The Concrete Weld: Monolithic Slabs from Precast Elements

The concrete weld has been developed to produce continuous, monolithic slabs using precast slab elements. The technique has been utilised to design a building presently under construction at Aalborg University in Denmark with a continuous slab supported on columns placed at the intersections of a 6 x 6 m mesh. The slab elements are cast in 3 x 6 m sections for easy transport. This structural scheme locates the construction joints at the lines of maximum moment, which normally would be undesirable. The concrete weld, however, permits transmission of bending moments equal to the capacity of the slabs. The concrete weld is a specific application of fibre-reinforced high-strength concrete, but it demonstrates the great potential of this material, especially its excellent bond properties.