Technical‐economic assessment of redesigned reinforced concrete pre‐slabs: Incorporating corrugated cardboard

Abstract

Innovations occur in the design of structural elements in order to incorporate and/or improve technical features. This study begins with a standard design for one-way reinforced pre-slabs. Thermal performance is analyzed, along with the possibility of improving it, by means of incorporating corrugated cardboard. Tests were conducted with prototypes to investigate the viability of integrating corrugated cardboard into the production process of reinforced concrete pre-slabs. The modified production processes (of corrugated cardboard and concrete pre-slabs) and the improvements in thermal performance were evident in the final design. These improvements as compared to the conventional design are quantified by thermal transmittance, which was between 90.16 and 140.98% when utilizing corrugated cardboard with a thermal conductivity between 0.10 and 0.05 W m −1 K −1 respectively. Adding this new material and modifying the resistance section did entail an increase in cost. However, the joint evaluation of the production and use phases of the structural element designed indicated a positive economic balance. It was found that with the new design, the structural solution's thermal performance improved and compensated for the increase in costs incurred during the production phase.