The quality of a concrete floor or slab is highly dependent on achieving a hard and durable surface that is flat, relatively free of cracks, and at the proper grade and elevation. Properties of the surface are determined by the mixture proportions and the quality of the concreting and jointing operations. The timing of concreting operations\u2014especially finishing, jointing, and curing\u2014is critical. Failure to address this issue can contribute to undesirable characteristics in the wearing surface such as cracking, low resistance to wear, dusting, scaling, high or low spots, poor drainage, and increasing the potential for curling. Concrete floor slabs employing portland cement, regardless of slump, will start to experience a reduction in volume as soon as they are placed. This phenomenon will continue as long as any water, heat, or both, is being released to the surroundings. Moreover, because the drying and cooling rates at the top and bottom of the slab are not the same, the shrinkage will vary throughout the depth, causing the as-cast shape to be distorted and reduced in volume. This guide contains recommendations for controlling random cracking and edge curling caused by the concrete\u2019s normal volume change. Application of present technology permits only a reduction in cracking and curling, not elimination. Even with the best floor designs and proper construction, it is unrealistic to expect completely crack- and curl-free floors. Consequently, every owner should be advised by both the designer and contractor that it is completely normal to expect some amount of cracking and curling on every project, and that such an occurrence does not necessarily reflect adversely on either the adequacy of the floor\u2019s design or the quality of its construction (Ytterberg 1987). This guide describes how to produce high-quality concrete slabs-on-ground and suspended floors for various classes of service. It emphasizes such aspects of construction as site preparation, concrete materials, concrete mixture proportions, concrete workmanship, joint construction, load transfer across joints, form stripping procedures, finishing methods, and curing. Flatness\/levelness requirements and measurements are outlined. A thorough preconstruction meeting is critical to facilitate communication among key participants and to clearly establish expectations and procedures that will be employed during construction to achieve the floor qualities required by the project specifications. Adequate supervision and inspection are required for job operations, particularly those of finishing. Keywords: admixture; aggregate; consolidation; contract documents; curing; curling; deflection; durability; form; fracture; joint; mixture proportioning; placing; quality control; slab-on-ground; slabs; slump test.<\/p>\n
| PDF Pages<\/th>\n | PDF Title<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3<\/td>\n | TITLE PAGE <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 5<\/td>\n | CHAPTER 1\u2014INTRODUCTION 1.1\u2014Purpose 1.2\u2014Scope CHAPTER 2\u2014DEFINITIONS CHAPTER 3\u2014PREBID AND PRECONSTRUCTION MEETINGS 3.1\u2014Prebid meeting 3.2\u2014Preconstruction meeting <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 6<\/td>\n | CHAPTER 4\u2014CLASSES OF FLOORS 4.1\u2014Classification of floors 4.2\u2014Single-course monolithic floors: Classes 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 4.3\u2014Two-course floors: Classes 3, 7, and 8 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 8<\/td>\n | 4.4\u2014Class 9 floors 4.5\u2014Special finish floors CHAPTER 5\u2014DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS 5.1\u2014Scope 5.2\u2014Slabs-on-ground <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 13<\/td>\n | 5.3\u2014Suspended slabs <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 15<\/td>\n | 5.4\u2014Miscellaneous details <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 16<\/td>\n | CHAPTER 6\u2014SITE PREPARATION AND PLACING ENVIRONMENT 6.1\u2014Soil-support system preparation <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 18<\/td>\n | 6.2\u2014Suspended slabs 6.3\u2014Bulkheads 6.4\u2014Setting screed guides 6.5\u2014Installation of auxiliary materials 6.6\u2014Concrete placement conditions <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 19<\/td>\n | CHAPTER 7\u2014ASSOCIATED MATERIALS 7.1\u2014Introduction 7.2\u2014Reinforcement <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 20<\/td>\n | 7.3\u2014Special-purpose aggregates 7.4\u2014Monomolecular films 7.5\u2014Curing materials <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 21<\/td>\n | 7.6\u2014Gloss-imparting