Title: Foam-void precast concrete double-tee members
Date Published: January - February 2021
Volume: 66
Issue: 1
Page Numbers: 49 - 59
Authors: Srimaruthi Jonnalagadda, Sachin Sreedhara, Mahmoodreza Soltani, and Brandon E. Ross
https://doi.org/10.15554/pcij66.1-01

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Abstract

This paper presents an experimental study of precast concrete double-tee members with foam voids cast in their stems. Extruded polystyrene foam boards were placed in the stems of the double-tee members to produce foam-void double tees. The foam-void double-tee specimens in the test program had 4% to 8% less self-weight than comparable solid double-tee members. The motivation for this study was to reduce the self-weight and thereby increase the number of situations where two precast concrete double-tee members can be shipped on a single truck. The experiential program used four 35 ft (10.7 m) long specimens with either 1 or 2 in. (25.4 or 50.8 mm) thick foam voids. Two of the specimens were built using normal weight concrete and the other two using semi light weight concrete. Specimens were subjected to flexural and shear loading. The results demonstrated that when properly detailed and fabricated, foam-void double-tee members can provide sufficient structural capacity for common service and ultimate loading.