The Reinforced-Concrete Frame of Single-Storey Buildings

1.

LECTURE 3
The Reinforced-Concrete Frame
of Single-Storey Buildings
Standardized columns, crane beams, roof trusses, and precast roof coverings for the single-storey industrial building
ARCHITECTURE OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS · CH. 3 RC FRAME OF SINGLE-STOREY BUILDINGS
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OVERV IEW
Two halves of one frame
VERTICAL SUPPORTS
HORIZONTAL STRUCTURE & ROOF
• Rectangular-section columns for craneless and lightly-craned
buildings
• Reinforced-concrete crane beams and the rails and fastenings that
ride on them
• Two-branch columns for heavier cranes, including versions with a
built-in crane-track passage
• Roof beams and sub-truss trusses for pitched and flat roofs
• Cylindrical centrifuged columns — an experimental, material-saving
alternative
• How columns bear on their foundations, and how panels and beams
connect to them without site welding
• Bracing-free roof trusses and the rigid roof diaphragm they support
• Two finished roofs: the conventional truss roof with a light-aeration
lantern, and the technical-attic variant
• The precast segmental shell-slab roof — a lighter alternative to
trusses and flat slabs
• Steel ties that give the frame its longitudinal stability
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§3.1 GEN ERAL PROVISIONS
How the frame carries its loads in two directions
• Across the building (the transverse frame): columns fixed rigidly into their foundations
carry roof trusses or beams that simply rest — hinged, not fixed — on top of the
columns.
• Along the building (the longitudinal direction): crane beams, tie beams, sub-truss
trusses, the rigid roof diaphragm, and — where needed — steel ties all link the
transverse frames into one stable structure.
TWO LOAD PATHS
1
Transverse frame
column (fixed) + truss/beam (hinged)
2
Longitudinal ties
crane beams, tie beams, sub-truss trusses
3
Rigid roof diaphragm
slabs welded down, joints cast solid
4
Steel ties
added between columns where extra stability is
needed
• The rigid roof diaphragm is formed by the roof slabs themselves: they are welded to
the trusses or beams below, and the joints between slabs are then cast solid.
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§3.1 GEN ERAL PROVISIONS
One standardized column family, one bay grid
≤ 12 × 36 m
Standardized bay grid of axes
≤ 50 t
Maximum overhead-crane capacity covered
2 profiles
Rectangular-section or two-branch columns
• Rectangular-section columns: craneless buildings, or buildings with cranes no heavier than 20 t.
• Two-branch columns: buildings up to 18 m tall carrying cranes of 30–50 t. The crane-bearing part of the column splits into two branches, tied together by
horizontal struts every 1.5–3 m.
• Both families are formed from welded or tied reinforcement cages, with embedded steel parts cast in wherever a truss, beam, or crane beam will bear on
the column.
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§3.1 COLUMNS · SHEET 3.01
Rectangular-section columns
• Craneless buildings up to 9.6 m tall (series 1.423-3), or 10.8–
14.4 m tall (series 1.423-5).
• Buildings up to 10.8 m tall with overhead cranes of 10 t or
20/5 t capacity (series KE-01-49).
• Formed from concrete of grade 200.
• Spans of 6–24 m are covered, with column steps of 6 or 12 m.
Fig. 3.01. Rectangular RC columns for craneless buildings and for buildings with 10–20/5 t cranes, across a range of spans and column
steps.
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§3.1 COLUMNS · SHEET 3.02
Two-branch columns
• Buildings up to 18 m tall, with overhead cranes of 10 to 50 t
capacity (series KE-01-52).
• The crane-bearing part of the column is split into two
branches, tied together by horizontal struts spaced 1.5–3 m
apart.
• Formed from concrete of grade 300–400 — richer than the
rectangular profile, to carry the heavier crane loads.
• Spans of 18–30 m are covered, with column steps of 6 or 12
m.
Fig. 3.02. Two-branch RC columns for buildings with overhead cranes of 10–50 t capacity, series KE-01-52.
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§3.1 GEN ERAL PROVISIONS
Every column has a job: edge, middle, or tie
Main edge column
Fachwerk column
Carries the wall, the crane, and the roof structure. Positioned at the building's outer rows,
wherever the wall bears real load.
An edge column that only holds up the wall — no crane or roof load. Used at the building's
ends, and between main columns where the 12 m column step meets 6 m wall panels.
Middle column
Tie column
Sits inside the building, away from the walls, carrying roof and crane loads from both
adjacent bays.
