Suspended Concrete Floor Systems

Concrete is a stronger and more robust material. Compared with a timber-framed floors, a concrete structure will exhibit less bounce, vibration, and noise transmission through the floor when subjected to foot traffic. However, it is more expensive than other floor systems such as timber or steel joists.

The concrete frame structure consists of a series of concrete columns, walls and beams supporting the suspended concrete slab.

Concrete slab floors come in many forms and can be used to provide greater thermal comfort and lifestyle advantages. Suspended slabs are formed and poured in situ, with either removable formwork or ‘lost’ non-load bearing formwork, or permanent formwork which forms part of the reinforcement.

At SNG Engineers we have several years of experience in designing and detailing several different types of concrete frame system.

Types of Suspended Concrete Floor System Design Services Provided By SNG Engineers

CAST IN-SITU

Removable Formwork Slab System

Removable Formwork slab consists of removable timber or aluminium formwork that are designed and supplied by the formwork supplier. The slab is prepared by placing engineered design reinforcement with a correct concrete cover over the formwork. Then concrete is pumped and poured over the entire slab with correct thickness. After a few days, once the concrete sets and achieves minimum strength, the formwork is removed and reused somewhere else. This is the most expensive way of building a suspended concrete slab due to the cost of material, labour and time to build the slab.

Permanent Formwork Slab System

Permanent formwork slab consists of a thin steel decking formwork (Bondek or Condek) pre-designed and manufactured ready to use, which spans between the steel or masonry supports with intermediate temporary props. The engineered design reinforcement is installed over the deck with a correct cover and the concrete is poured over the slab. After a few days, once the concrete sets and achieved minimum strength, the temporary props are removed, however, the steel decking formwork stays in place. This is a more cost-effective way of building a suspended concrete slab.

PRECAST SLABS

Precast concrete offers robust, flexible and aesthetic solutions for floors, walls and even roofs in a different type of domestic structure.
Common construction procedures include tilt-up (poured on site) and precast (poured off-site and transported to the site). Each system has its advantages and disadvantages and depending on site access, availability of local pre-casting facilities required finishes and design demands.