Prefabricated modular flooring and roofing system

Claim 2

In a prefabricated modular flooring system for a building structure, including a first set of parallel spaced elongated precast concrete beams disposed perpendicular to a second set of parallel spaced elongated precast concrete beams and cooperating to form a frame defining a bay, means for supporting the adjacent ends of said beams at the corners of said frame, a plurality of rectangular precast concrete floor slabs disposed in parallel horizontal relation within said frame and having opposite end portions mounted on said firrst set of beams for supporting one portion of the floor load by said first set of beams, each of said floor slabs including a plurality of laterally spaced longitudinally extending walls projecting downwardly from an integrally connecting substantially flat horizontal upper wall, each of said floor slabs further including a plurality of longitudinally spaced and laterally extending transverse walls projecting downwardly from said upper wall and integrally connecting said upper and longitudinally extending walls to define a plurality of longitudinally and laterally spaced downwardly facing cavities providing the bottom of said floor slab with a waffle-type configuration, and a set of elongated reinforcing members extending longitudinally within each said floor slab through said longitudinally extending walls, the improvement comprising a set of longitudinally spaced tubes extending substantially horizontally through said transverse walls of each said floor slab, said tubes within one said floor slab being in substantial horizontal alignment with the corresponding said tubes within each horizontally adjacent said floor slab, and elongated flexible post-tension cable extending continuously through each set of horizontally aligned said tubes within said floor slabs, and means for securing said cables to said second set of beams and said floor slabs after said cables are tensioned to provide for supporting another portion of the floor load by said second sets of beams and thereby produce a two-way distribution of the floor load to both said first and second sets of beams.

Claim 3

A modular flooring system as defined in claim 1 including a series of longitudinally disposed slab members positioned between adjacent said slabs, and each said slab member has a generally T-shaped cross-sectional configuration in a direction parallel to said elongated slabs.

Claim 4

A modular flooring system as defined in claim 1 wherein said second set of said beams each have outwardly projecting and longitudinally extending bottom flanges and a top surface disposed below the top surfaces of said slabs, said cables extend adjacent the top surfaces of said second set of beams, and means including a layer of concrete on the top surface of said second set of beams for securing said cables to said second set of beams.

Claim 5

In a method of constructing a prefabricated modular flooring system for a building structure, including the steps of positioning a first set of parallel spaced elongated precast concrete beams perpendicular to a second set of parallel spaced elongated precast concrete beams to form a horizontal frame defining a bay, supporting the adjacent ends of said beams at the corners of said frame, positioning a plurality of rectangular precast concrete floor slabs in parallel horizontal relation within said frame with opposite end portions of said slabs mounted on said first set of beams for supporting a portion of the floor load by said first set of beams, forming each of said floor slabs with a plurality of laterally spaced longitudinally extending walls projecting downwardly from an integrally connecting substantially flat horizontal upper wall, forming each of said floor slabs with a plurality of longitudinally spaced and laterally extending transverse walls projecting downwardly from said upper wall and integrally connecting said upper and longitudinally extending walls to define a plurality of longitudinally and laterally spaced downwardly facing cavities providing the bottom of said floor slab with a waffle-type configuration, and extending a set of elongated reinforcing members longitudinally within each said floor slab through said longitudinally extending walls, the improvement comprising the steps of extending a set of longitudinally spaced tubes substantially horizontally through said transverse walls of each said floor slab, locating said tubes within each floor slab in substantial horizontal alignment with the corresponding said tubes witHin each horizontally adjacent said floor slab, extending an elongated flexible post-tension cable continuously through each set of horizontally aligned said tubes within said floor slabs, and securing said cables to said second set of beams and said floor slabs after said cables are tensioned to provide for supporting another portion of the floor load by said second sets of beams and thereby produce a two-way distribution of the floor load to both said first and second sets of beams.

Claim 6

In a method of constructing a prefabricated modular flooring system for a building structure, including the steps of positioning a first set of parallel spaced elongated precast concrete beams perpendicular to a second set of parallel spaced elongated precast concrete beams to form a horizontal frame defining a bay, supporting the adjacent ends of said beams at the corners of said frame, positioning a plurality of rectangular precast concrete floor slabs in parallel horizontal relation within said frame with opposite end portions of said slabs mounted on said first set of beams for supporting a portion of the floor load by said first set of beams, forming each of said floor slabs with a plurality of laterally spaced longitudinally extending walls projecting downwardly from an integrally connecting substantially flat horizontal upper wall, forming each of said floor slabs with a plurality of longitudinally spaced and laterally extending transverse walls projecting downwardly from said upper wall and integrally connecting said upper and longitudinally extending walls to define a plurality of longitudinally and laterally spaced downwardly facing cavities providing the bottom of said floor slab with a waffle-type configuration, and extending a set of elongated reinforcing members longitudinally within each said floor slab through said longitudinally extending walls, the improvement comprising the steps of extending a set of longitudinally spaced tubes substantially horizontally through said transverse walls of each said floor slab, locating said tubes within each floor slab in substantial horizontal alignment with the corresponding said tubes witHin each horizontally adjacent said floor slab, extending an elongated flexible post-tension cable continuously through each set of horizontally aligned said tubes within said floor slabs, and securing said cables to said second set of beams and said floor slabs after said cables are tensioned to provide for supporting another portion of the floor load by said second sets of beams and thereby produce a two-way distribution of the floor load to both said first and second sets of beams.