A column additionally joined by steel vertical ties to its neighbors, so the row can resist
horizontal forces — wind and crane surge — together.
Fachwerk columns appear specifically where a 12 m main-column step is combined with 6 m wall panels — the panel joint that falls between two main columns still needs a support.
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§3.1 GEN ERAL PROVISIONS
Reinforcement, concrete grade, and embedded parts
Grade 200
Concrete for rectangular-section columns
Grade 300–400
Concrete for two-branch columns
Welded or tied
Reinforcement cage construction
• Embedded steel parts are anchored into the concrete, or welded to the working reinforcement to fix their position — and every column has them wherever
a truss, beam, or crane beam will bear.
• In edge columns, embedded parts also appear at wall-panel level, so the wall panels can be fixed to the column.
• These embedded parts are what let beams, trusses, and panels connect to the column later without any site welding — the subject of a later slide.
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§3.1 COLUMNS · SHEET 3.03
Cylindrical columns of centrifuged concrete
−30–50%
concrete used
−20–30%
steel used
×1.5–2
higher strength
Column grid from 12×12 m up to 36×36 m; used for craneless
buildings and buildings with cranes up to 30 t.
Still experimental — applied so far mainly to industrial estacades,
transporter galleries, silos, and similar structures.
The ring section is more efficient structurally, and centrifuged
concrete is 1.5–2× stronger than ordinary vibrated concrete —
hence the savings above.
Because the column is round, the edge column's setback from the
grid line equals the cylinder's own radius.
Fig. 3.03. Cylindrical centrifuged-concrete columns, Ø500–700 mm, for craneless buildings and buildings with 10–30 t cranes.
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§3.1 COLUMNS · SHEETS 3.01 –3.03
Setting a column: cup foundations and erection
1
2
3
4
The column is set into a cup-shaped foundation socket — 0.85 m deep for a
rectangular-section column, 1.2 m deep for a two-branch column.
Within that depth, the column shaft carries horizontal grooves so the cast-in-place
concrete keys into it.
Columns are erected with self-propelled cranes; wedges and jack-braced steel
guide frames over the socket hold the column plumb while it is aligned to the
layout marks in two directions.
WHY A CUP FOUNDATION
A socket foundation lets the column be plumbed and adjusted after it
is lifted, rather than having to land perfectly on a fixed base.
The grooved shaft plus the cast-in-place infill gives the same rigid,
fixed-base behavior the transverse frame relies on (see the general
provisions).
This is standard practice for both rectangular and two-branch columns;
only the socket depth changes with column type.
Temporary fixings are removed only once the joint concrete has reached 70% of its
design strength.
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§3.1 / §3 .3 COLUMNS & CONNECTIONS
Two connections that skip the site weld
BEAM / TRUSS BEARING
WALL PANEL TO COLUMN
Two connecting rods are welded to embedded plates on the sides of the
column's console or cap, and on the beam or truss it supports.
A Ø16 mm steel rod, bent in two planes into a hook, is set into an inclined
Ø18–20 mm hole in the column and a matching slot in the panel.
A leveling layer of cement mortar (or dry cement-sand mix) takes up any
unevenness between the parts.
The hook end is coated with cement mortar or adhesive mastic before
insertion; the panel slot is then filled with mortar.
The result is a hinged bearing — exactly what the transverse frame's design
assumes.
The hole and slot formers are made of kaprolon (nylon) — it bonds poorly
to concrete and expands more on heating, so it lifts out easily and leaves a
smooth hole.
Metal consumption at this joint is cut by roughly 40% compared with a fully
welded connection.
Metal consumption drops by roughly 65%, the connection is hidden and
corrosion-protected, and erection speeds up.
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§3.1 COLUMNS · SHEET 3.04
Two-branch columns with a built-in crane-track passage
• Used when someone needs to walk through the column line to inspect the crane
track — a passage opening of 400 × 2200 mm is left in the column's neck.
• Covers buildings up to 36 m tall, with a 6 m or 12 m step at edge columns, 12 m at
middle columns, and cranes up to 30 t.
• Formed from concrete of grade 300–400, reinforced with welded cages on the
branches and neck, and tied reinforcement on the crossbars.
• Edge and middle columns use different I-beam diaphragms between the branches
(I N70 and I N40 in the drawing) to suit their loads.
Fig. 3.04. Two-branch column with a passage through the neck at crane-track level, for buildings up to 36 m tall.
