Food Factory Building

Components
Prepared By
Maisa Rahman
Lecturer
Department of Chemical Engineering
Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology
Introduction
▪ When designing a building, an architect plans for spatial, environmental and
visual requirements.
▪ Once these requirements are satisfied, it is necessary to detail the fabric of
the building.
▪ The choice of materials and the manner in which they are put together to
form building elements, such as the foundation, walls, floor and roof,
depend largely upon their properties relative to environmental
requirements and their strength.
Factors considered during buiding construction
The process of building construction thus involves an understanding of:
❑ the nature and characteristics of a number of materials;
❑ the methods to process them and form them into building units and
components;
❑ structural principles;
❑ stability and behaviour under load;
❑ building production operations; and
❑ building economics
Loads on building components
Loads are usually divided into the following categories:
1. Dead loads:
• These result from the mass of all the elements of the building, including
footings, foundation, walls, suspended floors, frame and roof.
• These loads are permanent, fixed and relatively easy to calculate.
2. Live loads:
• These result from the mass of animals, people, equipment and stored
products.
• Although the mass of these loads can be calculated readily, the fact that the
number or amount of components may vary considerably from time to time
makes live loads more difficult to estimate than dead loads.
• Live loads also include the forces resulting from natural phenomena, such as
wind, earthquakes and snow.
Wind velocity pressure calculation
Where wind velocities have been recorded, the following equation can be used
to determine the expected pressures on building walls:

q = 0.0127 V2 k
Where:
q = basic velocity pressure (Pa)
V = wind velocity (m/s)
k = (h/6.1)2/7
h = design height of building, in meters (eave height for low and medium roof
pitches)
6.1 = height at which wind velocities were often recorded
Dead Loads
Footings and Foundations
▪ A foundation is necessary to support the building and the loads within or on
the building.
▪ The combination of footing and foundation distributes the load on the
bearing surface, keeps the building level and plumb, and reduces settling to
a minimum.
▪ When properly designed, there should be little or no cracking in the
foundation, and no water leaks.
▪ The footing and foundation should be made of a material that will not fail in
the presence of ground or surface water.
▪ Before the footing for the foundation can be designed, it is necessary to
determine the total load to be supported.
▪ If, for some reason, the load is concentrated in one or more areas, this will
need to be taken into consideration.
▪ Once the load is determined, the soil-bearing and drainage characteristics of
the site must be studied.
Soil Bearing
▪ The top layer of soil is seldom suitable for a footing.
▪ The soil is likely to be loose, unstable and contain organic material.
▪ Consequently, the topsoil should be removed and the footing trench
deepened to provide a level, undisturbed surface for the entire building
foundation.
▪ If this is not feasible because of a sloping site, the footing will need to be
stepped.
▪ The footing should never be placed on a filled area unless there has been
sufficient time for consolidation.
▪ This usually takes at least one year with a normal amount of rainfall.
▪ The bearing capacity of soil is related to the soil type and the expected
moisture level.
Site drainage
▪ It is desirable to site any building on well drained land.
▪ However, other considerations such as access roads, water supply, existing
services or a shortage of land may dictate the use of a poorly drained area.
▪ If a building site with poor natural drainage must be used, it can be
improved by the use of contour interceptor drains or subsurface drains in
order to cut off the flow of surface water or to lower the level of the
water table.
▪ Apart from protecting the building against damage from moisture, drainage
will also improve the stability of the ground and lower the humidity of the
site.
Foundation footings
▪ A footing is an enlarged base for a foundation designed to distribute the
building load over a larger area of soil and to provide a firm, level surface for
constructing the foundation wall.
▪ A foundation wall, regardless of the material used for its construction,
should be built on a continuous footing of poured concrete.
▪ Although the footing will be covered, and lean mixes of concrete are
considered satisfactory, a footing that is strong enough to resist cracking
also helps to keep the foundation from cracking.
▪ A 1:3:5 ratio of cement–sand–gravel is suggested, with 31 liters of water per
50 kg sack of cement. The amount of water assumes dry aggregates.
▪ If the sand is damp, the water should be reduced by 4 liters to 5 liters.
▪ The total area of the footing is determined by dividing the total load
(including an estimated mass for the footing itself) by the bearing, by
dividing the area by the length.
Types of foundation
▪ Write short notes on each type!
Foundation materials
▪ The foundation material should be at least as durable as the rest of the
structure.
▪ Foundations are subject to attack by moisture, rodents, termites and, to a
limited extent, wind.
▪ The moisture may come from rain, surface water or groundwater and,
although a footing drain can reduce the problem, it is important to use a
foundation material that will not be damaged by water or the lateral force
created by saturated soil on the outside of the wall.
Foundation materials
1. Stones
❑ Stones are strong, durable and economical to use if they are available near the
building site.
❑ It is difficult to make stone foundation watertight. Also, it is difficult to exclude
termites from buildings with it because of the numerous passages between the
stones.
2. Earth
❑ The primary advantage of using earth as a foundation material is its low cost and
availability.
❑ It is suitable only in very dry climates.
❑ Where rainfall and soil moisture are too high for an unprotected earth foundation,
they may be faced with stones, or shielded from moisture with polythene sheet.
Foundation materials
3. Poured concrete
❑ Concrete is one of the best foundation materials because it is hard, durable and strong in
compression.
❑ It is not damaged by moisture and can be made nearly watertight for basement walls.
❑ It is easy to cast into the unique shapes required for each foundation.

