PREFABRICATED

STRUCTURES
 UNITS

INTRODUCTION
PREFABRICATED COMPONENTS
DESIGN PRINCIPLES
JOINT IN STRUCTURAL MEMBERS
DESIGN FOR ABNORMAL LOADS
 UNIT 1-INTRODUCTION
• Need for prefabrication
• Principles
• Materials
• Modular coordination
• Standardization
• Systems
• Production
• Transportation
• Erection
PREFABRICATION

• Prefabrication is the practice of

assembling components of
a structure in a factory or
other manufacturing site,
and transporting complete
assemblies or sub-assemblies to
the construction site where the
structure is to be located.
 PREFABRICATION

 Large units of a building are produced in factories to

be assembled, ready-made, on the building site.
 This technique permits the speedy erection of very
large structures.
 Units may include doors, stairs, windows, wall
panels, floor panels, roof trusses and even entire
buildings.
 NEED FOR PREFABRICATION
 Economy in cost
 To improve the quality
 To speed up construction
 To use locally available materials with
required characteristics
 To use the material which possess their
characteristics like light weight, easy
availability, thermal insulation, non-
combustible.
 ADVANTAGES
• Saving in cost, material, time & manpower.
• Shuttering and scaffolding is not necessary.
• Installation of building services and finishes can be
done immediately.
• Independent of weather condition.
• Components produced at close supervision .so quality
is good
• Clean and dry work at site.
• Possibility of alterations and reuse
• Correct shape and dimensions and sharp edges are
maintained.
• Very thin sections can be entirely precast with
precision.
 DISADVANTAGES
 Careful handling of Prefabricated components such as concrete panels
or steel and glass panels is required.

 Attention has to be paid to the strength and corrosion-resistance of the

joining of prefabricated sections to avoid failure of the joint.

 Similarly, leaks can form at joints in prefabricated components.

 Transportation costs may be higher for voluminous prefabricated

sections than for the materials of which they are made, which can often
be packed more efficiently.

 Large Prefabricated Structures require heavy-duty cranes & Precision

measurement and handling to place in position.

 Large group of buildings from the same type of Prefabricated elements

tend to look drab and monotonous.
 USES
 The most widely used form of prefabrication in building and
civil engineering is the use of Prefabricated Concrete &
prefabricated steel sections in structures where a particulars
part on form is repeated many line.
 Pouring Concrete section in a factory brings the advantages of
being able to re-use moulds and the concrete can be mixed on
the spot without having to be transported to and pumped wet
on a congested construction site.
 Prefabricating Steel sections reduces on site cutting and
welding costs as well as the associated hazard’s.
 Prefabrication techniques are used in the construction of
apartment slacks and housing developments with repeated
housing units.
 The technique is also used in office blocks, warehouses and
factory buildings.
 Prefabricated Steel and glass sections are widely used
for the exterior of large buildings.
 Prefabricated bridge elements and systems offer bridge
designers & Contractors significant advantages in terms
of construction time, safety environmental impact
construct liability and cost.
 Prefabrication can also help minimize the impact from
bridge building.
 Radio towers for mobile phone and other service often
consist of multiple prefabricated sections.
 Prefabricated has become widely used in the assembly
of aircraft and space craft with component such as
wings after being manufactured in different countries or
states from the final assembly site.
TYPES OF PREFABRICATION

