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What is rib raft?

Author

Matthew Martinez

Updated on March 06, 2026

What is rib raft?

RibRaft® Twenty years ago Firth created RibRaft® - New Zealand's first pod floor system. This innovative method of concrete floor construction sits 'on' the ground not 'in' the ground making it seismically strong. The system uses polystyrene pods, steel reinforcing rods, plastic spacers and RaftMix concrete.

Consequently, what is ribbed flooring?

The ribbed floor is a type of R.C.C floor. Ribbed flooring is designed for use as a self-supported suspended floor, mostly, this type of floors are used in commercial buildings. If space between ribs is not filled and left as such it is known as ribbed floor. Ribs and topping act monolithically.

Additionally, what is a RibRaft slab? ​ The Ribraft Pod Slab System is a better way of building concrete slabs for new homes, extensions or commercial industrial buildings. A ribraft slab foundation is an above-ground foundation used to provide load-bearing capacity in expansive, rocky or hydro collapsible soils.

Keeping this in view, is RibRaft insulated?

The Firth RibRaft® system is one of NZ's most popular solutions for residential and light commercial flooring. This innovative method of concrete floor construction is quick and efficient to lay - and it offers excellent insulation benefits.

What is raft footing?

A raft foundation, also called a mat foundation, is essentially a continuous slab resting on the soil that extends over the entire footprint of the building, thereby supporting the building and transferring its weight to the ground. Stress is simply weight divided by area.

How do you dig a raft foundation?

A raft foundation spreads the weight of the building over the whole ground floor area of that building.

How Do Raft Foundations Work?

  1. The soil removed down to correct depth.
  2. The foundation bed is then compacted by ramming.
  3. Lay reinforcement on spacers over the foundation bed.
  4. Pour the concrete over the reinforcement.

How much do foundations cost NZ?

Foundations
FoundationsSpecifiRRP
Non NZS3604 Foundations Thickened Slab Edge & Waffle Slab$230$460
Soft ground Foundations Single Storey, All foundation types2,3$230$460
Soft ground Foundations Two Storey, All foundation types2,3$295$590
TC2 Foundations Single Storey. Waffle slab or Beam Grillage2$350$690

What are polystyrene pods?

EXPOL Tuff Pods are extremely strong expanded polystyrene (EPS) blocks designed to provide a quick method for creating a concrete slab floor without the need to dig footings or build concrete block perimeters. Used to create 100mm concrete ribs throughout concrete floors.

What R value is a RibRaft floor?

All RibRaft® floors are acceptable under the Code which assumes a minimum of R 1.3 m² ºC/W.

What is a TC2 foundation?

A site classified as Technical Category 2 (TC2) means that minor to moderate land damage from liquefaction is possible in future significant earthquakes. A Firth Ribraft foundation can be engineered to withstand the temporary loss of support and differential settlement during and after an earthquake event.

What is filler joist?

A filler-joist floor is a concrete floor in which is embedded iron or steel joists, typically at 1ft 6in (0.46m) to 3ft (0.91m) centres (Figure 1). 3 The concrete is usually thicker than the height of the joists, with these being placed at the bottom of the slabs as shown.

What is the disadvantage of ribbed slab?

Disadvantages of Ribbed and Waffle Slabs

Not suitable where the live loads are huge as heavy manufacturing buildings, warehouses. The thickness of the slab is controlled as the requirement of fire resistance. Formwork cost is high. Sometimes difficult to install the electric equipment.

What is the difference between ribbed and waffle slab?

Ribbed slabs are made up of wide band beams running between columns with narrow ribs spanning the orthogonal direction. Normally the ribs and the beams are the same depth. Waffle slabs have a thin topping slab and narrow ribs spanning in both directions between column heads or band beams.

What is joist slab?

General. ï‚— Joist: T-beams called joists are formed by creating void spaces in what otherwise would be a solid slab. ï‚— Joist Construction: Joist construction consists of a monolithic combination of regularly spaced ribs and a top slab (T beam or Joist) arranged to span in one direction or two orthogonal directions.