4. Concrete blocks
❑ Concrete blocks may be used to construct attractive and durable foundation walls.
❑ The forms required for poured-concrete walls are unnecessary and, because of their large size,
concrete blocks will lay up faster than bricks.

5. Bricks
❑ Stabilized earth bricks or blocks have the same inherent restrictions as monolithic earth
foundations.
❑ They are suitable only in very dry areas and even there they need protection from moisture.
❑ Locally made burnt bricks can often be obtained at low cost, but only the best quality bricks are
satisfactory for use in moist conditions.
❑ Factory made bricks are generally too expensive to be used for foundations.
Walls
▪ Walls for plant buildings are made of brick, concrete, concrete block, aluminum
and glass.
▪ Bricks are widely used for the construction of walls.
▪ It is relatively cheaper and proper plastering and painting makes the walls quite
water proof.
▪ In many sections, glazed tiles are laid up-o the height of 7 feet or more for ease
of cleaning.
▪ With adequate care, repairs can be made without spoiling the appearance of
the building.
▪ Concrete walls are relatively costly and repairing is difficult.
▪ Provision is necessary to tackle the need of unsightly repairs.
▪ Aluminum partition walls can be made using flat panel construction or
corrugated sheets.
▪ Glass panels used in building give good lighting but it is essential to keep the
glass surfaces clean.
Importance of Walls
▪ Walls may be divided into two types:
1. Load-bearing walls that support loads from floors and roof in addition
to their own weight and resist side-pressure from wind and, in some
cases, from stored material or objects within the building. The width of
the load bearing wall using standard brick is 14” or 9”.
2. Non-load-bearing walls that carry no floor or roof loads.
▪ Each type may be further divided into external or enclosing walls, and
internal dividing walls.
▪ The term ‘partition’ is applied to walls, either load-bearing or non-load-
bearing, that divide the space within a building into rooms.
▪ The width of partition wall using standard brick is about 4”
Types of building wall
While there are various ways to construct a wall and many different materials
can be used, walls can be divided into four main groups:
1. Masonry walls
2. Monolithic walls
3. Frame walls
4. Membrane walls
1. Masonry walls:
❑ Where the wall is built of individual blocks of materials such as brick,
clay, concrete block or stone, usually in horizontal courses bonded
together with some form of mortar.
❑ Several earth-derived products, either air-dried or fired, are reasonable
in cost and well suited to the climate.

