News Detail

Crack-Free Floors and Other Myths

7/28/2015

“What are superflat floors?” and “What are F-numbers?” are just some of the questions that require definition and clarification, and are answered in our Frequently Asked Questions section.

Both topics are also discussed in the new ACI 302.1R-15, Guide to Concrete Floor and Slab Construction

In addition to explaining these topics, the guide advises that it’s unrealistic to expect completely crack- and curl-free floors. Even with the best floor designs and proper construction.

Joseph Neuber, Chair of Committee 302, Construction of Concrete Floors, urges any concrete professional involved with the construction of concrete slabs on ground to read the new guide.

“The guide is filled with up-to-date thoughts on how to prepare, perform, and understand the methods for producing a product that meets an owner’s expectations. It was developed to help all the associated parties build a team process and be on the cutting edge of the information available today,” said Neuber.

“Contractors can find methods to produce many of the vanilla slabs, as well as the sophisticated superflat floors that are becoming increasingly prevalent in the industry, and will find details and methods that will assist them in producing quality projects with better chances for success. The guide covers how to develop the right mix design for the slab to assist the team with a low shrinkage mix that will perform for many years.”

A new ACI University online learning course is now available based on Chapter 5 excerpted from ACI 302.1R-15, “Concrete Floor and Slab Construction.” The course addresses the design of concrete floors as it relates to constructability, and will provide the participant with an understanding of the purpose of a vapor retarder/barrier, proper techniques for placement, types of reinforcement, and much more.

Other floors and slabs resources from ACI:

ACI 302.2R-06: Guide for Concrete Slabs that Receive Moisture-Sensitive Flooring Materials

ACI 360R-10: Guide to Design of Slabs-on-Ground

Education Publication: Slabs-on-Ground

Free web sessions

Certification Programs

ACI’s Concrete International magazine also provides some great articles on this subject:

Resolving “Sweating” in Open Industrial Concrete Floor Slabs

A Top-Down Approach (Raising the Roof and Enhancing the Floor Slabs Adds Volume and Utility to Existing Warehouses)

As one of ACI’s strategic goals is to proactively gather and share information on transformational ideas, practices, and techniques, the Institute is pleased to be able to provide up-to-date information to concrete professionals on many subjects including floors and slabs. For a list of other popular topics, visit the ACI Topics in Concrete page.