Advancements in Concrete Technology for Offsite Manufactured Buildings and Infrastructure Systems Thushara Jayasinghe 1 , Tharaka Gunawardena 2 and Priyan Mendis 3 1 PhD candidate, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia 2 Research Fellow, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia 3 Professor of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia Abstract : Offsite manufacturing of buildings and infrastructure is gradually becoming a necessity for the construction industry as labour resources continue to diminish across the world while the demands arising from time and cost limitations are ever increasing. Other benefits such as reduction of waste, possibilities for circular economy, superior product quality and better health and safety for workers make offsite manufacturing all the more attractive for the future of the Australian and global construction industry. While precast concrete including prestressing has been widely used in Australia to produce precast beams, columns, wall and floor systems, a lot more needs to be done still, in research and practice to develop efficient supply chains and performance-oriented regulatory frameworks and codes of practice. In this regard, Cl 17.7 of the recently issued AS 3600-2018 has been developed based on the design specifications of the precast and prestress concrete guidelines in the American code of practice ACI 318. AS 3600-2018, C17.7 includes 6 sub-clauses which provide basic design guidelines for prefabricated floor and roof diaphragms, vertical integrity ties, loadbearing walls, joints in prefabricated elements and seating for the prefabricated floor elements. While these design guidelines of AS 3600-2018 C17.7 may be viewed as elementary when designing complicated structures, designers may find additional guidance from PCI design guidelines or ACI 318. A critical evaluation of design guidelines for prefabricated concrete structures and the provisions of C17.7 of AS 3600-2018 is produced in detail in this study. Keywords: Offsite manufacturing, integrity ties, diaphragm, prefabricated buildings and infrastructure. 1. INTRODUCTION Prefabricated structural systems and modular construction are increasingly becoming more popular than traditional in-situ concrete and steel buildings. Reduced labour intensity, speedy construction and superior product quality are few benefits offered by offsite manufacturing. Prefabricated building modules can be fully constructed with architectural finished and service inside a quality-controlled factory environment, ready to be delivered and assembled on site to form a safe and stable structure. A key characteristic of prefabricated or precast concrete structures is that they comprise several discrete elements which are assembled to form a large structure by using suitable joints and connections. Hence, joints and connections between prefabricated elements are crucial for achieving full structural integrity. A considerable amount of early research has been carried out into investigating the designs, applications, structural behaviour and performance of prefabricated structural systems and connections that use concrete-based elements. The structural behaviour of modular systems and inter modular connections have been investigated with a number of innovative designs in studies such as Lawson et al. 2012, Gunawardena et al. 2013, Gunawardena et al. 2016 a, and Gunawardena, 2016. An innovative infill- concrete wall system integrated in steel modules to increase their lateral stiffness was introduced by Gunawardena et al. 2016 b and its structural performance especially under earthquake loads was further investigated and produced in Gunawardena et al. 2017. Alternative connection methods such as using blind bolts and fasteners in these modular systems have been investigated by studies such as Pokharel et al. 2021, Mohyeddin et al. 2019 and Lee et al. 2011. Another innovative light-weight 3D printed prefabricated concrete wall system that can be used in modular buildings was introduced by Suntharalingam et al. 2021. Gunawardena et al. 2019 presented how offsite manufactured structures have been used widely in many public infrastructure projects in Australia. Other aspects of prefabricated systems such as modularisation decision making and modular MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) systems were introduced in studies such as Samarasinghe et al. 2019 while an overall review of existing prefabrication technologies
Advancements in Concrete Technology for Offsite Manufactured Buildings and Infrastructure Systems
May 06, 2023
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