Compared to starter bars, column shoes are installed in the exact position by using endplates – goodbye to floppy corrugated pipes! If you are doing a long production run with the same dimensions, the end plate is easily fabricated in plywood or in steel.
The second step is to attach casting boxes in order to create a recess for the anchor bolts and nuts. You can use our durable casting boxes made of steel or you can fabricate them yourself with polystyrene or similar materials. Note, however, that self-made polystyrene casting boxes can be used only once, whereas Peikko's steel Casting Boxes are designed for continuous industrial use – the choice is yours.
If you want to avoid using casting boxes altogether, a K version of the column shoe with an integrated top plate is always an option.
Easy for you, great on site
For you as a precaster, a column shoe is as easy to use as the starter bar method. But on site, bolted column connections offer a lot of advantages when compared to starter bars or socket connections. A moment-stiff connection is made quickly by lowering the column on to the anchor bolts and tightening with nuts. No temporary bracing is needed – a welcome benefit on any construction site.
Casting with column shoes
- Place the column shoes into the reinforcement and fix them in the correct grid with a prefabricated end plate.
- Check that the casting boxes are in place.
- Cast the column.
