Halfen-Moment Malaysia Supporting University of Malaya on Innovative Precast System Research
The connection of precast components on construction sites has always been a difficult challenge due to manufacturing tolerances and the need to transfer loads through the structure; even more so when you factor in a required resilience to a seismic events. Precast components are inherently stiff, so it is essential that the connection components are robust enough to allow the structure to absorb the energy of the earthquake, whilst providing enough robustness to avoid collapse.
As innovation is one of our key drivers, Halfen Moment Malaysia will be supporting a research project by Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaysia to examine the mechanical and technical properties of Half Grout and Full Grout couplers, which has been widely used for precast connection.
This research will focus mainly on
1) The compressive strength of the grout material which fills the coupler duct in different ages of the grout mix.
2) The effect of the embedded length of the steel bar inside the coupler duct for half grout and full grout couplers.
3) The effect of the steel bar eccentricity and grout volume surrounding bar during the installation process inside the coupler duct.
The findings of this research will be important in guiding designers, fabricators and contractors in the field of civil engineering in order to select the best solutions of couplers for splicing of RC bars in the precast industry. Halfen Moment will provide our products and advice in this research to ensure this research to run smoothly and achieves the intended output successfully.
Halfen Moment Unveils New Brand Identity And Logo
Halfen Moment Group is proud to announce that we are releasing an updated brand identity, including our new Why, logo and tagline. It marks the occasion of celebrating our incredible growth journey across 27 years from a start up to a market leader in building construction accessories with more than 500 clients across 30 countries.
New Company Logo
New Why
Our group’s new Why is to be an innovative solution provider for the building structure, offering localized products, which ultimately improve progress efficiencies and reduce overall costs for our valued clients. “Along with our new Why, our new logo better communicates what Halfen Moment stands for today, I’m delighted that we’ve delivered something that takes into account other people’s views from within the company and one that showcases who we are externally too.” said Andi Lapon, Managing Director of Halfen Moment Group. ”
We emphasized our forward-thinking mindset and objective to achieve strong growth, driving innovation while focus on localization. The new visual identity presents the company as modern and evolving, reflects the strength and direction of its brand portfolio, and underscores its commitment to local solutions for local problems with the most suitable technologies.
New Tagline: Driving Change
Since we began our journey as a company in 1991, we have carried the same logo and it has taken us through initial phase of our growth but going forward we need to be the game changer, driving the change in the construction industry. Halfen Moment has been part of CRH, a leading global building materials group, since 2012. By integrating ‘A CRH Company’ endorsement in our new company logo, we are taking the opportunity to establish our credentials as part of this highly successful group with global recognition.
New Brand Identity
You will see our new brand at construction sites, at exhibitions, on social media, on our products and so on. We believe that the new look represents our incredible growth journey from a start up to a market leader and of a company that is modernizing and growing at a rapid pace riding on its advanced technical advice, innovative design and most simplified interactions.
We hope you like this new look and feel for the new Halfen Moment. Our marketing materials and signage will be updated gradually, you may see the previous logo in use for a short while as we undertake this process. To request for artwork, please email to info@halfen-moment.com.
Supporting University of Malaya on Innovative Precast System Research
The connection of precast components on construction sites has always been a difficult challenge due to manufacturing tolerances and the need to transfer loads through the structure; even more so when you factor in a required resilience to a seismic events. Precast components are inherently stiff, so it is essential that the connection components are robust enough to allow the structure to absorb the energy of the earthquake, whilst providing enough robustness to avoid collapse.
As innovation is one of our key drivers, Halfen Moment Malaysia will be supporting a research project by Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaysia to examine the mechanical and technical properties of Half Grout and Full Grout couplers, which has been widely used for precast connection.
This research will focus mainly on
1) The compressive strength of the grout material which fills the coupler duct in different ages of the grout mix.
2) The effect of the embedded length of the steel bar inside the coupler duct for half grout and full grout couplers.
3) The effect of the steel bar eccentricity and grout volume surrounding bar during the installation process inside the coupler duct.
The findings of this research will be important in guiding designers, fabricators and contractors in the field of civil engineering in order to select the best solutions of couplers for splicing of RC bars in the precast industry. Halfen Moment will provide our products and advice in this research to ensure this research to run smoothly and achieves the intended output successfully.
Industrialized Building System: The Malaysian Approach
What is the Industrialized Building System(IBS)?
An Industrialized Building System (IBS) refers to a technique of construction whereby components are manufactured in a controlled environment – either onsite or offsite – placed and assembled into construction works. The term IBS is often tossed around in the world of construction in Malaysia, overseas it goes by other terms such as Pre-fabricated construction, Modern Method of Construction (MMC) or even Off-site Construction.
