Production of Precast Concrete

Environmental and manufacturing conditions at a precast concrete plant are easily monitored.
The production of precast concrete elements takes place under controlled conditions in enclosed
factories. This makes the control of manufacturing, waste, emissions, noise levels, etc. easy
compared with the same processes at a building site. The raw material consumption is similar for
similar qualities of concrete, whether the production takes place in a factory, at a ready-mix plant
or at a building site. The raw material waste in precast concrete production is very small.
The use of new technologies such as self-consolidating concrete (SCC) can significantly reduce
noise and vibration in the production process. The use of high-performance concrete (HPC)
enables the design and production of more slender, reliable and more durable structures with
function-optimized shapes. Cost and material savings in structural material consumption and
natural resources can be realized through controlled production.
Forms
Precast forms are normally made of either steel or plywood. A large number of castings in forms
is typical in the production of precast concrete elements in plants with savings of raw materials.
Plywood form use is limited to about 20 to 50 castings depending upon the complexity,
maintenance and shape of the form. Standardized elements cast in steel forms are one step
towards sustainable production. An unlimited number of castings can be made by precasting
using steel forms. Standardization of precast products will save cost. Attempts by the precast
industry to standardize precast cross sections are designed to save costs and increase market
share by getting the maximum number of casts out of every form.
Form Oil
Mineral oil release agents can affect the health of workers, pollute the air, water and soil, be
flammable, have poor biodegradability and result in hazardous waste. New form oils have been
developed, containing of a mix of marine ester, medical white oil and vegetable oil. These oils
are easily biodegradable and are non-toxic. Precasters use approximately 0.5 kg form oil per m3
of concrete. Mineral oils are still used, but as prices come down, precasters will change to the
new form oils.
Silicone is frequently used to seal joints in forms. No negative scientifically based ecological
findings have been found regarding the life cycle of silicone sealants.
Admixtures can be divided into four main groups: water-reducing, air-entraining, retarders and
accelerators.
Reinforcement
The process of preparing mild steel reinforcement may be the same for a precaster as for a
contractor at a building site, except that precasters will usually have less waste. This results in
better utilization of the steel and less consumption of natural resources. Mesh reinforcing in thin
members is a very efficient use of materials. Precast elements may require some extra

reinforcement to resist lifting and handling stresses. A precast structure may need some
additional reinforcement to facilitate the force transfer in building connections. This may reduce
some of the advantages gained during production.
Fibre reinforced polymer (FRP)
Infrastructure components that corrode and deteriorate over time, usually force early
rehabilitation. Fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials can be used to reinforce these
sections to allow the infrastructure to achieve its full lifetime see CSA S806 for design and
production procedures.
Glass, aramid and carbon FRPs are up to 6 times stronger than steel, one-fifth the weight, noncorrosive and non-magnetic. FRPs are high strength, light weight, and are available in the form
of thin sheets make them an attractive alternative and economical solution for strengthening
existing concrete bridges and structures. The use of FRP bars and tendons is considered to be one
of the most promising solutions to overcome the deterioration aggravated by corroding steel
reinforcement in structures and bridges.
Other Materials
In precast concrete production, special materials are occasionally needed such as epoxy, lacquer,
varnish and paint. Although some of these materials are slightly hazardous, they are normally
used in very small amounts and their effects can be controlled during prefabrication. Effective
ventilation can be provided in areas where these materials are used. Waste is easily collected and
disposed of in an environmentally sound manner.
.

