Clay Product-Faced Precast Concrete Panels Sidney Freedman Director Architectural Precast Concrete Services PrecastPrastressed Corerete Intute chicago, Hinois This paper presents the design and construc- tion considerations for designers and plant personnel necessary for using brick, ceramic tile and architectural terra cotta faced precast concrete panels. The topics covered are clay product properties and selection, design con- siderations, production and construction as- peels, cleaning of panels and handling, stor- jing and shipping of the panels. Also covered are the applications of thin brick, ceramic tile and full brick to precast concrete panels after te panels are cast. It is emphasized that teamwork is an essential ingredient in the successful execution of a project. lay product-faced precist conerote iy being: used in ( sae soday 10 beautify the exterior of buildings. allows the architect the flexibility to combine: the ‘pleasing visusl appearance of tational clay products with the strength. versatility and economy of precast conente. In specifying these products, hosvever, tis critical for the de sipners © know the advantages and Tinitations of using clay product-taced precast concrete, Among the types of pral- ucts that ean he banded directly to precast concrete are brick, ceramic tile and architectural terra cota, These clay product facings may cover the entire expesed panel surface ‘oronly past of the vonetete face, serving as ap secent band The use of clay product-fueed preeast eonercte parels began i the eatly to middle 1960s, Examples of two early prujects which are in excellent condition today are shows in Figs. taaand th, The combination of precast concrete and clay prostuets| has several advantages over site [aid-up masonry. Fest, it eliminates the need for cusily onsite scaffolding, as well 38 the time delay necessary for performing the masoury work fav addition, pauels ean be proxiuced during foundation work oor superstructure vonsiruction and ean be erected guiekly when they are delivered, elimingting the nced for panel stor aage al the site, Plant production provides for year round ‘work under controlled temperatare conditions, negating any on-site delays due to inclement weather. It alse allows the siruciure to be winterized in advance, with Hloor topping and Finishing teades eontinwing witheat any weulher Gelays. Precasting allows a high level of dimensional precision ‘and quality control, Concrete mixes and mortar batching, to gether with curing consltions, can he tighily controlled while site-laid masoary will have highly variable curing wd monar quality. Clay product faced precast concrete reduces efflores ceonee becuse precasting fechnigues de 10 require the use of chloride accelerators is the maottar, and! beller curing is obs ‘wined through plant production. In addininn, the frcedom of aesthetic expression available through precasting techniques could not economically he sc commiodated with site iaid-up masonry. Precasting tect niques allow for complex and intricate detailing, suel asarches. radius panels, soldier er running bond, oF any imag- inable pattern. to he incorporated into the finished pun This approach ensures that high prived and «ime consuming building siclls are transferred foun the critical path of site uclivitiey to the plant. keeping alive the great range of visual diversity of design possibilities that oiherwise might be si: fled by economic constraints Architectural precast concrete claddings offer the designer a palete of styles — allowing the designer's imugination to Soar through the range of possibilities from reprodction of Styles of the past to the ercation of patterns for buildings of the furore Panel configuration may cover « multitude of shapes and ices: Nat panel sections through C-shaped spandrels. sol fils, arches and U-shaped column covers (sox Figs. 2 and 2b). A repetitive use of any particular shape also serves to Tower costs apprecizhly. Returns on spandzels or colurin covers ray be practiced by the sequential (lwo-stage) east ‘ng method or as 2 single east depending on the height of the retum. Panels may serve only as cladding of may’ be Toad: beating, supporting floar and roof loads. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS Structural design, fabrication, handling and erection con- siderations for clay product faced precast concrete units are Fig. 1a. The Centennial Library, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, ‘was completed in 1967. Architect: Rensaa-Minaos & Associates, Edmontan, Alberta, Canada Fig, 1b, Capital Plaza, an apartment building in Goncord. New Hampshice, was completed in 1972, Architect: (CO. Systems, Inc., Boston, Massachusers Similar to those for other precast consrete wall panels, ex cept that special consideration must he given 1 the clay product iisicrial and its bond lo the concrete. ‘The physical properties uf the clay products must be compared with the Properties of the covierete backup. These properties include the coellicient of therenal expansion, modulus of elasticity and volume change due to moistue, For design purposes. clay produet-faced! precast panels may be designed ay eonereie members which neglect the Figs. 2a and 2b, C-shaped spandrels, U-shaped cowurnn overs and curvedcon-pian spandrels wan orickFig. 