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Slabline Ltd

Throughout the years, we’ve firmly established ourselves as leaders in the concrete slabs industry.

TASS SLAB SYSTEM
RAFT SLAB
REINFORCING & MESH SOLUTIONS

INSTALLATION OF TASS SLAB

  • Erect suitable temporary propping at no more than 1500 mm centres of the support span. Propping to be suitable for the live loading of 1.5Kn/m2 and the loading of the wet concrete & slab. (Please confirm with your engineer if in doubt) A suitably qualified Engineer will need to be consulted for the design of the propping system.
  • propping system to be level to slab soffit height & specified camber if required.
  • Start placing the TASS channels flush against a support on the one end
  • Placing TASS Beams at 600mm centres and spaced accurately by one EPS block at each end of the span.
  • Place balance of TASS blocks as detailed, ensuring that the tongue and groove are correctly interlocked.
  • Place weight reinforcing spacers / weight brackets on each block.
  • Place primary reinforcement in the channels & transverse cross-ribs (as specified by appointed engineer)
  • Place all/any additional reinforcing as per Engineers design,
  • Place electrical conduit pipes and/or plumbing services on top of TASS blocks.
  • Place mesh reinforcement sheets over slab area and over the electrical conduiting and plumbing pipes-these are not placed above the mesh. Place mesh at the correct cover, with the cover spacers provided.
  • Clear all rubble on ribs and blocks
  • Secure final inspection & approval by Engineer before casting of concrete
  • Cast 25MPa ready-mix concrete, mechanically vibrate down each channel & level to accuracy
  • Propping can be stripped at min 17Mpa or as per engineer’s instructions

ERECTION TIPS

  • On delivery, it is the contractor’s responsibility to inspect the blocks and Channels for any breakages. Material should be off-loaded in a safe place and on level ground. The blocks are not to be placed on top of the Channels during storing.
  • Weight spacers / weight brackets to be placed on TASS blocks while packing the slab, 1 No. per block, to prevent movement and uplift before mesh is placed.
  • Note: Limited heaping of building materials on slab during construction.
  • All concrete to be 25 MPa
  • Casting must be continuous to create monolithic slab.
  • Heaping of concrete must be avoided. Concrete is to be mechanically vibrated.
  • Point loads should be distributed by transverse cross-ribs suitably located and reinforced to suit the nature of the imposed loading.
  • All outside slabs to be waterproofed by experts with a minimum guarantee of 5 years on all waterproofing work and materials.
  • Max/Min stripping of props is 21 days, or 17MPa, and the Engineer in-charge should be notified for a final inspection.
  • Non-load-bearing walls must never be allowed to help support this slab. Build these walls up only after the props have been removed.
  • If tiles are to be laid on a slab, please check with the tile supplier for tile expansion joint detail in order for the tiles to cope with normal elastic slab deflections.
  • Ceilings, direct fix to beams & channels, suspended acoustic ceilings, flat plasterboard ceilings or plastered directly to EPS
  • If the slab soffit should be plastered, please note that small shrinkage cracks could appear in the plaster after a while. These cracks are non-structural and can be successfully covered with normal maintenance painting

Propping system.

  • As a guide only, up to 3.0m span will need 1 row of props, 4.8m to will need 2 rows of props & thereafter every 1.5m
  • Pre-cambers to set the level of the soffit if required.
  • Propping should be in place prior to any traffic on the ribs & blocks on site.
  • For multiple storey buildings, back propping should be in place for a

minimum of 2 levels below the level being constructed or to solid ground.

Load on the “back-props” from the finished floors should be relieved,

By a ratio of 50 % under level constructed & 30 % for the next level below.

  • The propping can be removed when the topping concrete strength has

Reached min 17MPa.or as per engineers’ instructions.