IBS is also defined as an integrated manufacturing and construction process, carefully planned organization, and efficient management, preparation and control of resources, activities and results from the highly developed components. The manufacturing of the components are done with machines, templates, and other forms of machinery and equipment. Components manufactured off-site, once completed, will be delivered to the General Assembly and erection of the construction site.
The five main IBS groups present in Malaysia:
• Precast Concrete Framing, Panel and Box Systems – pre-cast columns, beams, slabs, 3-D components (balconies, staircases, toilets)
• Formwork Systems – tunnel forms, EPS-based forms, beams and columns moulding forms, permanent steel formwork
• Steel Framing Systems – steel beams and columns, portal frames, roof trusses
• Prefabricated Timber Framing Systems – timber frames, roof trusses
• Block Work Systems – interlocking concrete masonry units (CMU), lightweight concrete blocks
The Benefits of the IBS
• Higher quality products and minimum waste, due to a factory work environment that is easier to control.
• Elimination of conventional timber props and an obvious decrease of supporting materials, through the use of complete assembly elements or prop system for the onsite casting process.
• Stronger and safer work platform, produced through a complete assembly element.
• Faster completion, due to the introduction of prefabricated components to replace onsite fabrication.
• Safer, cleaner and more organized site, due to the reduction of construction waste, site workers and prefabricated construction materials.
• Cheaper total construction cost, resulting from the above factors.
The general idea the IBS is to realign effort and resources away from the less controlled environment of the construction site to the more controlled environment of the workshop. The implementation of IBS aims to create higher quality levels of construction at its core through control and consistency. As it stands right now, the implementation of IBS in Malaysia is met with many challenges but IBS is the future of construction and will play a key role in the future of the industry.
Overview of our solutions for the Precast & IBS Industry
The building below shows some of the possible applications for Leviat products in the precast/IBS industry, from mechanical splices to specifically designed precast technologies for lifting and connections. Whether for civil engineering or in residential and commercial projects, Leviat products play a crucial role behind the concrete.
Click here to learn more about our construction accessories for the IBS Precast Industry
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Mechanical Splices vs Lap Splicing
Lapping of rebars has long been considered an effective, economical splicing method, but today’s more demanding concrete designs are forcing builders to consider alternatives.
In almost all reinforced-concrete structures, rebars must be spliced. The required length of a bar may be longer than the stock length of steel, or the bar may be too long to be delivered conveniently. In either case, rebar installers end up with two or more pieces of steel that must be spliced together.
Lap splicing, which requires the overlapping of two parallel bars, has long been accepted as an effective, economical splicing method. However, there has been a shift in recent years. Continuing research, more demanding designs in concrete, new materials and the development of composite materials have forced designers to consider alternatives to lap splicing, which is mechanical splices.
Mechanical splices are mechanical connections between two pieces of rebar that enable the bars to behave in a manner similar to continuous lengths of rebar. Mechanical splices join rebar end-to-end, providing many of the advantages of a continuous piece of rebar. They are more reliable than lap splices because they do not depend on concrete for load transfer. Today, a range of mechanical splices are available to ensure that a precise, reliable connection can be made quicker and easier.
The 5 Key Benefits of Mechanical Splices
Mechanical splices offer builders the following benefits:
1) Improved structural integrity
Mechanical splices maintain load path continuity of the reinforcement, independent of the condition or existence of the concrete. To use splices in tensile regions, they must be able to develop the full strength of the rebar and not create a weak point. Therefore the performance of the system is assured throughout the strain-hardening region where plastic deformations occur. In seismic applications, mechanical splices maintain structural integrity when bars are stressed beyond yield, allowing the predictable formation of plastic hinges.
2) No reliance on concrete for load transfer
In coastal regions, rebar corrosion can produce concrete delamination and spalling. Since lap splices transfer load through the surrounding concrete, when the concrete is gone, the lap splice in effect has failed. Mechanical splices do not rely on the concrete for load transfer and therefore maintain the structural integrity.
3) Elimination of lap splice calculations
Mechanical splicing does away with the tedious calculations needed to determine proper lap lengths and the potential calculation errors.
4) Reduced material costs
Because mechanical splices do not overlap, less rebar is used, reducing some of the material costs. This cost savings can be particularly significant for jobs requiring expensive epoxy- coated or galvanized bars, since building codes require up to 50% longer splice laps for these bars than for standard rebars.
5) Reduced rebar congestion
A common complaint of concrete placing crews is that they can’t get the concrete through the rebar cages. Laps effectively double the steel to concrete ratio, and the resulting congestion can restrict the flow and distribution of larger aggregate particles and limit the effectiveness of vibration. Mechanical splices will significantly reduce this congestion.
