The innovative Ultrafloor system was pioneered in New South Wales during the early 1990's and after extensive use in the Sydney-Newcastle region is now available across the whole of Australia. Ultrafloor has proven cost savings to developers and builders due to its ease and speed of erection, and readily determined reduction in construction time. The primary aim in the development of the Ultrafloor system was firstly to reduce propping and eliminate costly and wasteful formwork from the process of constructing a reinforced concrete suspended floor, and secondly to create a quick and simple installation procedure. To achieve this, a system was developed (and refined over the years) whereby: 1.    Precast prestressed concrete beams are laid out on a grid according to the geometry of the building and spaced appropriately, supported onto the primary structure (loadbearing masonry, precast walls, steel frames or reinforced concrete beams). Better still, they can be supported onto Ultrafloor reinforced or post-tensioned band systems. 2.    13mm thick fibre-cement formboard is placed between the Ultrafloor beams to act as permanent, lost formwork. 3.    A light reinforcing mesh is placed over the surface and services, penetrations, sleeves etc are positioned. 4.    Additional reinforcement may be fixed where needed to create continuous action over supports or for a composite section with greater load-carrying capacity where spans are longer. Band beam reinforcement is also placed at this stage. 5.    The concrete is poured to a thickness of 90mm or 100mm depending on the system selected, creating a structural composite section of 180mm or 200mm depth.     Benefits of using U/F in Commercial Applications The Ultrafloor system has many benefits for both the builder and developer. The reasons: Little or no formwork - less propping. Less reinforcement to fix other than placing shrinkage reinforcement mesh. Immediate safe working deck and access below the very next day for follow-on trades. Service penetrations are easily installed; electrical wiring can easily be run on the soffit of the floor without the need for conduits. Totally flexible and therefore easily accommodates construction tolerances. Adaptable to any shape building without cost penalties. Dramatically reduces site handling - there is no formwork to strip and remove from site. A clean, safe site. Much less waste. Excellent sound insulation properties as reflected by the Rw (STC) and IIC values. Short lead time. Primary Advantages over Alternative Forms of Construction With Ultrafloor, generally, there is less opportunity for quality problems as the major strength component is the high strength prestressed concrete beams produced under a quality assured factory regime. Compared with conventionally formed slab: Less concrete used. No formwork cost, no moving of formwork, minimal props, no stripping. Trades may continue working under the slab immediately after completion of the floor. Slab can be used as a working platform immediately. Minimal disruption to following trades. Compared with fully precast floor: Ultrafloor readily accommodates site tolerances. In precast floors, penetrations are difficult to make. With Ultrafloor, the beam positions can be adjusted to avoid penetrations by simply cutting the formboards to the required width and then with ease cutting the sheets around the penetrations. Set-down for wet areas, cantilever balconies and areas where resilient layers are required for greater impact sound insulation are simple with Ultrafloor. Ideal surface finish for either vinyl sheeting, ceramic tiles or carpet coverings. Ultrafloor is monolithic, providing a rigid composite diaphragm. Fully precast construction does not have this flexibility or structural integrity. Less Environmental Impact Life Cycle analysis (LCA) studies by the University of New South Wales have shown that there is merit in using fibre-cement as the material has a relatively low embodied energy. Considering the amount of timber formwork that is saved by using the formboard and the thermal efficiency of the completed floor, there is added environmental benefit. The high thermal mass of the concrete floor stabilises the internal temperature of the building, reducing heating and cooling costs. Sound Insulation The Ultrafloor system naturally has a high sound insulation performance. The basic floor system without a ceiling has a Rw (or STC) rating of 53, and with a suspended ceiling it increases