Concrete Jacketing Methods provided during construction:
1- The first method of Concrete Jacketing methods is the Application of cubic concrete (reinforcing steel biscuits): This technique is one of the most known practical methods used in concrete covering implementation. In general, the biscuit dimensions are 50x100mm and the thickness varies according to the thickness requirements of the concrete cover. Steel wires are inserted into the biscuits to connect the steel bars to the cubes and maintain the required spacing between the bars. The most notable advantage of biscuits is that they are cost-effective.
Concerning the disadvantages of concrete cubes, cubes may crack and damage due to concentrated loads imposed by workers when they move along rails to pour concrete or to inspect and supervise the construction process. Therefore, if the biscuit is cracked and damaged, it will not serve its purpose of maintaining the thickness of the concrete cover designed during the construction process.
2- The use of plastic pieces for the concrete cover: This technique is assumed to be the most practical compared to other methods. Not only is the cost of plastic parts low, but the thickness of the cover is also precisely executed since it can withstand significant loads due to its high strength. That is why the use of these plastics has increased significantly recently. Different types of plastic are produced based on the diameter and shape of the tape, the thickness of the concrete cover, and the location of the steel bars.
The plastic pieces fix the reinforcing bars and maintain the covering thickness of reinforced concrete elements such as beams, columns, slabs, and foundations. When a customer issues an order, the supplier must receive certain information from the customer. This information includes the quantity and thickness of the concrete cover, the diameter of the steel bars that will be used, and the type of reinforced concrete element to be built because the type of plastic may vary according to the type of members such as columns, beams, and slabs.
Furthermore, certain types of plastics are specifically manufactured to cross steel. This type of cube not only maintains the thickness of the cover but also prevents movement of the steel rods thus maintaining the required spacing reinforcement. Finally, biscuits can also be used to support chairs which are useful in protecting iron bars that are hitting the outside of the concrete.
3- Use of aggregate under steel bars for concrete cap: Applying the appropriate size of aggregate under steel bars is another way to maintain the thickness of the concrete cap that was used before previous techniques. But this method is not accepted at present because it does not guarantee the correct implementation of the designed cover thickness. However, the use of a suitable aggregate size under iron rails has not been completely discontinued and is still used in low-cost buildings in some developed countries.
For this reason, some specifications require the measurement of the thickness of the concrete cover in structures exposed to harsh conditions.
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinforced_concrete
Read More: buildineg.com/public/blog/what-is-a-concrete-jacketing-of-column/