 Plant prefabrication
Permanent places
Site prefabrication
Site
 ADVANTAGES
• Work can be performed in covered rooms
which prevents the hardships of weather and
outer temperature.
• There will be a constant team of workmen.
• The permanent laboratory allows continual
control, so the properties of the materials will
be similar.
• It produces cheap and reliable structures of
good quality.
 DISADVANTAGES
• The members must be transported to places
where they are to be used.
• The transportation cost of a precast member to
the site amounts about 10-15% of the total cost
required for the production and assembly of same.
• For the sake of transportability the dimensions of
the members must be held within certain limit, so
it causes increase in number of joints in the
structures.
 PLANT PREFABRICATION
• Concrete elements, cast and cured in a manufacturing plant,
then transported to the construction site.
• Plant casting allows increased efficiency and higher quality
control.
• Durable, permanent steel forms are reused many times,
reducing formwork costs compared to sitecast concrete.
• Use of Type III, high early strength cement and steam curing
allow concrete members to be cast and cured in as little as 24
hours.
• Structural elements are commonly reinforced with tightly
stretched pre tensioned steel strands, which provide increased
structural efficiency.
• Conventional steel reinforcing is added for resistance to
thermal and other secondary stresses.
 SITE PREFABRICATION
• The oldest method is to construct the building
on site.
• The building materials are freighted to the site
and the various elements – walls, joists etc. –
are put together on site and then erected.
• With the on-site building technique, the wall
components are generally assembled resting on
the joists or the ground and then erected
manually.
• Done in site , especially in open air.
• Smaller members are precast in temporary
sheds established for this purpose.
• The difficulties in construction in general are
felt in this mechanization.
• Mechanization can not be of such high degree
as site prefabrication is done for smaller duration
of time.
• In comparison with plant prefabrication
transportation of the members are not needed.
• As large members are not transported the
design and weight of the prefabricates are not
limited.
ECONOMY OF PREFABRICATION
 MODULAR COORDINATION
• Modular coordination is a concept of
coordination of dimension and space in which
buildings and components are dimensioned
and positioned in terms of basic unit or
module.
• The basic module is known as 1M which is
equivalent to 100mm.
• It is internationally accepted by the
International Standard Organisation and many
other countries including Malaysia.
• Modular Coordination is essentially based on the
use of modules (basic module and multi-modules)
and a reference system to define coordinating
spaces and zones for building elements and for
the components which form them.
• There are standard rules to abide by
- Rules for locating building elements within the
reference system;
- Rules for sizing building components in order to
determine their work sizes;
- Rules for defining preferred sizes for building
components and coordinating dimensions for
buildings.
• The application of Modular Coordination may be
applied to the design, manufacture and assembly
of buildings, their components and installations
• For each participant in the building team, it can
allow a relative independence in decision making
with the common dimensional language.
Therefore, where ever it is necessary to position
and size the components and to ensure their fit
with minimum on-site modification and materials
wastage, modular co-ordination is found to be
essential.
• IS:7922-1987: Recommendations for Modular
coordination in Building Industry
 PRINCIPLES
 The theory behind the method is that time and the cost is
saved if similar construction tasks can be grouped and
assembly line techniques can be employed in fabrication at
a location where skilled labor is available, while congestion
at the assembly site, which waste time can be reduced.

 The method finds application particularly where the

structure is composed of repeating units or forms or where
multiple copies of the same basic structure are being
constructed.
Purpose of Modular Coordination:
• To reduce the component size produced;
• To allow the building designer of greater
flexibility in the arrangement of components

Module

Basic modules Multi modules Sub-modular module

Module- It is a standard unit of size to coordinate the
dimensions of buildings and components.
a.) Basic module- It is the fundamental unit of size ‘n’
modular coordination. The basic module is represented by
letter M while its international standard value is:
1M=100mm