Slabline can offer training to contractors and sub-contractors to install the TASS Slab system, working alongside them on their first projects, until they are confident with the system and procedures

SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

It is important to follow Health and Safety protocol established for the site as well as identifying on-site hazards and hazards during handling and installation of TASS Structural Flooring Systems, which may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Weather conditions can cause the steel decking surface to become slippery.
  • Working at height requires suitable fall arrest or perimeter barriers, including barriers around penetrations.
  • The risk of fall through is managed by ensuring adequate support and fixing of the steel channels & blocks with reference to design specifications.
  • Muscle or back strain from manual handling.
  • Inadequate bearing of the steel decking channels on the support structure can result in collapse during construction, particularly if steel decking channels are not fixed in place and can move during the construction process.
  • Handling of steel channels requires the use of gloves made from appropriate material to resist cuts from sharp steel edges and corners.
  • Lifting of bundles of steel channels requires attention to correct lifting equipment and attention to hazards with bundles lifted overhead.
  • Contact with hot particles is possible during stud welding and suitable protection must be worn.
  • Excessive concentration (heaping) of concrete placement can cause the steel Channels to collapse. Pre-installation safety checks must include (but are not limited to) the following:
  • Ensure all personnel involved on site are aware of the potential hazards and appropriate safety equipment, and PPE is available and all personnel are trained in its use.
  • PPE should include at least: safety boots, hard hat, Hi viz vest, gloves (long sleeves and long pants are advised).
  • If temporary propping is to be used, ensure that the props, bearers and bracing have been specifically designed and are available for installation to support each steel decking channel securely prior to placement.

HANDLING AND STORAGE

Correct handling and storage are critical to ensure the TASS Flooring System is not damaged on site. The following points must be adhered to for maximum product durability and performance over the expected life of the product.

  • When delivery is taken on site, a visual inspection of the materials supplied is required to ensure the product is free from damage and the galvanised coating is in good condition to protect the steel substrate.
  • Replace any damaged product. Steel channels with a distorted or buckled section shape must not be installed.
  • Site storage must be clear of the ground on dunnage to allow the free movement of air around each bundle. When product is stored on site, it must be kept dry using covers over each product bundle. Any product showing white or red rust corrosion is required to be replaced and must not be used without TASS approval.
  • TASS blocks will be generally delivered in strapped bundles. Any loose blocks are to be weighted down or covered to prevent movement on site.
  • Move steel channels by lifting rather than dragging as damage to the galvanised coating will occur.
  • The following weights can be used to assess steel channel beam lengths for practical safe on-site handling:

TASS – 150mm x 65mm x 20mm x 1mm thick = 2.38 kg/m..

FIRE PERFORMANCE.

 TASS is essentially a reinforced concrete coffer slab.  The expanded polystyrene (EPS) void formers play no structural role in the slab, they merely act as formwork for the concrete and stay in place to act as a thermal insulator during the life of the building.  All EPS used in building applications must be the fire retardant (FR) grade of material. What this means is that the EPS does not propagate flame. If the source of flame is removed the EPS will self-extinguish. In a building fire, normally the flame is all pervasive and cannot be ‘removed’. In this case what happens is the EPS melts leaving behind the reinforced concrete structure.  EPS is 98% air and 2% solid organic material i.e., very low solids. When it melts it discharges small amounts of both carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide and no other harmful particulate or gas. The burning of EPS FR is no more harmful than any other organic material such as timber. In the EPSASA report, reference is made to the EPS disintegrating in a fire and forming ‘snowflake’ like fragments. 

Expanded polystyrene scores on fire safety

Tests have confirmed the fire-retardant properties of FR grade expanded polystyrene (EPS) thermal insulating board. The key finding of the tests is that, in a fire, EPS does not support the spread of flames.
Architects and specifiers can now confidently incorporate EPS in designing energy-efficient and cost-effective building solutions.

New Zealand Standards require a minimum of 75 mm of concrete for

a 1.5-hour fire rating and 100 mm for a 2-hour fire rating. Variations are

permitted in the case of specific proprietary systems where a complete

floor is constructed and then fully loaded and subjected to a full scale

controlled fire test carried out by an approved authority to an acceptable

standard.

TASS systems have been extensively tested within South Africa

and meets the above requirements.

Structurally strong:

Single bar reinforcement in each channel, combined with anti-crack mesh near the top of the concrete slab gives the composite slab superb structural strength and fire properties.