Waffle & U-Boot
Waffle & U-Boot used to ceil with bigger spans (greater than 40 feet or 12 m), can be achieved with less material, being more economical and environmentally friendly (eco-friendly). We can guide you architects and engineers to determine various parameters of waffle slabs, primarily the overall thickness and rib dimensions.
Waffle
Waffle Slabs
Waffle ceilings are another type of ceiling that acts as a double-sided slab. It is different in terms of the weight of the ceiling being less than other conventional methods such as slab and beam, joists and blocks, composite and steel, and hollow decks. As a result, it has many technical and economic advantages.
Non-permanent mold (Waffle)
The waffle slab is a system that is used to construct one or two-way orthogonal concrete joists. This technology is a suitable and optimal replacement for conventional roof systems and is used to cover long spans is structures.
In this type of roof, plastic molds are used. These molds can be reused after the completion of the concreting. Depending on whether the molds are longitudinal or squared, the roof has one or two-way bearing capacity.
Steps to implement waffle slabs using non-permanent molds
The benefits of an ideal mold (Waffle Locker)
– In this design, the molds are attached to each other by a lock, preventing the concrete leakage from slipping through the molds, creating a beautifully exposed ceiling.
– The lock makes it easy to implement and automatically aligns with the waffle molds.
– The lock makes the molds correlate with each other, ensuring the safety of workers during the implementation of the waffle roof.
– The lock between the molds is a wrench, and after concrete placing, is used to remove the molds under the roof.
– Holes embedded in the wall and edge of the mold make it easy to remove the mold under the roof without damaging the mold.
– Lock prevents mold from rising and falling in stormy weather.
– The low curvature dome on the upper surface of the molds strengthens and prevents mold from falling during concrete placing or passing through.
– The thickness of the edge of the mold is 5cm, which is 2-3cm in other waffle molds. The increased thickness of the mold is combined with a metal mold. This waffle mold can be constructed with metal sheets, Russian wood boards, plywood, and any other tools of contractors and does not impose more cost. This increase in thickness also multiplies the resistance to pulling out the mold with the crowbar.
– At the edge of the mold surface, the bulge is embedded in a 1cm width and 3mm thickness, which creates a beautiful exposure below the ceiling.
The advantages of hollow slab and waffle slab systems (Waffle & U-Boot) over block joist systems
Waffle & U-Boot
Hollow Slabs (U-Boot)
U-Boot
One of the modern technologies used in the construction industry is permanent polypropylene molds between slabs and the elimination of excess concrete, thereby reducing slab weight and rebar and concrete consumption in the structure.
The above technology creates a hollow slab with double-sided joists using permanent molds. It`s made of Polypropylene.
Hollow Slabs (UBoot)
The U-Boot roof is a hollow two-way slab-type structural system located between the upper and bottom rebar networks.
the bottom of the slab is perfectly flat on the UBoot roof.
U-BOOT mold is a recycled polypropylene formwork that was designed to create lightened slabs and rafts.The use of U-BOOT formwork makes it possible to create mushroom pillars, with the possibility to have the mushroom in the thickness of the slab.
Thanks to the conic elevator foot, immerging the U-BOOT formworks in the concrete casting will create a gridwork of mutually perpendicular beams closed from the bottom and the top by a flat plate that is created with a single casting; this results in a considerable reduction in the use of concrete and steel.
U-BOOT mold is used to create slabs with large spans or that are able to support large loads without beams.
Light and quick and easy to position, thanks to their modularity the designer can vary the geometric parameters as needed to adapt to all situations with great architectural freedom.
Steps to implement a U-Boot hollow Slab
The advantages of U-Boot (Waffle & U-Boot)
1. INCREASED NUMBER OF FLOORS
Possibility to gain floors at the same building height (towers) and building volume.
2. LACK OF RISING BEAMS
Flat soffit for greater flexibility when installing systems.
3. REDUCED SLAB THICKNESS
Thinner slabs but with equal loads and clearances, or bigger clearances with an equal thickness.
4. LARGE SPAN AND GREAT ARCHITECTURAL FREEDOM
Larger spaces. Less architectural restrictions. Freedom of future reconversion of the environments from an architectural-functional point of view.
5. FLEXIBILITY IN THE REALIZATION OF OPENINGS AFTER THE EXECUTION OF THE SLAB
6. REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF PILLARS
Facilitated use reallocation. Wider bays.
7. OPTIMISATION OF THE SECTION OF PILLARS
8. IMPROVED ACOUSTIC BEHAVIOUR
Less acoustic transmittance.
9. POSSIBILITY OF PASSING UTILITIES IN THE THICKNESS OF THE SLAB
10. POSSIBILITY TO USE IT WITH POST-TENSION
11. REDUCED FOUNDATIONS
Lower costs for foundation excavations. Less excavation.
12. REDUCTION IN THE OVERALL LOAD OF THE STRUCTURE WEIGHING ON THE PILLARS AND THE FOUNDATION.