waxes 7.7\u2014Liquid surface treatments <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 22<\/td>\n | 7.8\u2014Joint materials 7.9\u2014Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) CHAPTER 8\u2014CONCRETE MATERIALS AND MIXTURE PROPORTIONING 8.1\u2014Introduction 8.2\u2014Concrete 8.3\u2014Concrete properties <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 23<\/td>\n | 8.4\u2014Recommended concrete mixture <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 25<\/td>\n | 8.5\u2014Aggregates <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 26<\/td>\n | 8.6\u2014Portland cement <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 27<\/td>\n | 8.7\u2014Water 8.8\u2014Admixtures <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 29<\/td>\n | 8.9\u2014Concrete mixture analysis <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 33<\/td>\n | CHAPTER 9\u2014BATCHING, MIXING, AND TRANSPORTING 9.1\u2014Batching <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 34<\/td>\n | 9.2\u2014Mixing 9.3\u2014Transporting <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 35<\/td>\n | CHAPTER 10\u2014PLACING, CONSOLIDATING, AND FINISHING 10.1\u2014Placing operations <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 36<\/td>\n | 10.2\u2014Tools for spreading, consolidating, and finishing <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 39<\/td>\n | 10.3\u2014Spreading, consolidating, and finishing operations <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 46<\/td>\n | 10.4\u2014Finishing Class 1, 2, and 3 floors 10.5\u2014Finishing Class 4 and 5 floors 10.6\u2014Finishing Class 6 floors and monolithic-surface treatments for wear resistance <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 48<\/td>\n | 10.7\u2014Finishing Class 7 floors <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 49<\/td>\n | 10.8\u2014Finishing Class 8 floors (two-course unbonded) 10.9\u2014Finishing Class 9 floors <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 50<\/td>\n | 10.10\u2014Toppings for precast floors 10.11\u2014Finishing lightweight concrete <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 52<\/td>\n | 10.12\u2014Nonslip floors 10.13\u2014Decorative and nonslip treatments <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 54<\/td>\n | 10.14\u2014Grinding as repair procedure 10.15\u2014Floor flatness and levelness <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 58<\/td>\n | 10.16\u2014Treatment when bleeding is a problem <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 59<\/td>\n | 10.17\u2014Delays in cold-weather finishing CHAPTER 11\u2014CURING, PROTECTION, AND JOINT FILLING 11.1\u2014Purpose of curing 11.2\u2014Methods of curing <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 60<\/td>\n | 11.3\u2014Curing at joints 11.4\u2014Curing special concrete <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 61<\/td>\n | 11.5\u2014Length of curing 11.6\u2014Preventing plastic shrinkage cracking 11.7\u2014Curing after grinding 11.8\u2014Protection of slab during construction 11.9\u2014Temperature drawdown in cold storage and freezer rooms <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 62<\/td>\n | 11.10\u2014Joint filling and sealing CHAPTER 12\u2014QUALITY CONTROL CHECKLIST 12.1\u2014Introduction 12.2\u2014Partial list of important items to be observed <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 63<\/td>\n | CHAPTER 13\u2014CAUSES OF FLOOR AND SLAB SURFACE IMPERFECTIONS 13.1\u2014Introduction <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 64<\/td>\n | 13.2\u2014Random cracking <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 67<\/td>\n | 13.3\u2014Low wear resistance 13.4\u2014Dusting <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 68<\/td>\n | 13.5\u2014Scaling <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 69<\/td>\n | 13.6\u2014Popouts <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 70<\/td>\n | 13.7\u2014Blisters and delamination <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 71<\/td>\n | 13.8\u2014Spalling <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 72<\/td>\n | 13.9\u2014Discoloration <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 73<\/td>\n | 13.10\u2014Low spots and poor drainage 13.11\u2014Slab edge curling <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 75<\/td>\n | 13.12\u2014Evaluation of slab surface imperfections CHAPTER 14\u2014REFERENCES <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 77<\/td>\n | Authored documents <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 302.1R-15 Guide to Concrete Floor and Slab Construction<\/b><\/p>\n |