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Profiled Metal Sheeting

Profiled metal sheeting permanent formwork is mainly used for floor slabs in high-rise steel frame buildings where speed of erection has proved to be a major advantage. It has potential for use in other flooring applications. Various profile shapes, that give the sheet its stiffness, are available. Normal or lightweight aggregate concrete is cast on the profiled sheeting to form the slab.

The sheeting acts compositely with the in-situ concrete and provides all the tensile reinforcement. A light fabric reinforcement is provided in the slab to control early shrinkage and thermal stresses. On short spans the metal sheeting will be sufficiently strong and stiff to support the wet concrete and other construction loadings. On longer spans props will be required until the concrete has gained sufficient strength. Guidance on this and other construction-related topics are included in Concrete Society Technical Report 75, Composite concrete slabs with steel decking.

Generally the exposed metal is adequately durable in buildings such as offices. Additional reinforcement may be required to provide adequate fire resistance. Some additional protection to the metal will also be required where there is a risk of corrosion, for example in a car park where salt can be introduced by traffic.

Acknowledgement: The Concrete Society

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TR75 Composite concrete slabs using steel decking