What are Bubble Deck Slab and its Advantages?

Bubble Deck Slab

Types, Material Specifications, Installation, and Benefits of Bubble Deck Slab

The Fundamentals of Bubble Deck Slab

The basic principle feature is the incorporation of hollow plastic spheres in the floor, clamped in a factory-made reinforcement structure to virtually eliminate all concrete from the center of a floor slab that is not providing any structural purpose, decreasing structural dead weight considerably.

In this article, we will look at the different types, material specifications, installation, benefits, and applicability of bubble deck slabs.

Types

1-Filigree Elements (Type-A)

Type A bubble deck is made up of both constructed and unconstructed elements. A 60 mm thick concrete layer and a portion of the finished depth are precast and brought on-site without the bubbles or steel reinforcement.

The bubbles are then kept in position on top of the precast layer by interlinked steel mesh and temporary platforms. This type of bubble deck is ideal for new construction projects where the bubble positions and steel mesh layout can be determined by the designer

2-Reinforcement Modules (Type-B)

The Type B bubble deck is a reinforcement module made up of pre-assembled steel mesh and plastic bubbles. These components are delivered to the job site, placed on traditional formwork, reinforced as needed, and then concreted in place using traditional methods.

Because these modules can be placed on top of one another for storage until needed, this category of Bubble Deck is ideal for construction areas with limited space.

3-Finished Planks (Type C)

The bubble deck Type C is a shop-fabricated module that is finished with plastic spheres, reinforcement mesh, and concrete. The module is manufactured in the form of a plank to the final depth and delivered on-site.

It is a one-way spanning design that, unlike Type A and B, necessitates the use of support beams or load-bearing walls. This type of Bubble Deck is ideal for shorter spans and a tight construction timeline.

Materials and Specifications

1-Concrete

The concrete used for joint filling in the Bubble Deck floor system must be of a higher quality than M20-25. The slab thickness determines the aggregate's nominal maximum size.

Self-compacting concrete is typically employed, either for the casting of prefabricated filigree slabs or for on-site joint filling. Self-compacting concrete can be poured into forms, flow around congested reinforcing areas, and into tight portions while still allowing air to escape and resisting segregation.

2-Reinforcing Bars

The plates are reinforced by two meshes, one at the bottom and one at the top, which can be knotted or welded. The steel is made up of two types: meshed layers for lateral support and diagonal girders for vertical support of the bubbles.

The distance between the bars corresponds to the dimensions of the bubbles to be used as well as the amount of reinforcement from the slab's transverse ribs. The strength grade is Fe-500 or higher.

3-Hollow Bubbles

High-density polypropylene materials are used to make the bubbles. These are typically made of a non-porous substance that will not chemically react with the concrete or reinforcement bars.

The bubbles are strong and stiff enough to support objects ranging in size from 180mm to 450mm. The slab depth varies between 230mm and 600mm. The spacing between bubbles must be greater than one-ninth the diameter of the bubble.

The nominal sizes of the gaps could range between 180, 225, 270, 315, and 360 mm. Bubbles can have either a spherical or an ellipsoidal shape.

Installation

The total floor area is divided into a number of planned individual parts that can be up to 3 m wide depending on site access.

These elements include the top and bottom reinforcement meshes, which are sized to fit the specific project, and are joined together with vertical lattice girders, with the void formers trapped between the top and bottom mesh reinforcements to fix their optimum position, resulting in a bubble-reinforcement sandwich.

To provide permanent formwork within a portion of the overall final slab depth, the bottom layer of 60 mm pre-cast concrete is cast, encasing the bottom mesh reinforcement.

Individual elements are then ‘stitched' together on-site by simply laying loose reinforcement across the connections between elements.

After the site has been completed, concrete is poured and cured.

This technique creates a seamless biaxial floor slab by providing structural continuity over the whole floor slab; the joints between parts are then superfluous and have no structural effect.

Advantages:

1-Excellent Statics

Bubble deck slabs outperform traditional slabs because they are lighter, stronger, have fewer columns, and no beams or ribs under the roof.

2-Manufacturing and Execution

The automated production of prefabricated modules results in improved quality output. Minimal effort on the job site eliminates the potential of errors, and the lightweight of the slab makes erection easier using light and inexpensive lifting equipment.

3-Transportation

Material transportation is significantly minimized. As a result, prices are reduced and the environment is improved.

4-Financial Savings

Materials (slabs, pillars, and foundations) can be saved up to 50%. Because of its light weight, shipping costs are significantly decreased.

5-Safety 

The bubble deck slab is fireproof, and earthquake safety is greatly improved. Fire - The weight decreases alone results in fireproof structure.

6-Environmental Enhancement

When the bubble is used, 1 kg of plastic substitutes more than 100 tonnes of concrete. Energy consumption for production, transportation, and execution is extremely low. As a result, the emission of CO2 will be reduce considerably.

7-Safety Against Explosion

Bubble Deck's biaxial flat slab technology and columns are perfect for structures with great explosion resistance. To remove heavy facades and inflexible walls that reduce air pressure and, in the worst-case scenario, cause the structure to collapse.

Residential, office, utility, and industrial structures Offices, residences, villas, hotels, schools, parking lots, hospitals, laboratories, and manufacturers all use it.