Transportation and Erection

In precast construction, the rigging of scaffolding, formwork, storage areas etc. is either not
necessary or done only once. Scaffolding is generally not required for precast structures. Cranes
are used to lift precast components into their place in a structure.
Transportation
When a building uses precast elements, large parts of the building can be brought to the site with
each transport. Larger trucks consume less fuel per ton transported. Materials for formwork,
scaffolding etc. are not required at the site and do not need to be transported.
Precast concrete structures are usually lighter than the equivalent area of on-site cast-in-place
concrete. This can represent a significant reduction in the number of truck movements and
reduced consumption of fossil fuels. The amount of energy consumed during the transport of
precast elements is about 0.00114 MJ/kg/km. This represents 5% to 10% of the total energy
consumption during manufacturing of precast concrete elements.
Construction Time
Precast concrete construction is nearly always faster when building the main parts of a structure.
Components are manufactured in a precast plant at the same time as the foundations are being
constructed at the site.
Precast units are normally large pieces, so greater parts of a building are completed with each
activity compared to cast-in-place construction (formwork, scaffolding, reinforcement, concrete
etc). Precast erection is fast and efficient, generally carried out using mobile cranes.
Total precast bridge structures (abutments, wingwalls, girders + decks and traffic barriers) can
dramatically speed up construction and reduce inconvenience and detours for motorists.
Manpower
An erection team will consist of a crane and small crew. Experienced erectors can erect a whole
frame and the floors and roof together with the walls of a building often before any other trades
are engaged at the site.
The following are typical erection times:
Erection of hollow core floor slabs - 300 m2 per working day
Grouting of floor joints - 500 m2 per day
Erection of columns - 8 pieces per day
Erection of beams - 15 pieces per day
Erection of double tee slabs - 25 pieces per day
Erection of walls - 15 pieces per day
Stair and elevator shafts - 2 floors per day
For commercial buildings (offices, shopping centers, schools etc.) about 100 m2 of a building
can be erected each day, including the erection of all components and all necessary connections.
The corresponding figure for the erection of apartment buildings is about 80 m2 per day. The
difference is generally due to smaller pieces and stricter tolerances.

PRECAST CONCRETE STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS

Precast Slabs

Precast Beam & Girders

Precast Columns

Precast Walls

LARGE PANEL SYSTEMS

The designation large-panel system refers to multistory structures composed of
large wall and floor concrete panels connected in the vertical and horizontal directions so
that the wall panels enclose appropriate spaces for the rooms within a building. These
panels form a box-like structure. Both vertical and horizontal panels resist gravity load.
Wall panels are usually one story high. Horizontal floor and roof panels span either as
one-way or two-way slabs. When properly joined together, these horizontal elements
act as diaphragms that transfer the lateral loads to the walls.

Depending on wall layout , there are three basic configurations of large-panel buildings:
Cross-wall systems
Longitudinal wall systems
Two-way systems
FRAME SYSTEMS
Precast frames can be constructed using either linear elements or spatial beamcolumn
sub-assemblages. Precast beam-column sub-assemblages have the advantage that
the connecting faces between the sub-assemblages can be placed away from the critical
frame regions; however, linear elements are generally preferred because of the
difficulties associated with forming, handling, and erecting spatial elements. The use of
linear elements generally means placing the connecting faces at the beam-column
junctions. The beams can be seated on corbels at the columns, for ease of construction
and to aid the shear transfer from the beam to the column. The beam-column joints
accomplished in this way are hinged. However, rigid beam-column connections are used in
some cases, when the continuity of longitudinal reinforcement through the beam-column
joint needs to be ensured. The components of a precast reinforced concrete frame are
shown in Figure

SLAB-COLUMN SYSTEMS WITH SHEAR WALLS

These systems rely on shear walls to sustain lateral load effects, whereas the
slab-column
structure resists mainly gravity loads. There are two main systems in this category:
Lift-slab system with walls
Prestressed slab-column system
In the Lift slab system, the load-bearing structure consists of precast
reinforced concrete columns and slabs,. Precast columns are usually two stories high. All
precast structural elements are assembled by means of special joints. Reinforced
concrete slabs are poured on the ground in forms, one on top of the other. Precast
concrete floor slabs are lifted from the ground up to the final height by lifting cranes.
The slab panels are lifted to the top of the column and then moved downwards to the
final position. Temporary supports are used to keep the slabs in the position until the
connection with the columns has been achieved. The prestressed slab-column system uses horizontal
prestressing in two
orthogonal directions to achieve continuity. The precast concrete column elements are 1
to 3 stories high. The reinforced concrete floor slabs fit the clear span between
columns. After erecting the slabs and columns of a story, the columns and floor slabs are
prestressed by means of prestressing tendons that pass through ducts in the columns at
the floor level and along the gaps left between adjacent slabs. After prestressing, the
gaps between the slabs are filled with in situ concrete and the tendons then become
bonded with the spans. Seismic loads are resisted mainly by the shear walls (precast or
cast-in-place) positioned between the columns at appropriate locations.