative Research and
Development (Issn 2278-0211),Vol3 (3), pp.22-25.

4. A. Churakov(2014). “Biaxial hollow slab with innovative types of voids.” Construction of

Unique Building and Structures, Vol.6 (21), pp.70-88.

5. Pfeffer. K., Schnellenbach. M. (2002). “Punching Behavior of Biaxial hollow Slabs.”

Cement and Concrete Composites, pp.551-556.

6. C.C. Marais , J.M. Robberts and B.W.J. van Rensburg, “Spherical void formers in concrete
slabs.” Journal of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering, Vol 52 No 2, pp.2-11,
October 2010.

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