What is Precast Concrete?

Pros and Cons of

it
Posted by Struccore on August 17, 2016 with 0 Comment

Precast concrete is a construction product generated by casting concrete in a reusable mold or

form which is then treated in a controlled environment, conveyed to the construction site &
lifted into place. Whereas, standard concrete is decanted into site-specific forms & cured on site.

By generating precast concrete in a controlled environment (typically called as a precast plant),

the precast concrete has the prospects of being properly cure and be carefully monitored by plant
staffs. A precast concrete system has many advantages over onsite casting. Precast concrete
production is carried out on ground level, which also helps with safety throughout a project.
There is better hold over material quality & workmanship in a precast plant compared to a
construction site. The forms used in a precast plant can be reused hundreds to thousands of times
before they have to be replaced, when looking at the cost per unit of formwork; it often makes it
cheaper than onsite casting.

Advantages:

Good quality control

Very rapid speed of erection
Rapid construction on site
 Entire building can be precast-walls, floors, beams, etc.
Pre-stressing is easily done which can reduce the size and number of the structural
members.
High quality because of the controlled conditions in the factory

Disadvantages:

Camber in beams and slabs

Very heavy members
Connections may be difficult
Very small margin for error
Because panel size is limited, precast concrete cannot be used for two-way structural
systems.
Somewhat limited building design flexibility
Need for repetition of forms affects building design.
Joints between panels are often expensive and complicated.
Economics of scale demand regularly shaped buildings.
Cranes are required to lift panels.
Skilled workmanship is needed in the application of the panel on site.

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