PRECAST CONCRETE

reused hundreds to thousands of times before

Precast Concrete is a construction product producedthey have to be replaced which allow cost of
by casting concrete in a reusable mold or "form"
formwork per unit to be lower than for site-cast
which is then cured in a controlled environment,
transported to the construction site and lifted into production.
place. In contrast, standard concrete is poured into
site-specific forms and cured on site. The main
features of this construction process are as follows:

• The division and specialization of the human

workforce
• The use of tools, machinery, and other
equipment, usually automated, in the
Production of standard, interchangeable parts
and products

This type of construction requires a restructuring

of the entire conventional construction process
to enable interaction between the design phase
and production planning in order to improve and
speed up the construction. One of the key
premises for achieving that objective is to design
buildings with a regular configuration in plan and
elevation.

By producing precast concrete in a controlled

environment (typically referred to as a precast
plant), the precast concrete is afforded the
opportunity to properly cure and be closely
monitored by plant employees. Utilizing a Precast
Concrete system offers many potential
advantages over site casting of concrete. The
production process for Precast Concrete is
performed on ground level which helps with
safety throughout a project. There is a greater
control of the quality of materials and
workmanship in a precast plant rather than on a
construction site. Financially, the forms used in a
precast plant may be

WHY PRECAST?
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Strength: The strength of precast concrete
gradually increases over time. Other materials
can deteriorate, experience creep and stress
relaxation, lose strength and/or deflect over
time. The load-carrying capacity of precast
concrete is derived from its own structural
qualities and does not rely on the strength or
quality of the surrounding backfill materials.

Durability: Studies have shown that precast

concrete products can provide a service life in excess
of 100 years. For severe service conditions, additional
design options are available which can extend the life
Chemical Resistance: Precast concrete is
resistant to most substances. However, no
of the precast concrete product. This is extremely
material is completely immune to attack from
important when calculating life-cycle costs for a
aggressive chemical agents. Thus it is wise to
project.
choose the material with the longest expected
service life. Precast concrete products can be
Mass: Precast concrete products can act as designed to withstand anticipated corrosive
effective barriers to vehicular traffic due their size agents.
and weight. In the current world climate, precast
concrete products such as planters, bollards and Quality Control: Because precast concrete
highway barriers increasingly are being used to products typically are produced in a controlled
provide protection for a wide variety of venues. environment, they exhibit high quality and
uniformity. Variables affecting quality typically
Buoyancy: With a specific gravity of 2.40, found on a jobsite –temperature, humidity,
precast concrete products resist the buoyant material quality, craftsmanship – are nearly
forces associated with below-grade construction. eliminated in a plant environment.
In comparison, fiberglass has a specific gravity of
1.86 and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) has a UV Sensitivity. Unlike some other materials,
specific gravity of 0.97. precast concrete does not degrade from
exposure to sunlight. This is extremely beneficial
Fire Resistance: Precast concrete is for above-ground applications.
noncombustible. Also, concrete does not lose its
structural capacity nearly as quickly as steel, Environmentally
which is now a significant consideration as Friendly: After water,
witnessed in the attacks on the World Trade concrete is the
Center and the towers’ subsequent collapse. most
Other materials besides concrete and steel are frequently
flammable and/or do not perform well in used
elevated temperatures. Fiberglass begins losing
structural integrity at 200 F. HDPE begins to melt
at 266 F.
material
on earth.
It is
nontoxic,

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environmentally safe and composed of natural
materials. Buried throughout the world, precast
concrete products help convey water without
contributing to poor water quality.

Weather Resistance: Precast concrete is well-

suited for exposure to all types of weather
conditions. In regions experiencing regular
freeze-thaw cycles, the concrete mix can be
designed to properly withstand damage.

Reduced Weather Dependency. Precast

concrete increases efficiency because weather
will not delay production. In addition, weather
conditions at the jobsite do not significantly
affect the schedule. This is because it requires
less time to install precast compared with other
construction methods, such as cast-in-place
concrete. Precast concrete can be easily installed
on demand and immediately backfilled – there is
no need to wait for it to cure.

Water tightness. Precast concrete products

produced in a quality-controlled environment
and used with high-quality sealants offer a
superior solution to water tightness
requirements. Standard watertight sealants are
specially formulated to adhere to precast
concrete, making watertight multiple-seam
precast concrete structures possible.
Ease of Installation. Although precast
concrete is quite heavy, nearly all other
competing materials require machinery for
handling and installation as well. Besides, speed
of installation is more dependent on excavation
than product handling and placement. Precast
does not require the use of special rigging (such
as fabric slings) which must be used in order to
avoid structural damage while handling materials
such as fiberglass. Additionally, because precast
products are designed and manufactured for
simple connection, many components can be
installed in a short time.
Modularity. Because of the modular nature of
many precast concrete products, structures or
systems of nearly any size can be accommodate
Availability. With thousands of manufacturers
throughout North America, precast concrete
products can be ordered from plants in most
cities or regions. Since precast structures are
manufactured in advance and stored at the plant,
they are readily available when needed at the job
site. This ensures competitive pricing and a ready
supply, which can save days, weeks or even
months on a project over cast-in-place concrete.
Efficiency. Precast concrete products arrive at
the jobsite ready to install. There is no need to
order raw materials such as reinforcing steel and
concrete, and there is no need to expend time
setting up forms, placing concrete or waiting for
the concrete to cure.
Aesthetics. Precast concrete products are both
functional and decorative. They can be shaped
and molded into an endless array of sizes and
configurations. Precast concrete can also be
produced in virtually any color and a wide variety
of finishes (acid-etched, sandblasted, smooth-as-
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cast, exposed-aggregate) to achieve the desired
appearance for building and site applications.