to 57. Its impact sound resistance (as measured by the IIC or LNTW value) is good too and due to the inherent adaptability of the system can be increased by incorporating a resilient layer, floating floor surface, resilient-mounted ceilings etc. Refer to the Ultrafloor Acoustics Brochure for more details. Fire Rated Construction Ultrafloor is non-combustible and the basic system has a proven 2-hour fire protection rating of FRL 120/120/120 as found by CSIRO testing in accordance with AS 1530.4-1990. With an extra 25mm of concrete topping, a three-hour fire resistance can be achieved. With an extra 50mm of topping and an increase in cover to the reinforcement in the precast beams, a four-hour fire rating is attained. Refer to Section 5 of the Ultrafloor Technical Manual. Download  Commercial Brochure         UltraFloor Band Beam System                                                                          130R System (130R/400, 130R/500) Click on image below for 130R Sytem Properties This syste has primarily been developed for use where a minimum floor zone thickness is required, usually in residential applications. The finished floor thickness is nominally 180mm. Beams are spaced at 480mm for the 130R/400 system and at 580mm for the 130R/500 system. This system has been tested by CSIRO in accordance with AS 1530.4-1997 and can be used (without a ceiling) in typical applications that require a fire resistance level (FRL) of 120/120/120. 130C System (130C/400, 130C/500) Click on image below for 130C Sytem Properties This system has primarily been developed for use where a minimum floor zone thickness is required. The finished floor thickness is nominally 180mm. Beams are spaced at 540mm for the 130C/400 system and at 640mm for the 130C/500 system. CSIRO has issued an opinion that it can be used (without a ceiling) in typical applications that require a fire resistance level (FRL) of 120/120/120.    150R System (150R/400, 150R/500) Click on image below for 150R Sytem Properties This system is ideal for typical applications, such as unit construction, schools, retirement villages, etc and produces a 200mm thick floor. Beams are spaced at 480mm for the 150R/400 system and at 580mm for the 150R/500 system. This system has been tested by CSIRO in accordance with AS 1530.4-1997 and can be used (without a ceiling) in typical applications that require a fire resistance level (FRL) of 120/120/120. 150C System (150C/400, 150C/500) Click on image below for 150R Sytem Properties This beam is designed for longer spans. It is ideal to combine with the 150R Ultrafloor system as it is the same depth and produces a 200mm thick floor. Beams are spaced at 600mm for the 150C/400 system and at 700mm for the 150C/500 system. Tested by CSIRO in accordance with AS 1530.4-1997, this system (without a ceiling) attained a fire resistance level (FRL) of 240/240/150. The FRL can be enhanced to 240/240/180 with a 113mm topping, or to 240/240/240 with a 138mm thick topping. 200C System (200C/400, 200C/500) Click on image below for 200C Sytem Properties This beam is designed for heavy superimposed loads and long spans and produces a 250mm thick floor. Beams are spaced at 600mm for the 200C/400 system and at 700mm for the 200C/500 system. Tested by CSIRO in accordance with AS 1530.4-1997, this system (without a ceiling) attained a fire resistance level (FRL) of 240/240/150. The FRL can be enhanced to 240/240/180 with a 113mm topping, or to 240/240/240 with a 138mm thick topping. 250C System (250C/400, 250C/500) Click on image below for 250C Sytem Properties This beam is designed for heavy superimposed loads and long spans, producing a 300mm thick floor. Beams are spaced at 600mm for the 250C/400 system and at 700mm for the 250C/500 system. Tested by CSIRO in accordance with AS 1530.4-1997, this system (without a ceiling) attained a fire resistance level (FRL) of 240/240/150. The FRL can be enhanced to 240/240/180 with a 113mm topping, or to 240/240/240 with a 138mm thick topping. Ultrashell System Click on image below for Ultrashell Sytem Properties In the place of conventionally formed band beams, which require formwork and propping, the band beams can be formed using the innovative Ultrashell system that has been developed by Ultrafloor. The system is shown below, and is created using the shell profiles shown in Section 4.1.5 along with the design principles given in Section 7.4. It can be post-tensioned to increase load capacity and spanning capability.