What is Bubble Deck?

It is a revolutionary flooring system, which has proved to be highly successful throughout Europe. BubbleDeck comprises a hollow, flat slab that spans in two directions, in which plastic balls are incorporated to replace, and therefore eliminate the concrete in the middle of a conventional slab which does not contribute to its structural performance. Bubble Deck is the invention of Jorgen Bruenig in the 1990s, who developed the first biaxial hollow slab (now known as Bubble Deck) in Denmark. This new prefabricated construction technology using the Bubble Deck slab is recently applied in many industrial projects in the world.

Types of Bubble Deck Slab

1- Type A – Filigree Elements

Bubble deck Type A is a combination of constructed and unconstructed elements. A 60 mm thick concrete layer and part of the finished depth are precast and brought on-site with the bubbles and steel reinforcement unattached. The bubbles are then supported by temporary stands on top of the precast layer and held in place by interconnected steel mesh. This type of bubble deck is optimal for new construction projects where the designer can determine the bubble positions and steel mesh layout.

2- Type B – Reinforcement Modules

The bubble deck Type B is a reinforcement module that consists of a pre-assembled steel mesh and plastic bubbles. These components are brought to the site, laid on traditional formwork, connected with any additional reinforcement, and then concreted in place by traditional methods. This category of Bubble Deck is optimal for construction areas with tight spaces since these modules can be stacked on top of one another for storage until needed.

3- Type C – Finished Planks

The bubble deck Type C is a shop-fabricated module that includes the plastic spheres, reinforcement mesh, and concrete in its finished form. The module is manufactured to the final depth in the form of a plank and is delivered on-site. Unlike Type A and B, it is a one-way spanning design that requires the use of support beams or load-bearing walls. This class of Bubble Deck is best for shorter spans and a limited construction schedule.

Installation of Bubble Deck Slab

1- The overall floor area is divided down into a series of planned individual elements, up to 3 m wide dependent upon site access.

2- These elements comprise the top and bottom reinforcement mesh, sized to suit the specific project, joined together with vertical lattice girders with the void formers trapped between the top and bottom mesh reinforcement to fix their optimum position which is termed as a bubble-reinforcement sandwich.

3- The bottom layer of 60 mm pre-cast concrete is cast, encasing the bottom mesh reinforcement, to provide permanent formwork within part of the overall finished slab depth.

4- On-site the individual elements are then ‘stitched’ together with loose reinforcement simply laid centrally across the joints between elements.

5- After the site finishing, concrete is poured and cured.

6- This technique provides structural continuity across the entire floor slab – the joints between elements are then redundant without any structural effect, to create a seamless biaxial floor slab.

Advantages of Bubble Deck Slab

1- It allows freedom of design with non-rectilinear plan forms

2- As no beam support is required, it allows longer spans between supports

3- It enables reduced foundation sizes since the structural dead-weight is reduced by 50%

4- Downstand beams are also unnecessary or can be incorporated in slab depth where required

5- Cross-bracing and intermediate supports are eliminated

6- Concrete usage is significantly reduced; 1kg of recycled plastic replaces 100kg of concrete. It is, therefore, environmentally friendly.

7- It uses fewer building elements compared to the steel frame and metal decking systems and so reduces erection time

8- Since the blockwork is non-load-bearing it is taken off the critical path

9- Soffits can be left exposed, facilitating low/passive energy design methods

10- Conduits and cooled slab systems can be incorporated into the slabs in the factory

11- The overall result is a significant cost saving of between 2.5% to 10% of total construction costs.

For More Information Watch These Videos

Click Here To See Brief Information About Waffle Slab

Share this