Reinforced Concrete Solutions Impacting Construction

The challenge

The general contractor involved in this job had installed steel deck slabs in the past, based around rebar and mesh. But this approach always resulted in numerous large cracks appearing in the concrete slab. The challenge was therefore to find a solution for a steel deck slab with superior crack control. Bekaert was contacted for advice.

The solution

Bekaert designed a crack control system for the steel deck slab which was then executed at the Plexus site. It involved the use of Dramix® steel fiber reinforced concrete that was poured directly onto the steel deck, and only used a minimum amount of rebar on top of the main beams. 

The contractor was pleasantly surprised at how easy this solution was to implement. The concrete containing the steel fibers was easy to pour. The limited amount of rebar meant that the work proceeded quickly and without the need for a crane.

They were particularly pleased with the high-quality result. Very few cracks occurred, and these were very thin. No fibers were visible on the surface of the slab either. As an added value, the cost of the Bekaert Dramix® solution was no higher than a conventional rebar/mesh solution. The general contractor has since implemented this solution on a steel deck at another site.