Is It Good to Use Prefabricated Slabs in House Construction?
There are many problems with using prefabricated slabs in house construction, and it is generally not recommended. Although prefabricated slabs have advantages such as being inexpensive and having a fast construction speed, being about 100 yuan cheaper per square meter than cast-in-place floor slabs and taking only a day or half a day to hoist and install, there are many hidden dangers when considering long-term use and safety:
High risk of cracking and water leakage: Prefabricated slabs are pre-made floor slab components, and there will be gaps between each slab during installation. Even with ring beams and anchoring measures, their overall integrity is far inferior to that of cast-in-place floor slabs. During long-term use, factors such as building settlement and temperature changes can easily cause these gaps to crack, leading to water leakage. When applying waterproofing, due to the presence of these gaps, the probability of water leakage is relatively high. Many users who use prefabricated slabs as roofs are troubled by water leakage problems and need to frequently carry out repairs and leak-plugging, increasing usage costs and hassles.
Poor seismic performance: In the event of an earthquake, a building needs to have good overall integrity and seismic resistance to withstand the destructive force of the earthquake. However, prefabricated slabs have a low seismic coefficient, and the connections between each slab are relatively weak. Under the action of an earthquake, they are prone to separation and displacement, and may even cause the building to collapse, seriously threatening the lives and safety of the occupants. Therefore, in earthquake-prone areas, the use of prefabricated slabs as the floor slab structure of buildings is strictly prohibited.
Poor thermal insulation performance: The thickness of prefabricated slabs is generally about 12 centimeters, and this relatively thin thickness makes their thermal insulation performance very poor. In summer, external high temperatures can easily be conducted into the interior through the prefabricated slabs, causing the indoor temperature to be too high. It is necessary to use air conditioners and other refrigeration equipment for a long time to cool down, increasing energy consumption. In winter, indoor heat will quickly dissipate, making the indoor temperature relatively low. Additional thermal insulation measures, such as using heating systems, are required, further increasing energy costs. Usually, a secondary roofing material covering needs to be applied on the floor slab to make up for this shortcoming, but this increases construction complexity and costs.
Poor sound insulation performance: The sound insulation performance of prefabricated slabs is poor. Daily activity noises from upstairs, such as walking, talking, and moving furniture, can be clearly heard downstairs, seriously affecting the quality of life and privacy of the occupants and easily causing conflicts and disputes between neighbors.
