Flat bed casting at Montesson
unit are sometimes held in the stock- pile area.
Both flat-bed production processes and vertical casting are employed, organised in casting bays arranged at right-angles to the main axis of the factory. Two shifts of between 8 and 9 hours each produce 12 to 14 dwel- lings per day.
The concrete is delivered to each horizontal casting bay by trolleys drawn by small trucks, which travel down the central aisle of the building.
Six bays are devoted to flat-bed production, each bay containing four casting tables and manned by a team of six operatives. Units of up to 22 ft. in length and 10 ft. in width can be produced from these horizontal tables, which are used for panels of a complex nature or those which re- quire more than one concrete mix.
The procedure for a typical ex- ternal wall panel, with a square tile finish, is as follows. First, the tiles are laid face downwards against the surface of the table, and covered with a thin layer of mortar. After a layer of concrete has been poured, the re- inforcement mat is placed in position. and then covered with concrete form the outer leaf of the unit, on which the polystyrene insulation is then placed. Further concrete and reinforcement form the inner leaf of the sandwich.
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During the casting process, both
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Residential blocks at Chilly-Mazarin, France
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reinforcement mats are tied together to give monolithic construction, and at certain stages, doors, windows, and other components are incorporated. The surface of the panel is smoothed by a mechanical float to eliminate any need for plastering on the site.
Heat curing is carried out by means of a cloche, or insulated cover. which is placed over the mould by the overhead crane with which every bay is equipped. Heating coils are incorporated in both cloche and cast- ing table.
When the panel is ready for re- moval from the mould, the curing cloche is taken off, and the table is inclined into a near-vertical position. The overhead crane then lifts the panel clear, and it is transferred to a temporary stockyard outside the bay. where it is eventually inspected.
Each horizontal casting table pro- duces a panel about every four hours.
Punched Card Production
The factory has four vertical cast- ing bays of two batteries for the manufacture of such units as parti- tions. and each battery produces twelve units at a time. The battery moulds are filled with concrete direct- ly from the main mixing plant by forced feed pipe, and the concrete is automatically vibrated as it is poured. Heat curing is also used, but only on
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the periphery of the battery to main- tain an even rate of curing with the concrete in the centre, where natural heat is produced.
An upper floor above the casting bays gives a number of clear areas where the reinforcement for the panels is formed into the appropriate shapes.
A feature of the factory is the use of a punched card and electronic computer system to give inter-relation and control over production, trans- port and erection.
A master plan is produced of the building for which the components are to be manufactured, and on the plan the position of every compon- ent is noted and the component itself is coded.
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Based on this master plan, punched card record for every panel is made. the card containing such information as in which bay and when it will be cast, its position in the building and the date on which it will arrive at the site, and even the number of the vehicle which will take it to the site and the panel's order of loading on to the vehicle.
The punched cards are fed through an electronic computer to give schedules of production, trans- port and erection, and the system is also used to produce stockpiling charts showing the requirements of production to maintain a minimum level in the stockpile area of any given unit, a daily instruction for the following day's production needs, cost analyses, and work studies.
Transport of the panels from fac- tory to site is a vital factor in the economics of the Camus system, and here the computer-produced sche- dules play a significant role. Ideally, the panel should arrive at the site in time to be off-loaded from the trailer directly into its position in the build- ing, thus avoiding double handling by the crane or alternatively unproduc- tive waiting by the laden transporter. Distance between factory and site is not so important as the time taken for the journey. Thus, a 20-mile journey through a traffic-congested and built-up area would be a less economic proposition than twice the distance covered on a fast arterial road, as the latter circumstance would probably allow more journeys to be made in a day by the same vehicle.
Flexibility
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An interesting feature of Camus. deriving from the high degree of flexibility inherent in the system, is the move in France into the field of the speculative builder, allowing pro- perty and estate developers to utilise the advantages of system building. This flexibility, both in types dwelling possible and their architec- Itural treatment, is demonstrated by the ability to provide either 20-storey blocks of flats or two-storey semi-de- tached houses from the same factory. Outside the housing sector, the sys- tem has also been used for the erec- tion in France of schools.
Far East Architect & Builder August, 1966