Hollow-core slab

You know how sometimes you see a piece of bread with a big hole in the middle of it? That's kind of what a hollow-core slab looks like. It's a big, flat piece of concrete that's used to make floors and roofs in buildings, but instead of being solid (like regular bread), it has a big hole running all the way through the middle of it.

Now, why would we want a big hole in the middle of our floor or roof? That's because it makes the slab lighter and easier to move around and put into place. You see, concrete is really heavy, and if we made the slabs solid, they would be almost impossible to lift up and move around. By making them hollow, we can still have a strong, sturdy slab, but it's much lighter and easier to work with.

But wait, you might be thinking - won't having a big hole in the middle of the slab make it weaker? Actually, no! The way hollow-core slabs are designed makes them just as strong and sturdy as solid slabs. That's because the hole isn't just an empty space - it's filled with something called "void forms", which are essentially little plastic bubbles that help distribute weight evenly across the slab.

So there you have it - a hollow-core slab is like a piece of bread with a big hole in the middle, but instead of being weaker, it's actually just as strong as a solid slab. It's used in buildings to make our floors and roofs lighter and more manageable, while still being able to support lots of weight.