2. Monolithic walls:
❑ Where the wall is built of a material placed in forms during construction.
❑ The traditional earth wall and the modern concrete wall are examples.
❑ Earth walls are inexpensive and durable if placed on a good foundation
and protected from rain by rendering or wide roof overhangs.
3. Frame walls:
❑ Where the wall is constructed as a frame of relatively small members,
usually of timber, at close intervals, which, together with facing or
sheathing on one or both sides, form a load-bearing system.
❑ Offcuts are a low-cost material to use for a frame-wall covering.

4. Membrane walls:
❑ Where the wall is constructed as a sandwich of two thin skins or sheets
of reinforced plastic, metal, asbestos cement or other suitable material
bonded to a core of foamed plastic to produce a thin wall element with
high strength and low weight.
Factors determining the type of wall to be used
1. the materials available at a reasonable cost;
2. the availability of craft workers capable of using the materials
in the best way;
3. climate;
4. the use of the building and functional requirements.
Surface finishing for walls
▪ Plastering using cement to sand ratio of 1:2 or 1:3 is used for surface finish of
walls.
▪ The plaster is generally applied in two coats (1) floating coat and (2) finished
coat.
▪ The floating coat of the plaster is 1.5 to 2.0 cm thick.
▪ The main purposes of plastering are as follows.
❑ To hide irregularity of walls (grooves)

❑ To avoid unevenness of wall during construction

❑ To improve the appearance of the wall
❑ It provides or facilitates the application of suitable paint
❑ It also prevents deterioration and protects the wall from external atmospheric
effect.
▪ Ceramic glazed tiles/vitrified tiles are also used for the purpose of wall finish.
Ceramic/Glazed Tiles
▪ Glazed tiles are laid up to the height of 2 m in the processing room and
other sections of food plant.
▪ The use of glazed tiles provides a surface which can be easily cleaned and
hygienic conditions can be maintained.
▪ These tiles also make the wall waterproof.
Classification of Tiles
1. Non – vitreous:
▪ Non-vitreous tiles has a high degree of moisture absorption greater than
7% of the weight of the tiles.
▪ Even though, it does not prevent the tiles from having high degree of
strength and it also facilitates installation because of their adherence to
the mortar.
2. Semi-vitreous:
▪ These tiles have a high density that limits the moisture adsorption to 3-
7% of the weight of the tiles.
3. Vitreous:
▪ These tiles have a moisture absorption of 0.5 to 3.0%.
4. Impervious:
▪ These tiles are the hard and their moisture absorption is less than 0.5%
and they are readily cleaned off stains and dirt.
Floors
▪ Building floors may be as simple as compacting the soil present on the site
before the building is constructed, or as complex as attractively finished
hardwood parquet.
▪ A well chosen, well-built floor offers protection from vermin and rodents, is
easy to clean, and is dry, durable and a valuable asset to a building.
▪ For special circumstances, it may be designed to be washable, particularly
attractive, thermally insulated, sloped to a drain or perfectly smooth and
level.
 General requirement of plant floors
✓ It is necessary to use different types of the flooring material depending upon the
use of the flooring surface. One single type of floor in the entire plant is not
possible if wear is to be kept to a minimum.
✓ Plant floor requires different types of flooring in order to cope with hazards and
other problems of various sections.
✓ It is desirable that floors should impervious, durable and long lasting.
✓ The material of flooring should be such that it can be cleaned easily, if required,
non-slippery and cost effective.
✓ The flooring is designed considering the effect of washing and cleaning as well
as and the ability to withstand changes of temperature by provision of adequate
expansion joints.
✓ The provision of adequate fall and drains helps not only to avoid the possibility
of water pools but also assists the rapid removal of product spillage and cleaning
solutions. This helps in reducing the corrosion effect to the flooring materials.
✓ Drainage channels should be at least 15 cm from the wall and drainage channels
should not be placed along side walls, as far as possible. Water seepage may
cause corrosion of structural steel and weakens the flooring base or R.C.C.
Structural base
▪ The structural base is usually of concrete or R.C.C. (reinforced cement
concrete)
▪ A concrete structural base may be cast as a slab directly on the
ground/R.C.C. or it may be suspended slab pre-cast concrete units.
▪ It should be designed to resist all the static and dynamic stresses with
provision of heavy foundation required for installation of equipment.
▪ The structural base should be made of good concrete and thoroughly
compacted.
Flooring materials
1. Portland cement concrete:
It is mostly commonly used as flooring material. The floors are resistant to abrasion and alkali.
However, it is vulnerable to weak acids and deteriorates under the influence of liquid waste
i.e. milk.
2. High alumina cement concrete:
It resists acid solution above a pH 5.0 and is favorable than plain Portland cement. However, it
is attacked by weak solutions of alkali and it loses its strength and resistance to abrasion under
hot moist conditions. Hence, it is not regarded as a suitable flooring material for dairy plant.
3. Granolithic concrete :
It contains more cement than ordinary cement concrete and gives good results in dairies,
although its surface can be corroded slowly by lactic acids, milk residues and acid detergents.
There is no shrinkage after laying concrete tiles which is made of granolithic concrete and
cured under controlled conditions.
4. Ceramic floor tiles:
It can be used for flooring where moderate resistance to wearing is expected. These tiles are
resistant to attacks by acids and alkalis. These tiles are available in different sizes. These tiles
should be thick so as to resist impact damage.
Requirements of a food plant floor/characteristics
of a food plant floor
▪ They should be impervious, smooth and easy to clean.
▪ It should be able to withstand the effect of lactic acid.
▪ It should be able to resist the effect of the cleaning solution, steam or hot
water.
▪ It should be strong enough to withstand the effect of falling objects, cans,
boxes (impact resistance)
▪ It should have high resistance to abrasion (wear and tear).
▪ It should have desired slope towards drains
▪ In processing section, the slope should be 1:80.
▪ In packaging section, the slope should be 1:40.
Types of floor
1. Cement concrete floor
2. Terrazzo floor used in offices
3. Tile floor having either natural stones or synthetic tiles
4. Metal floor
5. Grill floor