Cost Comparison
Although the advantages of mechanical splices are well recognized, a major concern has been their high cost for applications where the codes permit the use of lap splices. But is the perception that mechanical splices cost more than lap splices a reality? By using couplers, contractors can be more cost efficient, able to achieve from 20-50% of cost savings compared to lap splicing. Apart from that, there are many other savings which can be anticipated such as;
Reduction no. of joints
6 meters length will be most ideal for joining and this would result in reduction of no. of laps by,
Assuming height of building: 100 metres
Typical floor height: 3.2 metres
No. of laps: 100 / 3.2 = 31 laps
No. of coupler joints: 100 / 6 = 16 joints
Therefore reduction in no. of laps: [(31-16)/31] x 100% = 48%
Minimal wastages of HTDBs
Assuming floor height of 3.2m and lap length of 1.275m
Length of steel bar per floor is : 3.2m + 1.275m = 4.475m
For a 12metres steel bar, two nos of 4.475metres length bar could be prepared.
Balance: 12metres –4.475metres –4.475metres = 3.05metres
By adopting a 6m bar for coupler joint. No wastage is anticipated. Therefore wastage occurred due to lapping is (3.05m/12m)*100% = 25.42%
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Halfen Moment Singapore Celebrates 20th Year Anniversary
2018 was special for us as Halfen Moment was celebrating 20 years of excellence in Singapore. Two decades ago, JoinTechnique was established with a small office, serving local and international clients. After being acquired by CRH 6 years ago, today Halfen Moment Singapore is a recognized leading building solution provider in the region.
Innovation is part of our story. Advising our clients, we have always applied value-adding innovative solution combined with high quality products. Our team has worked consistently this whole time to achieve our fundamental goal – becoming the Standard of excellence in the market.
Currently, Halfen Moment in Singapore employs 35 enthusiastic and experienced employees. We are proud to be part of an active team full of creativity, professional drive, innovative ideas and determination to make them work. We are especially grateful to colleagues whose professional activity at Halfen Moment lasts over 10 years.
We have spoken to Peter Teo, Production Supervisor and also the pioneer of Halfen Moment Singapore, who has been with us since 20 years ago. He reflected on the company’s 20th anniversary by saying, “This has been the fastest and most interesting 20 years of my life. If you don’t like change, innovation is not for you.’ Read full interview below:
What has been the critical success factors across the last 20 years?
Great teamwork, shorter lead time than competitors on threading, flexibility for urgent orders, providing good services and building good relationships with customers are the key factors of success throughout all these years.
What was the biggest challenge we have faced in the past?
To manage the production with continuous increase in productivity and cost control in order to be competitive, continuous improvement and innovation.
What are some of the changes that you have seen over time and what do you hope to see in the future?
From the annual company dinner of only 2 employees to the current manpower we have now is a significant change. Other changes include better, faster and more reliable modified machines for threading services, expanding into construction accessories, production of corrugated ducts and implementation of 16LSR & 6S. All these events have brought huge impact to where we are now as a key player in the industry.
Gary Connah, Managing Director of Halfen Moment Singapore with Peter Teo, Production Supervisor at the 6S Audit Certification ceremony
Last but not least, we would like to take this opportunity to thank our clients, business partners, and look forward to future successes together. With your continued support, we are certain the next 20 will be even better.
Malaysia Prime Minister Visits Halfen Moment Booth at Annual Ministerial Event 2018
Halfen Moment Malaysia was proud to be invited as one of the 20 multinational companies to exhibit at the InvestKL Annual Ministerial Event 2018 themed ‘Impacting Malaysian Lives through Innovation’ which saw the presence of more than 1,000 guests from multinationals, foreign embassies, government, stakeholders and universities, with the graceful presence of Malaysia’s Honorable Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Razak.
Y.A.B. Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib was on hand to tour and visited Halfen Moment Malaysia’s booth during the event, where we have showcased our innovative building products for the precast & IBS industry. During his visit, Y.A.B. Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib suggested that Halfen Moment’s innovative building products for the IBS industry are consistent with Malaysia’s Construction Industry Transformation Programme (CITP) as it can achieve one of the goals which is to transform the image of the construction industry from 3D (Dirty, Dangerous and Difficult) to a clean, efficient industry with shorter construction timelines.
During the visit of the Prime Minister, Andi Lapon, Managing Director of Halfen Moment Group explained the applications of the building products displayed and how they play a crucial role behind the building concrete. The event also saw the launch of the Malaysia Global Talent (MGT) programme by InvestKL and TalentCorp (supported by Ministry of Higher Education) to produce future Malaysian global corporate leaders.
The Prime Minister, Y.A.B. Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib listened intently as Andi Lapon, Managing Director of Halfen Moment Group, explained about the applications of the products.
Halfen Moment team at the booth. Thank you to everyone who came to our booth and said hello – it was a great pleasure meeting you all!