Low Maintenance. Precast concrete requires

little or no maintenance, which makes it an ideal
choice for nearly any design solution.

 DISADVANTAGES OF PRECAST
CONCRETE
There is
Although a wide choice of frames is available possibility
from manufacturers these system lack the design of precast
flexibility of cast in situ purpose made frames units being
damaged
Site planning can be limited by manufacturers during
delivery and unloading programmes and handling
requirements. and
Lifiting plant of a type and size not normally
required by traditional construction methods transportation
may be needed.
The assembling of different structural elements
satisfactorily is a difficult task.

PRECAST PRODUCTS

Some of the most important products which are

precast are as follows

 Concrete Compound Wall

 Concrete Door Frames
 Concrete Window Frames
 Concrete Bench
 Concrete

Tulsi virndavan
 Concrete Toilet / Bath / Security Kiosk
 Concrete Garden Furniture
 Concrete Manhole Covers
 Industrial Special Wall

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 Storage Shed
 Buildings
 Storm Water Drains
 Poles & Street Lighting Poles
 MISC. Precast Concrete Products

PRECAST CONCRETE FRAMES

These frames are suitable for single storey and

low rise applications. They provide the skeleton
for the building and can be clad externally and
finished internally by all traditional methods. The
frames are usually produced as part of a
manufacturers standard range of designs and are
therefore seldom purpose made due to the high
cost of the moulds.

Foundation connections: The

preferred method of connection is to
set the column into a pocket cast into
a RCC pad foundation and is suitable
for light to medium loadings. Where
heavy column loadings are
encountered it may be necessary to
use a steel base plate secured to the
RCC foundation with holding down
bolts.

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FOUNDATION CONNECTIONS

Column to column connections

Precast columns are usually in one length and can
be up to four storeys in height. They are
prestressed according to the loading conditions.
If column to column are required they are usually
made at floor levels above the beam to column
connections and can range from a simple dowel
connection to complex connection involving
insitu concrete.

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Precast Concrete Floors, Roof Slabs, Walls,  and  Partitions
The  most  commonly  used  precast  slabs  or panels  for  FLOOR  and  ROOF  DECKS  are  the channel  and
double-T  types  (fig.  7-16,  views  A and B). The  channel  slabs  vary  in  size  with  a  depth ranging  from  9  to
12  in.,  width  2  to  5  ft,  and  a thickness  of  1  to  2  in.  They  have  been  used  in spans up to 50 ft. If desired
or needed, the legs of the channels may be extended across the ends

And,  if  used  in  combination  with  the  top  slabs. may be stiffened with occasional cross ribs. Wire mesh may
be used in the top slabs for reinforce- ment. The longitudinal grooves located along the top  of  the  channel
legs  may  be  grouted  to  form keys  between  adjacent  slabs. The  double-T  slabs  vary  in  size  from  4  to 6 ft
in width and 9 to 16 ft in depth. They have been used in spans as long as 50 ft. When the top- slab size ranges
from 1 1/2 to 2 in. in thickness, it  should  be  reinforced  with  wire  mesh. The tongue-and-groove panel (fig. 7-
16, view C) could vary extensively in size, according to the design requirement. They are placed in position much
like tongue-and-groove lumber; that is, the tongue  of  one  panel  is  placed  inside  the  groove of  an  adjacent
panel.  They  are  often  used  as decking  panels  in  large  pier  construction.

 Matching  plates  are  ordinarily  welded  and used  to  connect  the  supporting  members  to  the floor  and
roof  slabs. Panels  precast  in  a  horizontal  position,  in  a casting yard, or on the floor of the building, are
ordinarily  used  in  the  makeup  of  bearing  and nonbearing   WALLS   and   PARTITIONS.   

These panels are placed in their vertical positions by cranes or by the tilt-up procedure.Usually,
these panels are solid, reinforced slabs, 5to8 in.

Inthickness,with   the
lengthvaryingaccordingtothedistancesbetweencolumnsorothersupportingmembers.When windows
and dooropenings are cast in the slabs,  extra  reinforcements should be installed around the
openings. A concrete floor slab with a smooth, regular surface can be used as a “casting surface.”
When this smooth   surface   is   used   for   casting,   it   should   be covered with some form of liquid
or sheet material to prevent bonding between the surface and the wall panel. The upper surface of
the panel may be finished as regular concrete is finished by troweling, floating, or
brooming.SANDWICH PANELS are panels that consist of two    thin,    dense,    reinforced    concrete-
faceslabsseparated byacoreofinsulating material,such aslightweight  concrete,  cellular  glass,  plastic
foam, orsomerigidinsulatingmaterial.Thesepanelsaresometimesusedforexteriorwalls   to   provide
additional heat insulation. The thickness  of  the  sandwich  panels  varies  from  5  to  8 in.,
and the faceslabs are tiedtogether withwire,small rods,orin some other manner.Welded orbolted
matching  plates  are  also  used  to  connect
thewallpanels tothebuilding frame, top andbottom.Caulking on theoutsideand grouting on the
inside should be used to make the points  between  the  wall panels watertight.

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PrecastConcreteJoists, Beams, Girders, and Columns
Small, closelyspacedbeams used iffloorconstructionareusually called JOISTS; however, these same
beams when used in roof constructionare called PURLINS.   The   cross   sections   of   these beams are
shaped like a T or an I. The ones with the inverted  T-sections  are  usually  used  in  composite construction
where  they  support  cast-in-  place  floor or roof slabs. BEAMS and GIRDERS are terms usually appliedto the
same members, but the one with the longer span should be referred to as the girder. Beams and girders
may be conventional precast design   or prestressed.   Most   of   the   beams   will   be   I-shaped unless the
ends are rectangular.  The T-shaped ones can also be used.

Typical precast panels