*Write short notes on each type.

Bedding and jointing for tile floors
The optimum result can be achieved by adopting most appropriate way of laying and filling the joints.
The materials used for the purpose mainly depend on the type of flooring material used in different
sections of a plant. Some of the ways of bedding and joining the floor tiles are given below.
1. Portland cement
▪ Portland cement mortar is most commonly used for bedding material for fixing floor
tiles/stones.
▪ Portland cement mortar is resistant to alkalis, but it is attacked by acids and dairy wastes. It is
necessary to take adequate care to make water tight joint.
2. Super sulfated cement
▪ Super sulfated cement is a mixture of ground blast furnace slag, calcium sulfate and Portland
cement.
▪ It requires special care during hardening after laying. It is resistant to acidic and alkalis.
3. Rubber latex cements
▪ Rubber latex cements are available for in situ floorings and are based on polyester and epoxy
resins.
▪ Unsaturated polyesters which in the presence of a catalyst, react with another resin such as
styrene, are usually employed for polyester flooring.
▪ It is susceptible to attack by alkalis and therefore cannot be used in dairy plants.
Maintenance of floors
The following points should be considered for the maintenance of the floor of different
sections of food plant:
▪ Regular cleaning floors is essential for hygiene, safety and long life of floor.
▪ All the joints should be carefully observed for any water/milk/chemical penetration
through the joints. Seal the joints using cementing material, if any defect is noticed.
▪ Remove waste water etc. from the floor in order to cause insanitary or slippery
conditions.
▪ Floors soiled with oil should be cleaned by scrubbing with detergent and water.
▪ In milk handling plant Lactic acid are formed as milk sours, therefore, early removal of
spilled milk is desirable.
▪ Use appropriate chemicals or combination of chemicals for floor cleaning. Don’t sprinkle
chemicals on the floor as it may damage the floor surface. Use mild detergent solution
with low free sulphate is recommended for floor cleaning.
▪ Hand scrubbing with brushes or electric scrubbing followed by rinsing with clean water is
recommended.