Prefabricated Edge Slab for Housing

The prefabricated edge slab for housing generally refers to the prefabricated slab used in housing construction. It is a concrete component produced and processed in a prefabrication yard and directly transported to the site for installation and use.

Production and Types of Prefabricated Slabs

Prefabricated slabs are produced through a mold-forming process: First, a hollow mold is made by nailing wooden boards together. Reinforcing bars are then arranged inside the mold, and cement is poured. After drying, the wooden boards are knocked off to form the finished product. According to structural differences, prefabricated slabs are divided into two types: solid and hollow. Hollow prefabricated slabs achieve lightweighting by reducing the concrete in non-load-bearing parts, reducing material usage while ensuring structural strength.

Application Scenarios of Prefabricated Slabs

Prefabricated slabs have a wide range of applications in the construction field, mainly including the following scenarios:

• Floor slabs: As load-bearing components between floors, they are commonly seen in early residential buildings.
• Roof insulation layers: By forming an air layer through the hollow structure, they improve insulation performance.
• Infrastructure: Used for non-load-bearing parts such as ditch covers beside highways and walls of temporary buildings. Their standard dimensions cover span (up to 4.2 meters for residential use), width (mainly 500mm or 600mm), and thickness (commonly 120mm and 150mm). Specific parameters need to be adjusted according to design requirements.

Limitations of Prefabricated Slabs

Prefabricated slab buildings have significant drawbacks:

• Weak earthquake resistance: Node connections rely on on-site assembly, resulting in insufficient integrity. They are prone to structural damage during earthquakes.
• Poor sound and heat insulation: Although the hollow structure reduces weight, its sound insulation and heat preservation effects are inferior to those of cast-in-place concrete.
• Limited service life: The design life is about 30-50 years. After long-term use, problems such as cracks and steel bar corrosion are prone to occur.

Renewal Policies for Prefabricated Slab Houses

With the progress of construction technology, cast-in-place concrete and prefabricated buildings are gradually replacing traditional prefabricated slab structures. Since 2022, China has implemented renovation policies, adopting differentiated treatments for prefabricated slab houses:

• Mainly repair and renovation: Strengthen, waterproof, and energy-save buildings that do not meet the criteria for dilapidated houses.
• Supplementary demolition and reconstruction: Only demolish dilapidated houses that do not meet structural safety standards and pose major hazards.

As a building product of a specific historical stage, the application and elimination of prefabricated slabs reflect the development trend of construction technology from standardized production to integration and high performance.