Manufacturing and Production

Precast Concrete Manufacturing and Yard Operations

Precast moves concrete work off the critical path and into a factory, which buys quality and speed and introduces two problems a site never has: getting the element to the site intact and making it fit something built by somebody else. This course covers both. Delegates work through mould design, materials and the tolerance a mould can actually hold through repeated use. Reinforcement and cast in items are addressed, including the fixings that must be positioned exactly. Prestressing is covered for beds and hollow core, including strand stressing, transfer and detensioning. Concrete for precast follows, with early strength, self compacting mixes and the workability that fills a congested mould. Accelerated curing is addressed through steam and heated beds. Demoulding, lifting and handling stresses are covered, since many elements are cracked before they leave the yard. Storage, stacking and transport follow. Erection tolerance and connection design are addressed. The course closes on finish quality and on repairing a damaged element.