PEB and RCC building and also Concrete Shell structures are three fundamental approaches used globally in the industry for building discrete structures. PEB is preferred in cold regions where it has the advantage of higher tensile strength than RCC. On the contrary, RCC is more suitable in hot regions. Here is a detailed discussion on these three methods.
Comparison Between PEB and RCC Building
| Feature | PEB Building Construction | RCC Building/Concrete Shell Structures |
| Components | PEB structures consist of primary frame, secondary frame, roof and wall panels, sandwich panels and other accessories. | Concrete structures consist of beams, columns, staircases, slabs and foundations. |
| Dimensions | Accurate and Precise measurements are made by using automated machinery, usually softwares are used. | Potential for major errors since the construction involves a lot of labor and man-made work. |
| Fabrication | It is done under control conditions at production facilities. | It is done mostly on site under the influence of various variables that might affect the construction quality. |
| Casting | Steel on the other hand needs to be casted in the sizes commercially available, otherwise it needs to be imported, which turns out to be quite costly. | Because of the fluid nature of concrete, it can be casted into any shape and size, as we do in case of shell structures. |
| Capacity | Steel has the capacity to carry up to 6 times its own weight which makes it an ideal material to be used for construction of PEB structures. | In case of concrete, it hardly supports load equal to its own weight. |
| Strength | Steel works extremely well in tension, and behaves in a very linear pattern with tension. | Whereas, even though concrete has great compressive properties, it is very weak in tension and breaks easily. |
| Changes | PEB construction is quite flexible in terms of changes since everything is tailor-made and amendments can be made easily. | It is near to impossible to make changes to a RCC structure to meet any future needs. |
| Specifications | Material specifications are fixed, precise and can be accurately controlled under supervision. | Specifications, in this case, are both non-homogeneous and variable; the major reason for which is the extremely flexible property of concrete to change its properties with the change in proportion of different materials used in its manufacturing. |
| Availability | Steel, occasionally, has to be imported and isn’t readily available for use. | Materials required for shell construction are easily and locally available. |
| Height | Extremely high and tall buildings can be constructed using PEB construction since steel is relatively lighter material. | Concrete structures, on the contrary, are shorter comparatively considering rise in value of dead loads with the increase in height of the building |
| Span | Clear span is larger, almost up to 90 meters without any interior columns, which saves a lot of material. | Clear span is relatively quite small since, a larger span only increase the over-all weight of the structure. |
| Erection | The erection process is pretty simple, fast and efficient. It is easiest part of PEB construction. | Because of the pouring, curing and hardening time of concrete, and also due to the need of great detail at places, makes it rather time taking to erect concrete structures. |
| Expansion | Future expansion is pretty easy since it just involves bolting and riveting new components to the older ones, and doesn’t need much man power. | Even in case of expansion, the contractor needs to lay foundations and columns for an almost new structure, and will mostly likely has to break previous structure at various points. |
| Foundations | The design is quite simple and results in lighter structures which are easy to construct. | Heavy foundations are required in this case which are extensive and variable in nature. |
| Area Utilization | These structures are well suited to utilize less space and to create more, since you can always provide the building with more height which is very feasible in case of steel structures. | RCC structures on the other hand, majorly expand over a larger area and utilize more space. |
| Appearance | Steel structures can be unappealing if left exposed, so they always need some sort of covering. | Shell structures on the other hand are very easy on the eyes and add to the aesthetic value of the structure. |
| Maintenance | Steel is quite sensitive to rusting and thus, PEB structures requires frequent checking and maintenance. | Concrete structures, on the other hand, requires low to almost zero maintenance. |
| Corrosion Sensitivity | In case, the paint coating over steel isn’t of good quality, then it is highly likely that steel will start to rust and pre-cautions need to be taken. | Whereas concrete shell structures are completely free from this hazard and won’t rust, and thus quality will not be compromised. |
| Resistance | These structures have relatively low fire resistance and require special protection. | Concrete structures, on the other hand, have comparatively good fire resistance properties. |
| Labor | A single supplier can get the job done easily and quickly even if skilled labor is not available momentarily. | Skilled labor is required for concrete construction. |
| Durability | Because of its lighter nature, steel is slightly less durable when compared to RCC. | RCC structures are well known for their durability because of the rigidity reinforced concrete provides to the structure. |
| Initial Cost | Initial cost of steel is higher. It is approximately 38.19% higher as compared to RCC construction. | Whereas, RCC construction saves up to 41.28% if in comparison composite steel is being utilized. |
| Economy | Even though steel is expensive, but when looked at the overall construction cost, PEB construction turns out to be comparatively cheaper. The major benefit being that the cost can be accurately and precisely defined and estimated. | RCC construction turns out to be relatively variable in terms of cost estimation and also, the construction cost is higher due to numerous variables involved. |
| Insulation Cost | PEB structures require insulation up to a certain benchmark which only acts to increase the overall construction cost. | Shell structures are rather economical in terms of the ultimate construction cost because of the fact that no further insulation is required. |
| Warranty | The warranty period of steel structures is quite high; on average at least 20 years. | Whereas, concrete structures have low warranty period; around 5-10 years. |
| Lifespan | Steel structures last from around 35-52 years. | Lifespan, on the other hand, for a concrete structures is extremely high; about a 100 years. |
| Applications | Used in both industrial and commercial construction. | Preferred for Villas, Houses and Parliament buildings. |
Earthquake Resistance
It has been seen that a hybrid between PEB and RCC building can help cope with natural disasters, such as earthquakes, where the best attributes of both structures can be studied and utilized to create earthquake resistance.
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