High Rib Sheet Information

Hy-Rib is a steel encasement stiffened by rigid ribs used in reinforced walls, ceilings, and floors.[2] They are helical hooping units of steel sheathing forms used in concrete, stucco and plaster.[3] Hy-Rib products are a derivative of the "wings" used in the patented Kahn System of reinforced concrete, invented by Julius Kahn in 1903.[4] The products are made from a single plate of steel.[2] Hy-Rib products were used in concrete doors, ceilings, and roofs.[2] It was also used in sidings, partitions and ceilings to eliminate channels.[2] Hy-Rib products were designed to take on plaster and cement to eliminate layout forms in the construction of buildings.[2] The steel sheet form would be embedded with plaster or cement directly and would flow into the lath surface to attach itself to the steel and harden to secure the material into the steel.

Hy-Rib products came in steel sheathing forms that could be bent, cut and connected together to make various size floors, walls, and ceilings. They were designed with the idea to reduce weight as compared to wood structures of the same building size. The steel forms of sheathing were stiffened by rigid high ribs and a complete unit was made with a single sheet of steel. This technique increased floor space because it cut down on center posts that were normally used in wood structured buildings. The Hy-Rib reinforced concrete floors, ceilings and walls were fireproof, being a major safety factor over wooden structures. The Packard automobile factory plant building number 10 is a demonstration of Hy-Rib product application of this reinforced concrete technique.[5][6] This was the first time reinforced concrete products were used for automobile factory construction