August 11th, 2020

Post-Tension Slabs

At A-Concrete, we always strive to be the best. Being certified in post-tensioning techniques is one of our specialties and a reason why we are the best at what we do. Post-tesnioning is a wonderful technique that we use to guarantee the strength of some commercial projects. The safety procedures and certification that are required to complete post-tensioning techniques turn our commercial projects into specialties. 

What Is It?

While concrete is strong in compression, it is weak in tension. Steel is strong under forces of tension, so combining the two elements results in the creation of very strong concrete components. Post-tensioning can help create innovative concrete components that are thinner, longer, and stronger than ever before.

Many of today’s “high-performance” concrete structures, including many landmark bridges and buildings, employ some type of prestressing. While parking garages, high-rise residential towers, and many other kinds of structures employ post-tensioning techniques. This allows for large structures that undergo a vast amount of pressure and tension to stay strong for many years to come. 

Benefits of Post-Tensioned Concrete

Post-tensioning, has several advantages over standard reinforcing steel:

• It reduces or eliminates shrinkage cracking-therefore no joints, or fewer joints, are needed
• Cracks that do form are held tightly together
• It allows slabs and other structural members to be thinner
• It allows us to build slabs on expansive or soft soils
• It lets us design longer spans in elevated members, like floors or beams