What is band beam and slab?

Band Beam and Slab

This system consists of a series of parallel, wide, shallow beams (known as band beams or thickened slab bands) with the floor slab spanning transversely between the bands Figure. The floor slab is designed as a continuous slab, with the shallow band beams carrying all loads from the slab.

What is a filler slab?

The filler slab is based on the principle that for roofs which are simply supported, the upper part of the slab is subjected to compressive forces and the lower part of the slab experience tensile forces. The filler slabs also result in fewer loads getting transferred to the load-bearing walls and the foundations.

What is flat slab?

A flat slab is a two-way reinforced concrete slab that usually does not have beams and girders, and the loads are transferred directly to the supporting concrete columns. For more detailed definition: Flat Slab Floor System: Definition & Description.

What is grid slab?

Grid slab or waffle slab are define as a slab which have two-directional reinforcement outside of the material and giving a shape of pocket on a waffle. Features:- Slab thickness is 85-100 mm. Beams are 100-200 mm wide. Slab panel in 1 m grid type.

What is a flat plate?

The flat plate is a two-way reinforced concrete framing system utilizing a slab of uniform thickness, the simplest of structural shapes. The flat slab is a two-way reinforced structural system that includes either drop panels or column capitals at columns to resist heavier loads and thus permit longer spans.

What is the R-value of a concrete floor?

Building Code clause H1 Energy efficiency requires a minimum R-value of R1.3 for floors, which is achieved by an uninsulated concrete slab on round. Under-slab insulation is only required by clause H1 when the floor is heated and an R-value of 1.9 is needed.

How do you insulate concrete slab edges?

Clean the exposed slab edge and apply damp proofing as a capillary break. Install non-moisture-sensitive rigid foam board insulation (such as extruded polystyrene [XPS] or mineral wool) along the edge of the slab of a slab-on-grade foundation to meet or exceed the insulation R-value required by code.

How do you insulate a concrete slab?

There are two ways to handle insulating concrete floors. You can attach wood sleepers to the floor, fill the gaps with rigid-foam insulation, and then apply a subfloor and finish flooring. Or, as demonstrated here, you can cover the slab with rigid-foam insulation, add two layers of plywood, and then add the.

What is slab insulation?

Installing slab insulation around the perimeter of the slab will reduce heat loss and make the slab easier to heat. An insulated slab also provides thermal mass to store heat and moderates indoor temperatures. SLAB INSULATION Provides a thermal break to the perimeter of slab-on-grade foundations.

What is a Superslab?

The Super-Slab® System is a slab-on-grade approach to using fully cured precast concrete slabs for pavement replacement. Super-Slab® is used for continuous and intermittent pavement replacement. Slabs are precisely cast to fit curved and super-elevated alignment specific to each location.

What is an engineered concrete slab?

Overview. ​ Engineered Concrete Flooring is a flooring technology that changes the state of horizontal concrete surfaces to one that is similar in appearance to another materials, while exhibiting similar or improved performance characteristics. Such floors are called Engineered Concrete Floors.

What is a suspended floor construction?

Suspended timber floors, which are typically found in older houses, are normally made from timber floorboards which are then attached to joists just above the foundations of a house. This creates a small gap and allows ventilation and air movement to prevent damp forming in the timber joists.

When can you use a floating slab?

The floating slab construction can be employed in site areas with lower load carrying capacity and where investing large money on soil treatment is futile. Floating slab have the property of spreading the vertical loads or stresses coming over it to be distributed over a larger area.

What is concrete slab on grade?

A slab-on-grade is a type of shallow foundation in which a concrete slab rests directly on the ground below it. A slab-on-grade foundation usually consists of a thin layer of concrete across the entire area of the foundation with thickened footings at the edges or below load bearing walls in the middle of the building.