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COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING

Department of Architecture and Building Sciences

ARCH 436
Contemporary Building Construction Methods

2. INTRODUCTION TO
PRECAST CONCRETE

Dr. Mohammed Ghonim

Lecture Objectives
Upon completion of this lecture, the student will be able to:
1. Explain the concept of precast concrete.
2. Discuss the advantages of precast concrete.
3. Compare between precast and cast-in-place concrete.
4. List the most common precast structural and non structural units.
5. Describe the process of producing precast units.

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Lecture Content
Introduction.

Historical Brief.

Advantages of Precast Concrete.

Disadvantages of Precast Concrete.

Precast Vs. Cast-in-Place Concrete

Precast Concrete Production.

Precast Concrete Curing.

Transportation & Hoisting of Precast
Concrete.
Precast Concrete Elements.

Precast Concrete Slabs.

Precast Concrete Beams.

Precast Concrete Columns.

Precast Concrete Walls & panels.

Precast Special Elements.

Introduction
The concept of precast construction includes those buildings, where the majority of
structural components are standardized and produced in plants in a location away from the
building, and then transported to the site for assembly. These components are manufactured
by industrial methods based on mass production in order to build a large number of
buildings in a short time at low cost.

This type of construction requires a restructuring of the entire conventional construction

process to enable interaction between the design phase and production planning in order to
improve and speed up the construction. One of the key principles for achieving that objective
is to design buildings with a regular configuration in plan and elevation.

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

By producing precast concrete in a controlled environment which is called precast plant,

the precast concrete is afforded the opportunity to properly cure and be closely monitored.
Utilizing a precast concrete system offers many potential advantages over site casting of
concrete, one of them the production process for precast concrete is performed on ground.
There is a greater control of the quality of materials and workmanship in a precast plant
rather than on a construction site. Financially, the forms used in a precast plant may be
reused hundreds of times before they have to be replaced, which allow cost of formwork per
unit to be lower than for site-cast production.

Historical Brief
Ancient Roman builders made use of concrete and soon poured the material into molds to
build their complex network of aqueducts, culverts, and tunnels. Modern uses for pre-cast
technology include a variety of architectural and structural applications featuring parts of or
an entire building system.

In the modern world, precast paneled buildings were pioneered in Liverpool, England in 1905,
when the process was invented by city engineer John Alexander Brodie who designed the
tram stables at Walton in Liverpool in 1906. The idea was not taken up extensively in Britain.
However, it was adopted all over the world, particularly in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia.

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Advantages of Precast Concrete

Because precasting is done at the ground level, the cost of formwork and shoring is
considerably reduced. Formwork cost reduction is also achieved through the use of
standard-size elements cast in permanent forms, which are reused several times. Precasting
also allows greater quality control over the strength of concrete and surface finishes, and
most surface finishes are obtained more easily in a precast plant.

Advantages of Precast Concrete

Factory-made products:
The only way to industrialize the construction business is to shift the work from the site to
modern permanent factories. It means rational and efficient manufacturing processes, skilled
workers, repetition of actions, quality surveillance, etc. Prefabrication has a much greater
potential for economy, structural performance and durability:
Optimal use of materials is obtained through modern manufacturing equipment and carefully
studied working procedures. As a consequence, precast products are much more slender
and present a high durability and longevity.
Shorter construction time - less than half of conventional cast in-situ construction: Today the
demand for a speedy return on investment is becoming increasingly important: the initially
agreed construction terms have to be met.
Adverse weather conditions don't influence the construction process:
Prefabrication is independent of adverse weather conditions and production continues
normally in wintertime when the temperature falls below 200 C. Site work stops when the
temperature falls below - 5C.

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Disadvantages of Precast Concrete

Precast concrete has many disadvantages, its main disadvantage is the cost of
transportation, although precast members are generally lighter than corresponding site-cast
members, they are still fairly heavy, transportation also limits the length and width of precast
members.

Another disadvantage of precasting is the need for heavier hoisting equipment at the
construction site and additional safety measures that must be observed during construction.
Installation and assembly at the site also introduce the need for more skilled workers
compared with site-cast concrete construction .
Architecturally, the most limiting factor in the use of precast concrete is the difficulty in
sculpting concrete at a large scale, which is more easily realized with site-cast concrete, this
is because precast elements are generally straight, with standard profiles.

