Structural Engineering

Here, the designers gets a natural advantage of using T or L beams in any structure with slab beam construction. It is mainly used in frame type structure. A T-beam or Tee-beam is used in a construction process which is a load bearing structure of a reinforced concrete, wood or metal having T-shaped cross-section. The vertical section (web) of the beam below the compression flange serves to resist shear stress and to provide greater separation for the coupled forces of bending.
Therefore, in any situation of beam-slab we can use T-beam.

Murrum soil is the soil of humid tropical or equatorial zones. It is characterised by the deep weathered layer fom which silica has been leached. Thus, there is no humus, but an accumulation of aluminium and iron oxides and hydroxides. These soils are reddish in color & is imparted by the iron compounds. For building huts and paths, they are good materials, as it can be compacted easily to form hard surfaces.

Murrum soil comes under laterite soil. Laterite is a soil and a rock type rich in iron and aluminium. Murrum soil is also referred as being a rock type but it is not a rock.

The approximate density of murrum soil is 1.8 gm/cc.

Formwork is the term used for the process of creating a temporary mould into which concrete is poured and formed. Traditional formwork is fabricated using timber, but it can also be constructed from steel, glass fibre reinforced plastics and other materials.

There are three types of formwork :-

-Beam formwork :-
Formwork for beams takes the form of a three-sided box which is supported and propped in the correct position and to the desired level. The removal time for the formwork will vary with air temperature, humidity and consequent curing rate. Typical striking times are as follows (using air temperature of 7-16 ºC):

i) Beam sides: 9-12 hours.
ii) Beam soffits: 8-14 days.
iii) Beam props: 15-21 days.

-Column formwork :-
This consists of a vertical mould of the desired shape and size of the column to be poured. As a means of keeping the formwork material thickness to a minimum, horizontal steel or timber clamps (or yokes) are used at equal centres for batch filling and at varying centres for filling that is completed in one pour.

The head of the column formwork can be used to provide support for the beam formwork, but while this gives good top lateral restraint it can make the formwork complex. Alternatively, the column can be cast to the underside of the beams. Later on, a collar of formwork can be clamped around the cast column to complete the casting and support the incoming beam formwork.

-Plastic formwork :-
Re-usable plastic formwork is generally used for quick pours of concrete. The formwork is assembled either from interlocking panels or from a modular system and is used for relatively simple concrete structures. It is not as versatile as timber formwork due to the prefabrication requirements and is best suited for lost-cost, repetitive structures such as mass housing schemes.

Stay-in-place structural formwork is generally assembled on site using prefabricated fibre-reinforced plastic. It is used for concrete columns and piers and stays in place, acting as permanent axial and shear reinforcement for the structural member. It also provides resistance to environmental damage for both the concrete and reinforcing bars.

Proprietary systems are used to support vertical formwork while concrete cures, consisting of a series of tubes and ties.