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§3.2 ST ABILIT Y · SHEET 3.05
Steel ties: giving the frame its longitudinal stability
Transverse stability comes from the columns being rigidly fixed in their foundations, plus the rigid roof diaphragm — no extra ties
needed in that direction.
Longitudinal stability needs added steel ties, set between columns and between truss supports, at the middle of each temperature
block.
Cross (X-shaped) ties fit vertically-elongated bays — typically a 6 m column step.
• Portal-shaped ties fit horizontally-elongated bays — typically a 12 m column step.
In craneless buildings, ties are only needed from 10.8 m of clear height; in crane buildings, they belong anywhere within the height
of the crane-beam zone.
A temperature block can run up to 144 m before an expansion joint is required.
Fig. 3.05. Bracing by column: fachwerk vs. main,
sections 1-1 & 2-2.
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§3.3 CRAN E BEAMS · SHEET 3.06
Reinforced-concrete crane beams
0.8–1.4 m
Web height at the supports
Grade 300–500
Concrete used for the beam
≤ 30 t
Crane capacity these beams carry
• Used for buildings with overhead cranes up to 30 t, on a 6 m or 12 m column step (series KE-01-50 and 51).
• The beam is T-shaped in cross-section, with a thickened web near the supports where shear is highest.
• The lower, tension chord is prestressed with one of three steel types: hardened cold-drawn wire, strand bundles of high-strength periodic-profile wire, or ropes twisted
from high-strength wire.
• Beams are cast on long stands — 100 m or more — the same way roof trusses are, with the prestressing tension released onto the concrete only after it reaches 70% of
design strength.
• By where they sit, beams are end (torцевые), ordinary (рядовые), or temperature-joint beams — each with its own embedded-part layout.
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§3.3 CRAN E BEAMS · SHEET 3.06
Crane rails and how they are fastened down
The rail runs as one continuous welded string along the whole
temperature block, laid on an elastic strip cut from rubber-clad
conveyor belting, 8–10 mm thick.
It is clamped down with paired steel "lapki" (clips) on bolted studs,
spaced every 750 mm.
Beam axes may be offset from the crane-rail axis by up to 5 mm,
vertically or horizontally; rail joints tolerate up to 2 mm.
Crane beams themselves are erected with self-propelled cranes,
lifted through holes left for that purpose.
Fig. 3.06. Rail-fastening hardware and the end-stop detail for a crane rail on its RC beam.
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§3.4 ROOF ST RUCTURE · SHEET 3.07
Roof beams and sub-truss trusses
Lattice beams for pitched roofs: spans of 12 or 18 m, column steps of 6 or 12 m
(series 1.462-3) — the round openings save weight without giving up depth.
Beams with parallel chords, for flat or pitched roofs: 12 m span, 6 m step (series
1.462-1).
Sub-truss trusses carry the roof trusses across a wider middle-column step — 12 m
(series 1.463-4) or 18 m — where trusses can't span directly onto every column.
All are prestressed and precast, following the same bearing and connection
principles already covered for crane beams and columns.
Fig. 3.07. Lattice roof beam for a pitched roof (top) and a parallel-chord beam for flat or pitched roofs
(bottom).
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§3.4 ROOF ST RUCTURE · SHEET 3.08
Bracing-free roof trusses
Fig. 3.08. Bracing-free (безраскосная) truss, 18–24 m span, for a pitched roof (left) and a low-slope roof with a lantern (right).
Spans of 18 or 24 m, series 1.463-3 — the curved top chord replaces internal diagonal bracing, so the web stays open.
Chord width scales with the load: roughly 240–280 mm across roof loads of 300–550 kg/m², for spans and steps up to 24 × 12 m.
A crestal cross-tie stiffens the top chord at the ridge, where a light-aeration lantern will later sit; precast slabs weld to the chord to form the rigid roof diaphragm.
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§3.4 ROOF COVERING · SHEET 3.11
A roof with a technical attic
The attic space sits between the roof trusses and a suspended ceiling, carrying ribbed roof
plates 6 × 3 m.
Ventilation ducts of Ø1000 mm run through this space, together with walkways positioned
beside the lighting fixtures and vent openings for maintenance access.
The suspended acoustic ceiling hangs from an angle-steel frame (L32×4, spaced every 600
mm), carrying a mineral-wool "stilit" mat of about 100 kg/m³ density in a polyamide film.
The whole assembly rests on a two-step monolithic RC foundation with corbels to seat the
foundation beams.
Fig. 3.11. A 24 × 18 m bay with a technical attic — ventilation ducts, walkways, and a
suspended acoustic ceiling above the trusses.
