The challenge
Taking up tension loads by steel and compression loads by concrete, both materials are perfect partners for a composite structure. Can a light-weight lattice girder consisting of an upper and a lower chord and filling bars be produced without welding?
The invention
Concrete, when used as an infill in a chamber of a hollow section, can substitute a rather expensive welded connection between the chords and the filling bars in a new kind of composite structure. The RES-Hollow Ceiling I uses a multitude of girders layed out side by side to form a hollow space between the upper and the lower chords.
The advantages
- Substitution of welded connections in a new composite technique
- Cost effective method to produce wide-span girders
- Improved fire resistance in comparison to a steel girder
The applications
- Girders for a wide range of spans
- Creation of a hollow ceiling with concrete slabs