b.) Multi-module- They are standardized by selected whole

multiples of the basic module. The international standard
values of multi-modules for horizontal coordinating
dimensions are:
3M,6M,12M,30M and 60M
multi-module of 15M is used for special applications.
c.) Sub-module increment - Sub-modular
increment is an increment of size, the value of
which is a selected fraction of the basic module.
• The international standardized value of the sub-
modular increment is M/2 = 50mm.
• It is to be used where there is a need for an
increment smaller than the basic module.
• Determining the displacements of different
modular grids
Modular coordination is the basis for a
Standardization of a mass production of
component
• A basic module can be represented as module M and
for larger project modules are represented a Mp.
• These rules are adaptable for,
-The planning grid in both directions of the horizontal
plan shall be
1) 3M for residential and institutional
buildings,
2) For industrial buildings,
»15M for spans up to 12m
»30M for spans between 12m and 18m
»60M for spans over 18m
 Dimensions of prefab components
• Flooring and Roofing
– Length- multiple of 3M
– Width – multiple of 1 M
– Thickness – multiple of M/4
• BEAMS
– Length – multiple of 3M
– Width – multiple of M/4
– Depth – multiple of M/4
• Column
– Height – multiple of 1M for ht up to 2.8m and ht
above 2.8m is multiple of 2M
– Lateral dimension- multiple of M/4
• Wall
Thickness – multiple of M/4
• Staircase
– Width – multiple of 1M
• Lintels
– Length – multiple of 1M
– Width – multiple of M/4
– Depth – multiple of M/4
• Sunshade
– Length – multiple of 1M
– Projection- multiple of 1M
Comparison with monolithic construction

• Partial or total saving of materials used for scaffolds.

• Multiple use of shuttering
• Possibility of far more accurate and better
workmanship
• Cross – sections are more advantageous
• Strength of materials can be more easily applied
• Working time can be shortened
• Requirements in manpower decreases
• Interruptions in concreting can be omitted
• Reduced material costs.
• Higher quality materials.
• Environmental friendliness.
• Fewer expansions are required
• Helps to avoid the seasonal character of the building
industry.
• Allows for the establishment of lighter, more
beautiful and slender structure having a better space
effort
 APPLICATIONS
• Pipes and tanks
• Poles, pipes, sleepers and pavements
• Lintel beams
• Beams and girders
• Building blocks
• Wall panels
• Man hole covers
PREFABRICATION ELEMENTS

Flooring / Roofing system.

Precast Beams

Precast Columns

Precast wall panels

Precast Slabs
 TYPES OF SYSTEM
» Long wall system
• Homogeneous system
• Non-homogeneous system
» Cross wall system
Long wall system
• The main beams are load bearing walls are placed parallel to the long
axis of building. The longitudinal external walls which carry the floor
loads must posses not only thermal properties but also sufficient load
carrying capacity.
Cross wall system
• The cross walls are load bearing walls whereas the facade wall
(generally one exterior side of a building) are non-loading bearing,
this system is suitable for high rise building.
 STAGES INVOLVED IN
PREFABRICATION
 The structure is divided into number of
units.
 The different units are precast in
permanent factories(plant fabrication) or
temporary plants (site prefabrication).
 Transported to the site.
 Hoisted set into their final places and
assembled to form a complete structure.
 TYPES OF PREFABRICATION
COMPONENTS
• Reinforced/pre-stressed concrete channel unit
• Reinforced/pre-stressed concrete slab unit
• Reinforced/pre-stressed concrete beams
• Reinforced/pre-stressed concrete columns
• Reinforced/pre-stressed concrete hollow core slab
• Reinforced/pre-stressed concrete wall elements
• Reinforced concrete waffle slab / shell
• Hollow/ solid blocks and battens
• Precast planks and joists for flooring and roofing
• Precast joints and trussed girder
• Light weight/cellular concrete slabs
• Precast lintels and chajjas
• Reinforced/pre-stressed concrete trusses
• Reinforced/pre-stressed roof purlins
• Pre-stressed concrete L-panel unit
• Prefabricated brick panel unit
• Prefabricated sandwich concrete panel
• Precast foundation
STANDARDIZATION

• Standardization refers to the creation and use of

guidelines for the production of uniform,
interchangeable components, especially for use in
mass production.
• Standardization will facilitate quicker construction
of similar elements, avoid duplication of effort.

ADVANTAGES OF STANDARDIZATION
• Easier design
• Manufacture is easy
• Easy erection and completion
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