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§3.4 ROOF COVERING · SHEET 3.12
The conventional truss roof and its lantern
• The light-aeration lantern is 12 m wide, of the non-blown type, with blind (fixed) glazing on its end and outer
longitudinal faces.
• Roofing is 3-layer bituminous felt, protected by gravel embedded in bitumen.
• Water intakes are spaced every 12, 18, or 24 m, each draining a catchment area of up to 500 m².
• Walls close the frame with keramzit-concrete panels, 6 × 1.2 m, and steel-framed window panels, 6 × 1.8 m;
cross ties use 100 × 63 × 7 mm angle.
Fig. 3.12. Roofing over bracing-free trusses: lantern, drainage
valley, wall panels.
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§3.4 ROOF COVERING · SHEET 3.13
An alternative roof: segmental shell-slab covering
Precast segmental, U-section shell slabs, 3 × 18 m or 3 × 24 m,
replace the truss-plus-flat-slab roof entirely.
A 2.5 × 6 m opening is left mid-span for a standard 6 m-wide
light-aeration lantern with a single tier of glazing and ribbed
RC-plate roofing of its own.
The slabs rest on longitudinal support beams: 600 × 1200 mm
on middle columns, 400 × 1200 mm on edge columns, both on
a 12 m column step.
Fig. 3.13. U-section segmental shell slabs assembled with their lantern, supporting beams, and end-wall fachwerk column.
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§3.4 ROOF COVERING · SHEET 3.13
Inside the shell slab: reinforcement and bearing
REINFORCEMENT — CONCRETE GRADE 400
BEARING RULE & OPENINGS
• Two prestressed rods run through the lower zone of the ribs, acting as
the tie rods of the shell's arch action.
• Mid-span bearing is not permitted — the slab must only bear on its four
corner heels.
• Additional reinforcement sits at the rib ends, plus a welded mesh across
the shell surface itself.
• Lantern opening: 6 × 2.5 m, cut in the middle section, with the
surrounding shell and ribs reinforced to compensate.
• Four steel "heels" at the slab's corners anchor these tie rods and transfer
the slab's reaction down to its supports.
• Water-intake opening: Ø152 mm, on the slab's long axis, 195 mm from
its edge.
• Fachwerk-column extension slot: 210 × 155 mm, against the inner face
of the ribs, 6 m from the edge.
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§3.4 ROOF COVERING · SHEET 3.13
Fitting the shell slabs to the frame
• Slabs are laid transverse to the span, across longitudinal support beams sized to the column step:
• 6 m step: a rectangular beam, 600 mm deep, 250 mm wide at edge rows and 500 mm wide at middle rows.
• 12 m step: an I-shaped beam, 1200 mm deep, with a top flange 400 mm wide at edge rows and 600 mm wide at middle rows.
• Slabs sit on the beams through bearing pads with sheet-steel hinges — a rigid, fixed-end connection is not permitted, matching the hinged-bearing principle
used everywhere else in this frame.
• Expansion joints, both transverse and longitudinal, are taken on paired columns, exactly as they are for the truss-and-beam roof.
• The cast-in-place topping over the joints is grade-300 concrete placed on a bed of fine gravel.
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§3.4 ROOF COVERING · SHEET 3.13
Why choose the shell-slab roof
Fewer parts
Lower profile
No filler pieces
Cuts the number of distinct concrete grades and
installation elements the roof needs.
Reduces the roof's structural height, and with it the area
of wall that has to enclose the building.
Eliminates minor filler elements — end fachwerk struts
and the small slabs that used to cover the setback gap.
• The net effect: lower on-site labor and a shorter erection schedule for the whole building.
• The 3×18 m and 3×24 m shell-slab coverings were developed by NIIZhB (the Research Institute for Concrete and Reinforced Concrete).
• Their unit consumption of steel and concrete is close to that of true spatial reinforced-concrete structures — the shell shape earns real structural
efficiency, not just fewer parts.
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SUMMARY
The single-storey RC frame, in three moves
1
2
3
Stand it up
Span it
Cover it
Rectangular, two-branch, or cylindrical columns,
fixed into cup foundations, holding up the frame
and — where needed — tied together by steel
bracing.
Crane beams carrying the overhead crane and its
rail, plus roof beams, sub-truss trusses, and
bracing-free trusses spanning the bays.
A conventional truss roof with a light-aeration
lantern and technical attic, or the lighter, more
efficient precast segmental shell-slab alternative.
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