Architect and Builder August/September 2019 | Page 12

WALL PRODUCTION MADE MORE COST-EFFICIENT Elematic’s FaMe versatile wall shuttering system makes precast wall production more cost-efficient, needs half the amount of wood normally required and reduces wood wastage. The FaMe is suitable for table molds, battery molds, and column as well as pillar production. The system comprises of push-button magnets and aluminum side forms and comes with many benefits – from high quality results and cost-efficient production to safe working methods and beyond. Why use aluminum and magnets? If the goal is to produce straight-edged precast concrete wall panels with low production costs, FaMe provides the means. By installing the side profiles with magnets that are easily attached and removed from the table surfaces. This eliminates the need for welding, bolting or grinding, hence, your table surfaces will remain in good condition and you can produce panels without damaging the tables. Also, with the one and the same frame system you can handle most wall thicknesses, from 70 – 500mm, with accessories even up to 800mm. Steel and wood are commonly used as side forms in wall panel production – both of which have some significant downsides: steel is heavy and wood needs to be thrown away after usage. The FaMe system also makes it easy to prepare the edges and window or door openings on tables or battery molds, as you just put the side forms to the desired places and attach them to the mold with push-button magnets. You can easily move the magnets by sliding them on the surface before pushing the button for attachment. The magnets can be placed wherever you want, because of the patented and compatible jaw groove of the side forms and the magnets. Consistent quality of wall panels with safer working methods and a decreased amount of used wood is what can be achieved with FaMe shuttering. You will save in production costs; factory personnel will have safer equipment to use. Elematic, based in Finland, is regarded as a world leader in the supply of precast concrete production technologies. For more information, contact: Nina Lehtonen, Marketing Manager, Elematic Oyj [email protected] FRANKI’S RIGID INCLUSION COLUMNS A FIRST FOR SOUTH AFRICA Franki Africa has installed Rigid Inclusion columns on a design and construct basis for the ongoing Clairwood Logistics Park project in Durban – the first time this method of ground improvement has been used in South Africa. www.franki.co.za 12 Franki was contracted to install Rigid Inclusion columns to improve the underlying hippo muds which extend to depths in excess of 35m. The scope of the project entails about 368,000m² of treatment footprint to install ±47,100 columns with 2m stone heads. “This is the most cost-effective solution to achieve increased bearing capacity and settlement reduction,” explains Victor Ferreira, Business Development Manager at Franki Africa. Pile foundations have been a common solution when the bearing capacity or performance cannot be satisfactorily guaranteed by using shallow foundations. This often occurs in urban areas where increasingly higher structures apply higher forces to the ground. Pile foundations are also required where ground conditions are poor and provide little capacity or stiffness to ensure short- or long-term serviceability requirements. Ground improvement is an alternative solution for piled foundations in poor conditions, whereby the properties of the ground are improved to allow structures to be founded on simple, shallow foundations. Among a variety of these technologies is Rigid Inclusion columns. This is possibly the newest ground improvement technology which involves relatively slender concrete/ grout columns to improve the properties of the soil mass. “Rigid Inclusions can be utilised to improve soils to depths in excess of 40m with significantly higher productions compared with conventional piling methods,” explains Dr Nicol Chang, Technical Director at Franki Africa. News Watch