3. Brick pattorns must be continuous through adjacent panels, structural aetion of the face veneer. “The thickness of the panel is reduced hy the thickness of the veneer. and desig assumptions exclude consideration oF differential shrimk= age or differential thermal expansion. However. if the panel is t9 he prestressed. the elizet uf composite behavior and the resulting prestress eccentriesty should be vonvide fered in desig. Reinforcement of the procast conerete backup should fol- low reconmmenastions for precast concrete wall panels celse live to design, cover and placement, Cover depth of un owted reinforcement must he 2 ruinigoun of 1!64n. (28 mm to the back of the clay product, Galvanized or epoxy-coated reinforcement is recommended at cover depths of % in. (19-me). Foins depth an! weather exposure uffeet dhe cover soquirenems, The overall size and weight of the panels are generally limited co what ean he conveniently and economically ‘lled hy available transportation and erection equipae Cenerally, panels span between columns, usually spaced 20 40 S0P fe (6 10 9m) on centers, although spandse) pases Ihave been as targe as 8 x 60 fe (2.4 9 18.3 m). ‘The staralard nominal heights and Fengths of the penels should be iw multiples of nominal individual masonry unt Insights and lengibs. The actual specified dimensinns may be less than the required nominal dimerisions By the thickness ‘of one mortar joitl, bur net by more than # in. (13 sam). For cal pronluetion, the precast corerete plant stoutd be able (0 use uniform, even coursing withons cUTtiNg. any Units vertically or herizontally exept as necessary for manning, bond pattems The apgsarance of clay prodvet-faced precast concrete panels is principally achieved by the selected clay proxi. wi (ype, size and texture contributing to overall color Also, the chirity with which the clay product units are fea tured will depend upon the profile ofthe joint betw This eeu c between recessed. flush or coneave- tooled! joints, Most brick-faced ponels have rovessed joints, Because of forming requirements. its preferable that joints Deewoen clay products he wot less than in, (10 mm). A in {46 mmm) joint may be used satisfactorily when the joint faces ‘are srivoth and well detined. 96 it a Wall of tlush-pointed siugoth- faced ely prevduets suet a tile Fig. 4, Thin brick units ‘The joints between panels ate usually butt joints. A quirk imiter jain, with the thin brick diiekness boeing the quirk d= mension, may he used if the joint sealant covers the brick/eoncrete interface, This precaution iy necessary to pre vent morsiure penetration inte the interface and possitte brick separation under freeze-thaw conditions. The final cle ment it the appearance oF the panel is the greut, mortar or comerete used in the joints, oth stack and running bond patterns have been widely uses in precast conetere panels, With running bone it 5s ese sential that cotrses start sind finish with half or Full Bricks {w avoid cutting and to matel adjzceat spandrels oF colum covers (see Fig, 12. Atiempts (@ uiske the finished exterior look like ronring bond brick have not always been success fal where the pattern is curried unbroken from panel (0 panel to form large walls. Where the perimeter of the pan: cls ts recognized and narrow sttip of exposed conterete is left at the ends, the running bond pattern becomes success fal within individual panels fom a design viewpoint (see Fig. 9, The vertical aljgument of joints, especially with stack bond, roquices close tolerances or cutting of brick tr the same length Moisture ean move into or across a wall assembly by vapor diffusion and air movement. If the exterior suriace of 42 wall is panially sealed by glazed clay produets, then, de- pending on the lncation of the dew point within the wall ase Sembly, moisture may collet behind the partially sealed surface, [the moisture treezes, it will expand an may spall the exterior surface, Therefore, vapor retarders should be plied on or near the warm side of the assembly this side should have a resistance to permeability ut Teast five times greuier than the cold side, CLAY PRODUCT PROPERTIES Physical properties of clay products vary dependiag on the source of clay. methoul of forming and extent of Firing, Table 1 shows the range of physical properties of clay products. Since clay products are subject to lecal vatiation, the designer should seck physical property values from