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Understanding How A Raft Slab Design Works, With New Construction

The way your friend constructed the foundation of his or her house may entirely be different from the way yours will be constructed.

This is because there are different kinds of ground soil formations in different places.

Normally, construction engineers have to survey the area and assess the soil to determine its tendency to
shift in case it is applied with heavy load (house).

If the soil is weak, any kind of foundation placed on it may risk the durability and safety of the whole house should the soil shift and weaken the foundation.

This is why special assessment needs to be done to establish the best type of foundation suited for that
area.

A Raft Slab Design Is Recommended For Areas With Weak
Soil Structures
 That Shore The Probability Of Shifting.

This method is used because the foundation will remain intact or 'float' incase the soil shifts.

Just like a 'raft' remains undisturbed even with water waves or water flow, the slab foundation keeps the house stable and its foundation strong even on shifting soil.

In this method, different ways may be used to construct the slaps depending on the constructor but,
basically the constructor will dig trenches inform of a grid on the whole area of the building foundation
according to the ground plan of the building.

They form vacuums between the rafts and fill them with sand or stones. A mesh is then used to onto the channels as a measure to create special internal beams.

Concrete is applied on the ground level of the slab & steel reinforcements are used to pull edges together.

For stiffened raft slabs, there are internal and edge beams used in the whole foundation.

A Raft Slab Design On Grade Foundations Are Stronger With Additional Ribs

Trenches are dug into the ground and then reinforced with steel. Concrete is poured into the trenches to
offer stable support to the slab which will be placed at ground level.

A simple foundation of this kind can be made without reinforcements with dip perimeter ribs.

The thickness of the ribs and slab thickness will be dependent on the soil type, model of the house, climatic conditions of the area and other important factors.

Where the area has got very minimal soil shifting and is a little sandy than clay, the raft slab design
foundation can basically be made with thin slab and minimum ribs depth and thickness as well as
little or no reinforcement.

If the soil is susceptible to movement or shifting, then stronger ribs and steel reinforcement must be used. Using reinforced ribs is a cheap and effective method of achieving a strong slab foundation.

The raft foundation is used in many constructions such as commercial buildings and residential houses
and any other kind of light and heavy structure.

The method is used in all these areas because it is cheap, simple and fast to construct and still efficient in providing a strong foundation for any kind of house.

Benefits Of Using Raft Slab Design:

You are able to construct any design and size of house even in cyclonic areas as well as areas with deep
clay soils or susceptible shifting type of soil.

Even with sloppy grounds whose soil structure is bound to move when applied with weight, the method can
be used although with deeper trenches and thicker ribs with reinforcement.

It is very durable considering that it ensures the house does not get wall and floor cracks anyhow.

A strong slab may not crack and using the raft design, cracks are reduced because of the vacuums in between the raft slabs and the mesh that reinforces the whole slab together.

There is very low maintenance expected for the owner or occupant since all possible assessment was
done to ensure that the type of soil there gets the correct kind of slab.

They are fast and easy to construct. You do not need heavy machinery to move earth as your prepare
ground for construction but simple ground preparations are needed before the slabs are place on to
achieve a total flat ground.

A Raft Slab Design Can Be Used On Any Type Of House, Also Any Materials From Demolished Slabs Can Be Recycled And Used As Part Of A New Slab.



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"Important NOTE" Information Provided On This Website Is Intended For "GENERAL INFORMATION
ONLY" And Must Be Only Be Used Only As A "GUIDE" It Must Not Be Used For Decision Making, Or
Be Used For Any Building Purposes Or Legal Proceedings. Refer To Our Policies On This Website.

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