Precast Vs. Cast-in-Place Concrete

Precast Concrete Cast-in-Place Concrete

1. Machinery & Labor Requires more machinery like trucks Requires less machinery, and it is easier
and cranes, in addition skilled to find suitable labors and contractors.
workers and qualified contractors.

2. Cost Lower initial cost, especially for Higher initial cost, but as cast-in-place
large projects, also the formworks structures requires less maintenance, its
cost less because they may be used life cycle cost may be less than precast
for hundreds of times. structures, so this factor is relative.

3. Time Shorter site Construction time, Longer construction time due to

precast concrete structures can be formwork installation and removing and
created in advance and held until the concrete curing time.
time we need them.

4. Concrete Quality We can achieve better concrete A number of uncontrollable factors can
quality control in plant conditions. decrease the strength and quality of
Therefore stronger and lighter cast-in-place concrete including
concrete units. inaccurate mixing, weather changes, etc.

5. Weather Conditions Pre-cast concrete structures are Cast-in-place concrete is affected by

poured in a controlled environment, cold temperatures and extremely wet
so weather is not an influencing conditions, this can delay concrete
factor for delaying the construction casting. Also sever hot and arid
progress. environments requires strict treatments
and control for concrete curing.

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Precast Vs. Cast-in-Place Concrete

Precast Concrete Cast-in-Place Concrete

6. Maintenance Precast structures need more As cast-in-place structure have fewer

maintenance, they require sealant joints, so they need less maintenance.
joints to prevent leakage, and they
may need to be replaced every
decade.
7. Recyclability Can be unfastened and removed and Cast-in-place concrete structures are
reused in another location with very difficult to be reused, steel bars
minimal damage and loss. only can be recycled.
8. Durability Because precast structures have Monolithic structures with fewer joints,
many joints, they dont afford lateral so they are more resistant to lateral and
forces and they require more shear seismic forces.
walls to resist those lateral forces
like wind pressure or seismic forces.
9. Sustainability Less materials consumption, more More materials consumption, so less
sustainable. sustainable.
10. Flexibility Modular designs offer less flexibility Cast-in-place structures offer more
in forms but more flexibility in last flexibility in design and ability to create
minute changes and extensions. plastic shapes.
Less head rooms and more Neat structures, as the structural
projections and depths for elements are cast together and
connections and layered floor intersected .
components.

Precast Concrete Production

Concrete elements, cast and cured in a manufacturing plant, then transported to the
construction site, plant casting allows increased efficiency and higher quality control.
Durable, permanent steel forms are reused many times, reducing formwork costs compared
to cast-in-place concrete.

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Precast Concrete Production

The use of high early strength cement and steam curing allow concrete members to be cast
and cured in only 24 hours, controlled casting conditions and high quality forms allow for
greater control of surface finishes.

Transportation & Hoisting of Precast Concrete

Precast members are often more difficult and costly to ship than the bulk cement and gravel
ingredients used for mixing concrete on the job site. Giant cranes are needed to hoist these
heavy hunks of concrete.
Special care must be taken, during hoisting and placing, not to put stresses on them that are
different from the ones they are designed to take in their final position in the structure.

Precast concrete hollow-core slabs are loaded to a truck by a forklift.

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Transportation & Hoisting of Precast Concrete

The erection procedure, and in turn the design of the structure is very much affected by the
weight and size of the individual components. The transport of the components is typically by
truck and as such, it is imperative to be aware of allowable component size and weight.

A custom-built straddle carrier moves a precast concrete section of a Precast panel lifted by a mobile
bridge. crane

The lifting of any precast product requires the use of special equipment and substantial
planning and knowledge. The selection of crane type and size is an important ingredient to
the viability of the precast structure, usually, mobile cranes are the most economical solution.

Precast Concrete Elements

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Precast Concrete Elements

Precast Concrete Slabs

Precast concrete slabs are used for floor and roof decks, deeper elements span further than
those that are shallower .

