Continue to Site

Eng-Tips is the largest engineering community on the Internet

Intelligent Work Forums for Engineering Professionals

  • Congratulations waross on being selected by the Eng-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!

Continuous reinforcement in HollowCore keyways

byrneoin

Structural
Aug 12, 2024
3
Hi Folks,
Have a floor (roof) slab diaphragm comprised of Hollowcore planks spanning onto precast beams,
5Bays of planks (onto 4 internal beams)

Where planks are supported onto the internal beams we have rebar in 2no. cores in each plank (2dia.16 bars) joining adjacent planks together (over the beams / tied in with protruding reinforcement from the top of the beams / all then concreted in)
Planks are tied into perimeter beams with U-bar stirrups coming out from 2no. cores in each plank - wrapped around lacers/longitudinal steel forming beams

We are placing no reinforcement in keyways, but they will be grouted up (nominal longitudinal shear transfer via grout to concrete)
We have no structural topping screed. Just a light-weight non-structural topping for roof substrate

Question - should we be placing continuous rebar in the keyways for diaphragm action?
 
Replies continue below

Recommended for you

Hey thanks, by keyways I mean the longitudinal joint between adjacent hollowcore panels
1732722985065.png
 
"Precast concrete components may be fabricated with grout keys and connected by grouting the joint. For components connected by grout keys, a conservative value of 80psi can be used for the design shear strength of the grouted key. If necessary, reinforcement placed as shown in Fig. 4.8.3 can be used to transfer the shear. This steel is designed by the shear-friction principles discussed in Chapter 5." - PCI Manual 7th edition page 4-55

Edit: I wasn't able to find any untopped hollowcore details since we are in seismic country. Apologies
 
Last edited:
Question - should we be placing continuous rebar in the keyways for diaphragm action?

What aspect of diaphragm action would you be intending to use those bars for? Obviously, they would not do anything for longitudinal shear transfer at the joints between planks. If you have dowels coming out of the beams and grouted into the keyways at the ends, those can be used for to transfer shear perpendicular to the planks at the plank ends. That said, if you've got rebar in the cores that performs the same function, I see no reason whey you would have to use keyway dowels in addition to that.
 

Part and Inventory Search

Sponsor