Structural Floor Panels Design Guide - Hebel Supercrete AAC ...

2.1.7 Internal Walls on Top of
Supercrete Structural Floor Panels
Note: Internal masonry walls must have direct support
under the panels (wall or beam below).
Where Supercrete Block walls are to be constructed
on top of the floor panels, it is necessary for these to be
dowelled to the floor to give the walls lateral shear capacity
at the base under an earthquake load. These M12 dowels
will also act as starter rods, to begin the upper wall vertical
reinforcing. As all Supercrete Block walls require direct
support from under the floor panels, it is possible to drill
150mm deep holes into the floor panels and epoxy the
starter rods into them. The first course of the upper wall
blocks is not glued to the floor panels, but treated the same
as if it was on a poured concrete slab. If the panel surface is
sufficiently smooth, the levelling mortar may be omitted and
the blocks just placed on the DPC which acts as a slip layer
for microscopic differential movement between the floor
panels and the walls.
Non load bearing timber framed partitions only require
sufficient fastenings into the floor panels to prevent lateral
movement under seismic loads – wind uplift does not
affect these walls as they are non load bearing. Expansive
type fasteners suitable for use in AAC with a 10mm
outer diameter, 100mm embedment in the floor panel at
1200mm maximum centres are generally sufficient. These
should also be placed on a layer of DPC as a slip layer to
take up any relative movement. See www.supercrete.co.nz
for fastening types.
2.1.8 Floor Covering Loads and Bonding
As with any floor system, Supercrete Structural Floor
Panels will deflect under load. This is not usually noticeable,
and flexible floor coverings such as timber or carpet,
simply move with the floor. Some floor coverings require
a more rigid floor because it has been found that over
long periods of time, cyclic deflection of the floor under
live loads can cause rigid materials, glued to the floor with
adhesive, to debond. This applies to any material that is
glued down only (e.g. ceramic floor tiles, timber floors not
supported on battens etc.). If adhesive is to be used, then
the floor deflection should be limited to span/600, and the
appropriate panel size should be selected from Table 10,
page 17 for the area where this floor covering is to be used.
This requirement for stiffer deflection ratios is no different
from any other floor system and it has nothing to do with
the weight of the floor covering.
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