Graded Concrete (2. Generation) (2023-05)¶

Graded Concrete (2. Generation) – The Combination of Hollow-Core Construction with Trajectory-Based Reinforcement With the exception of the so-called shear stirrups, the reinforcement layout in reinforced concrete components usually follows the geometry of the components, i.e. the reinforcement is either laid parallel to the bounding surfaces or, more rarely, perpendicular to them. Although it is known that this type of reinforcement layout leads to significant additional consumption of reinforcing steel, it is still considered the global standard today. This is justified by the simplicity of laying the reinforcement, the possible lower error rate on the construction site and the savings in labour costs that can be achieved through both. Due to the worldwide need to reduce resource consumption, energy consumption and climate-damaging emissions, especially in the production of buildings, it can be assumed that the amount of reinforcement installed per component will decrease in the future. For the aforementioned reasons, the quantities of concrete used per component will also decrease. In addition to a stronger structuring of the component surfaces, cavities within the components as well as the use of different concrete grades within a component will increasingly be used. In this article, a technology is presented with which significant material savings can be achieved in reinforced concrete construction. It consists of a hollow body construction method in combination with a load path-oriented reinforcement. This technology allows the implementation of weight-minimised, material-efficient, emission-reduced and separable reinforced concrete components.