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Precast Concrete Slabs

Solid Slabs

Hollow Core Slabs

Single Tee Slabs Double Tee Slabs

Precast Concrete Slabs

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Precast Concrete Slabs

Precast concrete slabs, beams, and structural
tees are one-way spanning units that may be
supported by sitecast concrete, precast concrete,
or masonry bearing walls, or by steel, sitecast
concrete, or precast concrete frames. The precast
units are manufactured with normal-density or
structural lightweight concrete and prestressed
for greater structural efficiency, which results in
less depth, reduced weight, and longer spans.

Precast Concrete Beams

Structural beams, including rectangular beams, L-shaped beams, and inverted tee beams,
AASHTO are used to support horizontal deck components such as double tees and hollow-
core slabs.

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Precast Concrete Beams

Precast Concrete Columns

Precast concrete columns are typically used

with precast beams to form a structural frame.
Because rigid joints are difficult to fabricate in a
precast structural frame, shear walls or
diagonal bracing are normally relied upon to
stabilize the structure against lateral forces.

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Precast Concrete Columns

Precast columns provide support for beam and slab
elements, since these elements carry mainly axial
loads with little bending force, they may be
conventionally reinforced without prestressing.

Precast Concrete Walls & panels

Precast concrete wall panels may serve
as bearing walls capable of supporting
sitecast concrete or steel floor and roof
systems. Together with precast
concrete columns, beams, and slabs,
the wall panels form an entirely precast
structural system that is inherently
modular and fire-resistive.
The lateral stability of a precast
concrete structure requires that those
floors and roofs that serve as horizontal
diaphragms be able to transfer their
lateral forces to shear-resisting wall
panels. The wall panels, in turn, must
be stabilized by columns or cross walls
as they transfer the lateral forces to the
ground foundation.
All forces are transferred by a
combination of grouted joints, shear
keys, mechanical connectors, steel
reinforcement, and reinforced concrete
toppings.

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Precast Concrete Walls & Panels

Precast concrete wall panels are cast and
steam-cured in a plant off site, transported
to the construction site, and set in place
with cranes as rigid components.
Fabrication in a factory environment
enables the units to have a consistent
quality of strength, durability, and finish, and
eliminates the need for on-site formwork.

The precast wall panels may be

conventionally reinforced or prestressed for
greater structural efficiency, reduced panel
thicknesses, and longer spans. In addition
to the required tensile, shrinkage, and
temperature reinforcement, extra
reinforcement may be necessary to resist
the stresses of transportation and erection.

Precast wall panels may be of solid,

composite, or rifted construction, window
and door openings, corbels, and anchoring
devices are cast into the wall panels.

A variety of quality-controlled surface

textures and patterns are available.

Precast Special Elements

Precast concrete stairs

Uniquely shaped structural elements for

a sports stadium Precast Concrete Pipes

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Precast Special Elements

Precast Concrete Tunnel Segments

Precast Box Culverts Precast Concrete Fencing Systems

Summary
Precast construction includes those
buildings, where the majority of structural
components are standardized and
produced in plants away from the building,
and then transported to the site for
assembly.
Because precasting is done at the ground
level, the cost of formwork and shoring is
considerably reduced.
Precast concrete has disadvantages, most
of them are the transportation and hoisting
requirements.
Concrete elements, cast and cured in a
manufacturing plant, plant casting allows
increased efficiency and higher quality
control.
Precast concrete slabs are used for floor
and roof decks, deeper elements span
further than those that are shallower.
Because precast structures lack rigid
joints, shear walls or diagonal bracing are
normally relied upon to stabilize the
structure against lateral forces.

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References

Allen, EA. (2009) Fundamentals of building construction materials and methods, John Wiley & Sons.

Ching, Francis (2008) Building Construction Illustrated, John Wiley & Sons.
Emmitt, S.& Gorse, C. (2006) Barrys Advanced Construction of Buildings, Blackwell Publishing.
Garrison, Philip, (2005) Basic Structures for Engineers and Architects, Wiley-Blackwell.
Mehta, Madan et. al. (2013) Building Construction, Pearson, USA.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precast_concrete.
http://www.concretenetwork.com/precast-concrete/advantages.html
https://fp.auburn.edu/heinmic/ConcreteHistory/Pages/timeline.htm
http://youtube.com

Lecture Activity
Each student is required to prepare a brief but informative internet-based research about one of the topics
related to this lecture (Precast Concrete); i.e., new developments, successive and local case studies or
important details. The research should be presented in only one A4 sheet.

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