Physical structural assessment of a segmented concrete shell building floor prototype

Robin Oval; Mishael Nuh; Eduardo Castro e Costa; John Orr; Paul Shepherd

doi:10.1002/suco.70034

Physical structural assessment of a segmented concrete shell building floor prototype

Robin Oval, Mishael Nuh, Eduardo Castro e Costa, John Orr, Paul Shepherd

University of Cambridge

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

To reduce the significant environmental impact of the construction industry, building floors designed as concrete shells that work mainly in compression and that are segmented for prefabrication and disassembly offer a promising alternative to reinforced thick flat slabs. The OAK prototype, a 4.5 m × 4.5 m segmented concrete shell with reversible dry joints for reusable building floors, offers such potential. The non-linear behavior of the concrete material and the segmented shell system make understanding the mechanics of such a structural system challenging for practical design. In particular, the compressive stresses and the slenderness of shells, along with their fabrication and assembly imperfections, make them prone to instability. This article reports the methodology and results from a set of physical structural assessments on the OAK prototype, including material, serviceability, robustness, and stability tests.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	8419-8436
Number of pages	18
Journal	Structural Concrete
Volume	26
Issue number	6
Early online date	7 Apr 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/suco.70034
Publication status	Published - 31 Dec 2025

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are avail-able from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Funding

The (ACORN) research project is funded by UKRI through the ISCF Transforming Construction programme, grant number EP/S031316/1. The authors thank the ACORN and NRFIS lab management and technical team: Ricardo Osuna‐Perdomo, Diana Thomas‐McEwen, Pieter Desnerck, Martin Touhey, Phil McLaren, and Connor Humphreys. The authors thank the rest of the ACORN team for their support: Saverio Spadea, Omar Abo Madyan, Daniel Summerbell, Maxime Pollet, Anna Perepechay, and Hannah Dennis. The authors also thank the industrial project partners and affiliates for their support and advice. Automating Concrete Construction The Automating Concrete Construction (ACORN) research project is funded by UKRI through the ISCF Transforming Construction programme, grant number EP/S031316/1. The authors thank the ACORN and NRFIS lab management and technical team: Ricardo Osuna-Perdomo, Diana Thomas-McEwen, Pieter Desnerck, Martin Touhey, Phil McLaren, and Connor Humphreys. The authors thank the rest of the ACORN team for their support: Saverio Spadea, Omar Abo Madyan, Daniel Summerbell, Maxime Pollet, Anna Perepechay, and Hannah Dennis. The authors also thank the industrial project partners and affiliates for their support and advice.

Funders	Funder number
UK Research and Innovation
Australian College of Perioperative Nurses
NRFIS
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council	EP/S031316/1

Keywords

funicular structures
physical testing
imperfections
serviceability
robustness
strength
stability
buckling

Access to Document

10.1002/suco.70034Licence: CC BY

Cite this

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title = "Physical structural assessment of a segmented concrete shell building floor prototype",

abstract = "To reduce the significant environmental impact of the construction industry, building floors designed as concrete shells that work mainly in compression and that are segmented for prefabrication and disassembly offer a promising alternative to reinforced thick flat slabs. The OAK prototype, a 4.5 m × 4.5 m segmented concrete shell with reversible dry joints for reusable building floors, offers such potential. The non-linear behavior of the concrete material and the segmented shell system make understanding the mechanics of such a structural system challenging for practical design. In particular, the compressive stresses and the slenderness of shells, along with their fabrication and assembly imperfections, make them prone to instability. This article reports the methodology and results from a set of physical structural assessments on the OAK prototype, including material, serviceability, robustness, and stability tests.",

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AB - To reduce the significant environmental impact of the construction industry, building floors designed as concrete shells that work mainly in compression and that are segmented for prefabrication and disassembly offer a promising alternative to reinforced thick flat slabs. The OAK prototype, a 4.5 m × 4.5 m segmented concrete shell with reversible dry joints for reusable building floors, offers such potential. The non-linear behavior of the concrete material and the segmented shell system make understanding the mechanics of such a structural system challenging for practical design. In particular, the compressive stresses and the slenderness of shells, along with their fabrication and assembly imperfections, make them prone to instability. This article reports the methodology and results from a set of physical structural assessments on the OAK prototype, including material, serviceability, robustness, and stability tests.

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Physical structural assessment of a segmented concrete shell building floor prototype

Abstract

Data Availability Statement

Funding

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Automating Concrete Construction (ACORN)

Cite this

Physical structural assessment of a segmented concrete shell building floor prototype

Abstract

Data Availability Statement

Funding

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Projects

Automating Concrete Construction (ACORN)

Cite this