The benefits and drawbacks of prestressed concrete

The strongest, most dependable, and longest-lasting concrete that is frequently utilized in the construction of enormous buildings and bridges is called prestretched concrete. The cement, precast manufacturing, and building industries have all benefited greatly from it.

Benefits of Pretensioned Concrete

The benefits of prestressed concrete are as follows:

• Greater unoccupied floor space and parking facilities are achieved with a greater span length.

• For high-rise buildings, thinner slabs are crucial because they allow for the construction of more slabs for the same cost as typical larger slabs. 

• Compared to conventional RC constructions, fewer joints are required as the span length increases. 

• Since joints are a concrete building's principal source of weakness, fewer joints also translate into lower maintenance costs over the course of the design life.

• The structural member sections do not track when subjected to service loading conditions. Long-term durability is thus attained and steel corrosion is decreased. 

• Here, a shorter section size results in a higher moment of inertia, fewer deformations, and a high shear capacity because the complete member section is used.

• Less building supplies are needed for it. 

• Better concrete placement and polishing. 

• It is fracture-free and able to withstand stresses greater than those found in typical RCC structures.

• It is feasible to build quickly while maintaining higher quality control. 

• Less upkeep is necessary.

• Regular concrete without prestressing is less appropriate for repetitive construction than prestressed concrete. 

• Formwork can be used in different ways with this kind of concrete. It may lessen the quantity of formwork.

The drawbacks of precast concrete

The main drawback of prestressed concrete is that it requires extra special equipment for construction, such as jacks and anchors, and it requires high-strength concrete and high-tensile-strength steel wires. 

Prestressing concrete calls for advanced technological know-how. • The cost of construction is slightly greater than that of RCC structures because to the increased cost of high-strength materials. • It requires highly skilled personnel under skilled supervision.