Why a waffle raft slab supported on driven timber piles does not require saw cuts.

Hi Vaughan,

CORE50’s position is that saw cuts are not required for structural performance of the waffle raft slab supported on driven timber piles. The slab has been designed on the basis that concrete will crack, with strength provided by the slab thickness, ribs, reinforcement, and pile support, not by saw cuts. Saw cuts do not increase or reduce the structural capacity of the slab, they only influence where shrinkage cracking may occur. If you elect to have saw cuts installed, they are recommended to be placed along the edges of the slab thickenings and not through the thickenings themselves. The inclusion of saw cuts is therefore a client decision only and is treated as a crack‑control and visual preference, not a structural requirement.

From C3524 Mapbar Warehouse