PREFABRICATED

COMPONENTS
STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS

TOPICS
Prefabricated brick
panels
Precast curved brick arch panels
Reinforced brick / Reinforced brick
concrete slabs
Prefabricated Floor/Roof
BY
B.VAISHALI
B.VISHALI
DHEENUPRANA
AFRAH
JANANI
PREFABRICATED BRICK PANELS
Prefabricated brick panels are conventionally-built masonry walls or
elements that are hung onto the building as panels. These panels are
prebuilt masonry, not precast panels with embedded thin bricks. Panels
have great design flexibility. Panels can incorporate precast pieces (such as
for windowsills) and even steel embedment for mounting windows.
Complex shapes, such as sloping sills, arches, corbelled soffits or
articulated parapets that would be nearly impossible on the jobsite are
easily built in the factory. Since every panel is custom-made, each one can
be different. On a precast panel, if every form had to be different, the cost
would skyrocket. Cost is one factor to consider, and brick panels are
especially economical on tight sites with tight schedules. Since
prefabricated-brick-panel construction requires so little onsite masonry
work, it consumes a lot less space than conventional brick construction, and
the onsite congestion is greatly reduced. Because the panels are made
indoors, construction can proceed 24 hours a day if necessary. The panels
can then be erected in nearly any weather conditions. This allows the
building to be closed up much more quickly than with site-laid brick.
Another big advantage is that scaffolding virtually is eliminated since the
panels are set by crane. Scaffolding can be a major expense on a tall
building.
Prefabricated brick panels are not right for every job, however. Some
architectural designs simply don't lend themselves to panelization. And
on buildings with straight flat walls, wood frames or fewer than three
stories, field-laid brick usually are the most economical alternative.
Historically, very few problems arise during construction or afterwards
with prefabricated brick panels. Occasionally there may be a problem
with inadequate stiffness in one of the supports, so that it fails when
the panel's dead load is applied. There have been a couple of cases of
rust after several years that caused brick to spall but these were due to
a poorly constructed connector pocket that allowed water to pool on the
connector. To guard against this, many connectors now are made from
galvanized or stainless steel. A successful brick-panel project requires
the contractor to be involved from the very start. Then he works to
develop a system that provides the look the architect wants and meets
the structure's needs in the most economical way. This includes a
drainage system, insulation, vapor barriers and fire sealant.
PRECAST CURVED BRICK ARCH PANEL
Traditionally, most roofs were made up of varied parts such as beams, tiles,
stones, mud or thatch, where each was lifted into the desired position in a
given sequence. Rarely, except during fixing of domes and vaults, was a full
temporary support system called as shuttering or centering. Today,
shuttering has become an inseparable part of roof casting, demanding much
extra efforts and expenditure, all for a temporary arrangement.
Those who have commissioned a building know how it's imperative that we
stop all other floor works, wait for shuttering people, worry about the
perfection in levels and then wait again till it's all de-shuttered or removed.
Arch panel roofing system helps in dispensing with shuttering, hence makes
a big difference in time and cost. Technically, it transfers roof loads the same
way as a jack arch roof does, using the curved arch profile.
 A long arch profile is made with mud on ground, to be used as the
template base for the panels. Small bricks like WPC (Water Proof Course)
bricks, cladding bricks or such other ones with good compressive strength
and adherence quality are placed flat faced along the curve to achieve the
arch shaped panels. The size of the panels would depend upon the blocks
we use, which could be between 16 to 18 inch width, 40 to 44 inch length,
4 to 6 inch rise within the curve. The joints get a 6 mm rod in between and
are filled with rich mortar min. 1:3 proportion, properly cured with water
and carefully stacked.

Simultaneously, required size of RCC beams are precast on the site,

with small length of open-ended reinforcement rods on top. All
these preparations for beams and panels could be completed while
the wall reaches the roof height. After properly curing the wall top,
these beams are lifted up and placed across the wall supports to
match the length of the panels. Nominal vertical pole support could
be provided for the beams, during work in progress. Then the
panels are lifted up, placed along the precast beams, joints filled
with water-proof mortar, the valley between two panels tied with
G.I. wires and levelled with concrete to get the next floor.
 ROOFING/FLOORING
The roofing/flooring system consists of R.C planks and
joists. The planks are casted to a standard size and they
are connected with R.C.C joist which are provided at a
regular interval. The loads from planks are transmitted
to R.C joist and then to main beams. The main beams
are provided with channel sections 10 cm projections on
the necessary sides with the spacing of joist. The joists
are seated in the channels and bolted together. The
loads from slab to the main beam will come as point
loads and a typical frame with different loadings are
analysed. The foundation unit is the only unit which is
going to cast in site.
The panels are made by assembling bricks on an appropriate surface
laying reinforcing rods in longitudinal joints and bonding the
components with mortar. Reinforced concrete joists of small cross
section are precast in length to the roof span.