Runways 27 meters wide super-flat in one pass

Distribution warehouses are getting bigger and bigger and the same seems to be true for the column-free spans of these buildings. Loos Betonvloeren responds to this with the brand new
Giga Screed, an impressive machine that can superflat a strip 27 meters wide in one go. The machine was recently officially put into use in Den Hoorn, near Delft, where Loos Betonvloeren is co-building a distribution center with 50,000 m² gross floor area for contractor Goldbeck.

"With this machine we can lay a super-flat floor of over 2,000 m² in one day," says Dirk Loos, general manager of the concrete flooring specialist from Obdam. "And speed means saving costs, although it's all about quality in the first place, of course." In the new distribution center in Den Hoorn, Loos Betonvloeren is laying a total of 50,000 m² of floor, of which about 10,000 m² is superflat and about 40,000 m² flat. 

Faster, cheaper, flatter

"The first thing about the Giga Screed is that we can make lanes up to 27 meters wide - making it, as far as I know, the largest in Europe. Not only does this allow us to build faster and save costs for clients; it also allows the architect to plot 28 meters of column-free space and more usable floor space. Moreover, the flatness requirements are becoming increasingly stringent. This is due to automated storage and picking systems and forklifts that have to operate higher and higher racking. Our newest addition can handle all that."

Gadgets

The Giga Screed is essentially a huge roller that flattens freshly poured concrete. "Only the machine builder has incorporated every possible technical gadget," Loos emphasizes. "The system is modular, allowing for different widths, up to a maximum of 27 meters. There are also built-in LED spotlights for good illumination of the workplace and the machine has a modular water system. Furthermore, there are so-called movers on the heads, which allow the Giga Screed to be moved independently at work. Foreman Dennis Schoenmaker, who sits here on the buckboard, has been involved from the beginning in the development of this machine, which is designed entirely from the workplace."

Shrink-free, no joints

Before the Giga Screed can get to work, pre-pouring strips are first laid next to the columns using hand rollers. These pre-cast strips are lined with steel angle lines and form the lanes for the machine. The reinforcement runs under the angle lines. Loos: "We can basically create infinitely large areas that are shrinkage-free and joint-free with this hybrid floor." Once the reinforcement is in place and the Giga Screed is ready, the pouring can begin. With a concrete pump and concrete trucks driving back and forth, it's lightning fast: once several meters of concrete have been poured across the entire width, the machine goes over it several times, resulting in a (super)flat floor. Finally, the monolith finishers finish the work.

Dennis Shoemaker on the buck of "his" Giga Screed.

Design

By the way, Loos Betonvloeren does more than just pour concrete floors. "The pile foundation, the subsoil into which all the debris is incorporated, the floor thickness, the composition of the concrete and the reinforcement: with such a floor, everything has to be right to guarantee the most efficient solution for the customer in terms of floor load, flatness, construction speed and cost. To get all that perfect, we like to keep control of the process. That's why we also engineered this floor ourselves." 

That includes details, Bart Wight of steel fiber supplier Bekaert knows: "The hall will have an 18-centimeter-thick hybrid floor with steel fibers and a top mesh. The steel fibers used provide just the right flow and deliver the desired strength." The load capacity of the floor is 50 kN/m² and the floor tolerates a point load of 11 tons. So the customer will soon be able to place his racking wherever it is needed.