18 Facts About Precast concrete

Precast concrete is a construction product produced by casting concrete in a reusable mold or "form" which is then cured in a controlled environment, transported to the construction site and maneuvered into place; examples include precast beams, and wall panels for tilt up construction.

In contrast, cast-in-place Precast concrete is poured into site-specific forms and cured on site.

Precast concrete is employed in both interior and exterior applications, from highway, bridge, and hi-rise projects to tilt-up building construction.

Precast concrete forming systems for architectural applications differ in size, function, and cost.

Precast concrete assembly enables fast completion of commercial shops and offices with minimal labor.

On its own, Precast concrete has good compressive strength, but lacks tension and shear strength and can be subject to cracking when bearing loads for long periods of time.

Steel behaves similarly to Precast concrete in changing environments, which means it will shrink and expand with Precast concrete, helping avoid cracking.

Prestressed Precast concrete panels are widely used in the UK for a variety of applications including agricultural buildings, grain stores, silage clamps, slurry stores, livestock walling and general retaining walls.

Precast concrete building components and site amenities are used architecturally as fireplace mantels, cladding, trim products, accessories and curtain walls.

Structural applications of precast concrete include foundations, beams, floors, walls and other structural components.

Precast concrete is employed in a wide range of engineered earth retaining systems.

Precast concrete can be used to make underpasses, surface-passes, and pedestrian subways.

Precast concrete is used for the rail ways of some rubber-tyred metros.

Many projects find that prestressed Precast concrete provides the lowest overall cost, considering production and lifetime maintenance.

The original double-wall design consisted of two wythes of reinforced Precast concrete separated by an interior void, held together with embedded steel trusses.

The interior and exterior wythes of Precast concrete are held together with some form of connecting system that is able to provide the needed structural integrity.

Precast concrete industry is largely dominated by Government initiated projects for infrastructural development.

Construction industry is a huge energy consuming industry, and precast concrete products are and will continue to be more energy efficient than its counterparts.