Suitability of Precast Systems for Different Projects
Prasad. C.A, Director, Metey Engineering & Consultancy Pvt.Ltd.
Preamble
We have been hearing about the smart city in newspapers, television channels, media, etc., and it is reverberating every day. Precast construction revolution is under way in India, and soon it will be the major type of construction to be adopted in the construction sector of India. The article herewith presents the information about the necessity of precast in India, challenges for its implementation, planning for precast, development of precast so far, Type of systems to be adopted, precast set up cost, and systems to be chosen, etc., for effective implementation of precast into projects.Precast
The concept of precast (also known as "prefabricated") 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.
Every construction material & system has its own characteristics which to a greater or less extent influences the layout, span length, construction depth, stability system, etc. This is also the case for precast concrete, not only in comparison to steel, wood, & masonry structures, but also with respect to cast in-situ concrete. Theoretically, all joints between the precast units could be made in such a way that the completed precast structure has the same monolithic concept as an in-situ one by adopting the various developed techniques of insitu joints, Post tensioning of joints, and dry joints.
If the full advantages of precast concrete are to be realized, the structure should be conceived according to its specific design philosophy: Long spans, appropriate stability concept, simple details, etc.,
Designers should, from the very outset of the project, consider the possibilities, restrictions & advantages of precast concrete, its detailing, manufacturer, transport, erection & serviceability stages before completing a design in precast concrete.
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NBM&CW February 2015