Halfen Moment Singapore Proudly Sponsored Urban Structures Seminar 2018
Halfen Moment Singapore was proud to be a one of the key sponsors for the Singapore Concrete Institute’s Urban Structures seminar 2018 which took place at the HDB Centre of Building Research on 15th March 2018. A series of topics on quality and cost saving buildings construction have been conducted.
Managing Director of Halfen Moment Singapore, Gary Connah has contributed in one of the sessions by sharing a topic on ‘The Secret of Robust Precast Connections: A Singapore Journey’. The connection of precast components on construction sites has always been a difficult challenge due to manufacturing tolerances and the need to transfer loads through the structure.
Hence, a number of ways of precast connections has been introduced throughout the seminar such as:
• Grout Coupler to connect walls and columns to foundation
• Connection loops to connect 2 precast boxes for the prefabricated prefinished volumetric construction (PPVC)
• Wire Loop Box to connect walls together
• Halfen HEK Precast Coupler for wall/slab to wall connections
• Column Shoes for installing precast concrete columns
• Invisible Connections to connect precast concrete without using corbels
Discussions in the seminar primarily revolved around lifting and erecting of precast elements; connections for wall panels; connections for columns and beams and connections for stair landings in the precast sector.
The event was an opportunity for Halfen Moment Group and more than 100 engineers who have attended to provide a platform to exchange views on precast technologies in Singapore.
IEM Evening Talk on Invisible Connections
Halfen Moment Malaysia organized an IEM evening talk on ‘Invisible Connections-Total Solution for Precast Connections’. The evening talk mainly focused on Invisible Connections which has been used as a modern way of connecting precast concrete without use of corbels or angles.
Traditionally, precast slabs such as stair landings used to be supported by a steel angle bolted to the wall. Installation was slow, required a high degrees of accuracy, tied up the crane with costly hook- time and could only be used on straight walls. Invisible Connections products were developed specifically to address these and other needs.
•The Architect gains a smooth obstacle-free soffit with no supports on show.
•The Engineer gains a robust, simple and efficient connection, which can also be used to satisfy robustness.
•The Insitu Contractor does not need to incorporate connections into the wall requiring tight tolerance.
•The Precaster keeps control of the connection within the factory, with no need for specialist operations on site.
•The Main Contractor gains reduced crane hook-time requirements, and rapid provision of access stairs.
From a buildability perspective, Invisible Connections appeal typically to precast concrete manufacturers and in-situ concrete frame contractors who appreciate the fuss-free ease with which precast or in-situ elements can be connected. It also has aesthetic benefit to architects who appreciate the enabling of ‘clean lines’ wherever concrete elements are joined.
The speaker, Gary Connah, Managing Director of Halfen Moment Singapore covered many topics during the evening talk, presenting the range of Invisible Connections available, with different benefits and applications. More than 30 engineers and customers attended this seminar and Halfen Moment would like to thank all who have attended and hope that you had a fruitful and informative session.
Token of appreciation from IEM to the speaker, Gary Connah
Jointly held seminar with IEM at Wisma IEM.
How Proof Load Improves The Reliability Of Rebar Couplers?
What Is Proof Load?
The compliance testing for couplers consist of 2 tests.
i) Tensile Strength Test- Loading to failure to determine the maximum force
ii) Slip Test/ Permanent Elongation- To capture the displacement in the thread under service loads
Before carrying out a tensile strength test, the slip test has to be carried out according to ISO 15835:2009 by stressing the coupler to 0.6fy. After the coupled bar has been loaded to 0.6fy, the load is removed and the residual displacement is measured to ensure that excessive displacement will not result in serviceability problems. This slip limit varies from standard to standard, but the limit in ISO 15835:2009 is 0.10mm.
A proof load represents a load level above the likely service stresses, but below the design yield of the rebar. When loaded to 0.75fy, it will ensure that every connection installed can achieve an acceptable safety factor against failure. A side effect of this proof loading is stress relief of the cold work done during production. This stress relief then reduces the amount of permanent elongation in the system, giving the final structure a larger safety factor against serviceability limits.
The Importance Of Proof Loaded Threading System
With proof loading, we will be able to determine beforehand and assure the threading system meets the requirements. At Leviat, proof loading facility is available upon request, every prepared bar end will undergo a proof load testing prior leaving the production factory.
A positive indication ‘A’ will be stamped on the rebar to indicate that proof load has been carried out.
To fulfil the quality assurance of MRT Line 1 & 2 projects in Malaysia and LTA requirements in Singapore, Leviat has managed to provide proof loading for each rebar thread, to check the embrittlement of the threads and control the slip. It is our part of the quality control procedure developed to reassure good quality of threads before we supply it to each project site. After all, a good quality connection between rebars is not just settled by the quality of the coupler but also equally by the quality of the threading on rebars.